Ashikaga Yoshihisa

Ashikaga Yoshihisa (1465-1489) was the 9th shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, known as the shogun who personally led military campaigns to Omi Province during the chaotic period following the Onin War. Born to Ashikaga Yoshimasa and Hino Tomiko, he was raised as the shogunal heir from an early age. He succeeded to the shogunal post from his father Yoshimasa in 1473 and thereafter attempted to rebuild the authority of the shogunate.

To restore the prestige of the shogunate, which had been devastated by the Onin War (1467-1477), Yoshihisa undertook a personal campaign against the Rokkaku clan of Omi Province (the Chokyo-Entoku Disturbance). The extraordinary act of a shogun personally taking to the battlefield sent shockwaves through warrior society. Yoshihisa established his headquarters at Magari in Omi and spent several years in military camp, but died of illness in camp in 1489 at the young age of 25. His untimely death shattered the dream of restoring the authority of the Ashikaga Shogunate.

Yoshihisa was also enthusiastic about swordsmanship and is said to have taken notable swordsmen and martial artists into his service, encouraging the martial arts. Under his rule, the culture of sword appraisal and appreciation flourished further, and renowned swordsmiths of the Kanto and Kinai regions received his patronage. Although his brief reign ended politically unfulfilled, Yoshihisa is regarded as a shogun who played an important role in fostering the warrior culture and sword culture of the late Muromachi period.