The Muromachi Shogunate, the hereditary military administration in the Muromachi period, was unstable because most shoguns who led the Shogunate were insufficient and lacked leaders, except for Yoshiteru Ashikaga, the 13th Muromachi shogun.  Shogun Yoshiteru fought bravely in many wars to regain the Shogunate’s authority.  Unfortunately, he died at the age of thirty before he made any achievements; nevertheless, he is known as one of the strongest and bravest samurais in history.

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Son of the Weak Shogunate

Yoshiteru was born in 1536 as the son of the Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiharu, who ruled the Muromachi Shogunate.  Yoshiteru’s childhood name was Kikudomaru.  Because he was the eldest son of a shogun, his family had a lot of hope for his future.  On the other hand, the 11-year-long war, “Onin Battle,” affected the state of Japan so much that the country became quite unstable.  It made the Muromachi Shogunate drop its reliability and popularity.  The Shogunate lacked authority.  Yoshiteru’s father, the head of the Shogunate, was deprived of his power by a retainer man named Hosokawa.  Yoshiteru’s father fought back Hosokawa; however, he lost every battle.  Each time he lost Hosokawa, he would run away to the faraway town with his son, Yoshiteru.  Yoshiteru’s childhood was never fun.  He witnessed many battles and absconded from his home.  The Shogunate had no dignity, so Yoshiteru, who was supposed to be like “a prince of the country,” had to live a miserable life.

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Became a Shogun When He Was Only 11

Yoshiteru’s father retired from the position of shogun early on, which made Yoshiteru become a shogun when he was only 11.  Yoshiteru wasn’t very confident about being a shogun because he had to beat his father’s rival, Hosokawa, to rebuild the Shogunate and the country under pressure.  While Yoshiteru was nervous about being a shogun, he reconciled with Hosokawa in no time.  However, a man named Nagayoshi Miyoshi, who had even greater power, came up from the vassals of Hosokawa and started to bother Yoshiteru.  Miyoshi tried to take control of the Muromachi Shogunate, so he became Yoshiteru’s next enemy.  When Yoshiteru was 15 years old, his father, Yoshiharu died.

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Miserable Shogun

Yoshiteru was wary of Miyoshi and always being prepared for war.  Every time Yoshiteru and Miyoshi fought, Yoshiteru was the one who got defeated.  Yoshiteru disliked this situation, so he had to run away from Miyoshi.  Miyoshi wanted to snatch servants from Yoshiteru, so he once stopped them from going with Yoshiteru by announcing that he would confiscate the land from whoever went with Yoshiteru.  Many servants yielded to threats and abandoned Yoshiteru.  While Yoshiteru spent five years alone, Japan made important decisions without letting Yoshiteru know.  Whether he lost the war or not, Yoshiteru still was supposed to be a shogun, the head of the Muromachi Shogunate.  Yoshiteru got even angrier knowing that Miyoshi was involved in the national decision instead of Yoshiteru.  After several battles, Yoshiteru reconciled with Miyoshi, so he was finally able to be back active as a shogun for the first time in five years.  Everything looked like it was sorted out; however, Yoshiteru still was under strain because Miyoshi was nearby, looking for the perfect timing to raise a rebellion.

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Yoshiteru Was A Swordmaster

Yoshiteru learned swordsmanship from a man named Tsukahara Bokuden, who was said to be a swordmaster legend.  Mastering the use of swords / Katana was important for samurais because they used swords to fight in the war.  Yoshiteru acquired the skill of swords, and was called “Swordmaster-Shogun.”  There were three shoguns in the Kamakura period, 15 in the Muromachi period, and 15 in the Edo period, but Yoshiteru was the only shogun who was also recognized as a swordmaster.  Soldiers, even from enemy troops, were surprised by Yoshiteru’s fighting skills with his sword.

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Rebuild A Country 

Yoshiteru, who resumed the shogunate politics, was fired up about rebuilding the shogunate’s authority.  He first began to focus on getting along with the daimyo from each region.  Second, Yoshiteru put effort into arbitrating the battles that were occurring in various places.  Among the many battles that Yoshiki arbitrated, some big battles were taken place between quite a famous daimyo.  By arbitrating wars, Yoshiteru was able to save the war expenditure of the country, and he also showed his power and authority as a Shogun.  Yoshiteru successfully built a peaceful country and conducted stable politics.  And, Yoshiteru’s biggest enemy, Miyoshi, died.  Yoshiteru thought that it was finally his time to do politics without any obstacles; however, Miyoshi’s death did not give the shogunate stability but brought Yoshiteru destruction.

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Yoshiteru Died at the Eiroku Incident

Even after Miyoshi had passed away, Miyoshi’s servants were trying to steal Yoshiteru’s authority.  What was unfortunate about Yoshiteru was that he didn’t know how fearful Miyoshi’s servants were.  It was a sudden assault that 10,000 of the Miyoshi army attacked the castle while Yoshiteru was sleeping.  Because no one expected that this tragedy would happen after the death of Miyoshi Nagayoshi, Yoshiteru was with only a few hundred troops.  10,000 vs. few hundred.  The victory seemed already decided.  Yoshiteru got killed in this assault, and he was only 30 years old at that time.  Shogun’s being killed was unprecedented because the shogun usually commands troops, hiding in the very back of a thousand or more soldiers.  Besides the war, the shogun was supposed to be protected by servants all the time in preparation for the enemy’s attack.  That is not the case with Yoshiteru.  He fought back in the frontline in this assault.  Missionary Luis Frois said in his book that “Yoshiteru aggressively fought back, using his Naginata (long-handled sword).  People were very surprised at his sword skills.  At some point, Yoshiteru threw away Naginata and ran toward the enemy with a knife so that he could get closer to them.  No one, if they believe that they would lose, fights like how Yoshiteru did.”

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Yoshiteru’s Sad Poem 

Many Japanese samurais left poems when they knew they would die.  We can see the samurais’ characteristics by reading poems that show their lives and hearts.  The night of the Eiroku Incident, neither Yoshiteru nor his servants were fully ready for the battle.  When Yoshiteru first heard that he was being attacked, he realized that he couldn’t beat Miyoshi’s army, and decided to take a quick farewell drink with his servants before going to the battle.  He read this poem there.  “I don’t know if this is rain or tears.  I beg this little bird, so he brings my name up to the top of the clouds.”  Yoshiteru sounds disappointed and regrettable at himself for he was going to die without any achievements.  People think Yoshiteru could have left more achievements with his sword skills only if he was in a different time.  People see him as a great shogun, who became a shogun when he was only 11, struggling with enemies most of the time, and died when he was 30.

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