Ashikaga Ujimitsu

Japanese: 足利氏満 - あしかが・うじみつ

Year of death: November 4, 1398 (December 12, 1398)
Year of birth: Enbun 4/Shohei 14 (1359)
A military commander during the Northern and Southern Courts and Muromachi periods. Son of Motouji. Childhood name Kinnomaru. In 1367 (Shohei 22), he became the second Kamakura kubo after his father's death. The following year, he defeated the Taira Ikki, a local uprising in Musashi Kawagoe, and subsequently forced Utsunomiya Ujitsuna of Shimotsuke, who had sided with them, to surrender. In 1380 (Shohei 24), he came of age and took the name Ujimitsu, taking one character from the name of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. From then on, Ujimitsu worked to suppress the powerful feudal lords who had maintained a relatively independent status in order to stabilize the control of the Kamakura domain. In particular, in 1380 (Tenju 6), in a private fight between Koyama Yoshimasa and Utsunomiya Mototsuna of Shimotsuke, Ujimitsu pursued Yoshimasa, who had defeated and killed Mototsuna, and Yoshimasa committed suicide after three rebellions (Koyama Rebellion). The rebellion itself was passed on to Yoshimasa's surviving son Wakainumaru, but this established a system of rule based on the Kanto Kanrei Uesugi clan and close vassals of the Kamakura shogunate. Meanwhile, in terms of relations with the Muromachi shogunate, Yoshimitsu plotted to overthrow Yoshimitsu during the Koryaku Coup in the 5th year of Tenju (Koryaku 1), when Hosokawa Yoriyuki was driven from his position as Kanrei, but was deterred by the death of Kanto Kanrei Uesugi Noriharu. In addition, in 1392 (Genchu 9th year of Meitoku 3), the shogunate was handed over the two provinces of Mutsu and Dewa, which were its territorial holdings, likely in response to persistent demands by Ujimitsu, who was maneuvering from Oshu. However, perhaps due to the shogunate's policy of checking the Kamakura shogunate, the actual control of Oshu by the Kamakura shogunate came to depend heavily on the Shiba clan, the Oshu Tandai.

(Ikuo Eda)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：応永5.11.4(1398.12.12)
生年：延文4/正平14(1359)
南北朝・室町時代の武将。基氏の子。幼名金王丸。貞治6/正平22(1367)年,父の死により2代鎌倉公方となる。翌年,敵対する武蔵河越の国人一揆である平一揆を討ち,続いてこれにくみした下野の宇都宮氏綱を降参させている。応安2/正平24年元服し,将軍足利義満の諱の1字を受けて氏満と称した。以後氏満は鎌倉府分国支配の安定のため,比較的独立を保っていた有力領主層の抑圧に努める。特に康暦2/天授6(1380)年,下野の小山義政と宇都宮基綱の私闘を巡っては,基綱を敗死させた義政を追討し,義政は3度にわたる反乱の末自殺を遂げた(小山氏の乱)。乱自体はその後も義政の遺児若犬丸に引き継がれることになるが,これにより関東管領上杉氏と鎌倉府近臣を基軸とする支配体制が一応確立された。一方室町幕府との関係では,細川頼之が管領の座を追われた康暦1/天授5年の康暦の政変に際し義満の打倒を策したものの,関東管領上杉憲春の諫死により思いとどまっている。また明徳3/元中9(1392)年には幕府分国の陸奥・出羽両国を移譲されたが,これは,奥州を拠点に策動する若犬丸鎮圧を名目とした氏満の執拗な要求に,幕府が応じたものであろう。しかし鎌倉府による現実の奥羽支配は鎌倉府牽制という幕府の方針もあってか,奥州探題の斯波氏に大きく依存することとなった。

(江田郁夫)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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