Yoshimasa Ashikaga

The 8th Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate. Son of Yoshinori. Born on January 2, 8th year of Eikyō. Became the successor when his elder brother Yoshikatsu died on July 21st, 1443 (3rd year of Kakitsu). He was originally called Yoshishige, and came of age in April, 1449 (1st year of Hōtoku), and was proclaimed Shogun on April 29th. On June 13th, 1453 (2nd year of Kyōtoku), he changed his name to Yoshimasa. His highest official ranks were Juichii, Sadaijin, and Jūsangu. He was posthumously appointed Daijō Daijin. In December, 1473 (5th year of Bunmei), he retired and handed over the position of Shogun to his son Yoshihisa. Yoshimasa inherited the family headship at the age of eight, but the shogunate was dominated by senior retainers such as Hatakeyama Mochikuni, Hosokawa Katsumoto, and Yamana Mochitoyo, and the political system was centered on senior retainers, who were trying to overcome the crisis that had been plaguing the shogunate since the Kakitsu War (1441). In the early days of Yoshimasa's reign, he focused on strengthening the shogun's power, such as by establishing an army directly under the shogun's control in order to strengthen the ranks of his retainers. However, the intensification of political and social contradictions during this period began to shake the foundations of the shogunate's ruling system. In the central political world, internal conflicts erupted within the shugo families that supported the shogunate's power, and conflicts over the family headship began to break out one after another. These internal conflicts also extended to the two kanrei families, the Hatakeyama and Shiba families, and the situation became critical. In the first place, such disputes were often caused by local lords trying to establish their own leadership within their territories, and it shows that even in the provinces, conflicts between local lords were becoming apparent and they were beginning to show independent movements. Furthermore, in various places, people rose up in revolts calling for virtuous government, and virtuous government uprisings were occurring frequently. Furthermore, after 1459 (the 3rd year of Choroku), a famine called the Kansho Famine occurred, and epidemics and starvation were widespread. At a time when political and social turmoil was deepening regardless of whether it was the central government or the provinces, Yoshimasa ignored the situation and gave himself up to entertainment such as sarugaku (traditional Japanese theatre), pleasure trips, and drinking parties, and for that purpose he seized every opportunity to carry out plundering. In this situation, divisions also appeared in the Shogunate. In 1464 (Kansho 5), Yoshimasa gave the name Yoshimi to his younger brother, Gijin, the head priest of Jodo-ji Temple, and made him his successor. However, the following year, in 1465, his wife, Hino Tomiko, gave birth to a son, Yoshihisa, and a dispute arose between Tomiko and Yoshimi. This was linked to the power struggle within the shogunate between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sozen, and further to the internal conflict between Shiba and Hatakeyama, leading to the outbreak of the Onin War, which divided the shogunate in two. In the midst of the war, Yoshimasa handed over the position of shogun to Yoshihisa and took refuge in a refined life. He built a mountain villa in Higashiyama, Kyoto, and built the Silver Pavilion, modeled after Yoshimitsu's Golden Pavilion, and moved there in 1483 (Bunmei 15). During this period, highly valued cultures such as ink painting, tea ceremony, linked verse, Noh, and flower arrangement, all strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism, flourished. This culture is generally called Higashiyama culture. He passed away on January 7, 2nd year of Entoku. His posthumous name was Jishoin Dokeizan.

[Kiyoshi Ito]

"The Onin War by Ryoichi Suzuki (Iwanami Shinsho)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

室町幕府第8代将軍。義教(よしのり)の子。永享(えいきょう)8年正月2日生まれ。1443年（嘉吉3）7月21日兄の義勝(よしかつ)が死去したことにより後嗣(こうし)となる。最初義成(よししげ)と称して1449年（宝徳1）4月元服、4月29日征夷(せいい)大将軍を宣下(せんげ)される。1453年（享徳2）6月13日義政と改名。極官は従(じゅ)一位、左大臣、准三宮(じゅさんぐう)。贈太政大臣(だいじょうだいじん)。1473年（文明5）12月将軍職を子義尚(よしひさ)に譲り隠居。義政は8歳で家督を継いだが、幕府の主導権は畠山持国(はたけやまもちくに)、細川勝元(かつもと)、山名持豊(やまなもちとよ)らの宿老が握り、嘉吉(かきつ)の乱（1441）以来の危機的な状況を乗り切ろうとする宿老中心の政治体制であった。義政時代の初期には奉公衆の充実を図るため将軍直轄軍を整備するなど、将軍権力の強化に意を注いだ。しかし、この期における政治的、社会的矛盾の激化は幕府支配体制の根本を揺さぶり始めていた。中央政界では幕府権力を支える守護家内部に内紛が噴出し、家督をめぐる抗争が続発し始める。この内紛は管領(かんれい)家である畠山、斯波(しば)の両家にも及び、重大な情勢となっていく。そもそもこのような争いは領国内の国人(こくじん)が領国内における自己の主導権を確立しようとして起こすことが多く、地方においても国人相互の対立があらわになり、自立的動きをみせ始めてきていることを示している。また各地に民衆が徳政を求めて蜂起(ほうき)し、徳政一揆(いっき)が頻発していた。さらに1459年（長禄3）以後、寛正(かんしょう)の大飢饉(ききん)とよばれる飢饉が起こり、疫病と飢餓が蔓延(まんえん)していた。中央、地方の区別なく政治的社会的混乱が深まりつつあるとき、義政はこのような状況をも顧みず、猿楽(さるがく)、遊山、酒宴などの遊興に身をゆだね、そのためにあらゆる機会をつかんで収奪を強行した。このような情勢のなかで分裂は将軍家にも現れた。義政は1464年（寛正5）弟の浄土寺門跡義尋(ぎじん)を義視(よしみ)と名のらせ後嗣としたのであるが、翌1465年夫人の日野富子が義尚(よしひさ)を産んだため、富子と義視との間に争いが起こり、細川勝元と山名宗全(そうぜん)の幕府内部における勢力争いと結び付き、さらに斯波、畠山の内紛も加わって、幕府を二分する応仁(おうにん)の乱が勃発(ぼっぱつ)したのである。乱の最中、義政は将軍職を義尚に譲り逃避の風流生活に入った。京都の東山(ひがしやま)に山荘を造営し、義満の金閣に擬した銀閣を建て、1483年（文明15）ここに移り住んだ。この時期、禅宗の影響を強く受けた水墨画、茶、連歌、能、いけ花など、高い価値をもった文化が開花した。この文化を一般に東山文化とよんでいる。延徳(えんとく)2年正月7日没。法号は慈照院道慶喜山(じしょういんどうけいきざん)。

［伊藤喜良］

『鈴木良一著『応仁の乱』（岩波新書）』

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