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Ashikaga Yoshiaki (足利 義昭, 1537 – 1597), also known by his Shinbakufu alias The Horseman,[1] was the 15th and final shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate, ruling Japan from 1568 to 1573.[2]
Biography[]
Early reign[]
In 1565, Yoshiaki's older brother and reigning shōgun Yoshiteru was assassinated and replaced[3] with their cousin Yoshihide, who was the Miyoshi clan's puppet.[4] This prompted Yoshiaki to travel around the provinces seeking a benefactor to back his own claim to the title. In 1568, Yoshiaki visited the daimyō Oda Nobunaga, who had just established himself at Gifu Castle, and presented his case. Surprisingly,[3] Nobunaga agreed to support him and the two marched on Kyoto, but Yoshiaki was unaware that Nobunaga was only using the shogunate's usurpation as a pretext for military action.[5]
That November, Nobunaga entered Kyoto with his army and installed Yoshiaki as shōgun; Yoshiaki offered him the position of deputy shōgun, but Nobunaga declined.[3]
Deposition[]
Though he attempted to rule, Yoshiaki noticed that his power relied on Nobunaga's aid. By 1572, there was tension between the two, with Nobunaga issuing several admonishments that caused Yoshiaki to take offense. Yoshiaki began plotting against him, trying to convince other daimyō[3] like Takeda Shingen[2] to turn against Nobunaga and "rescue" Yoshiaki in Kyoto.[3]
In 1573, Yoshiaki rebelled, leading to Nobunaga's forces marching on Kyoto and expelling him. He escaped with his life and took up residence with the Mōri clan in Western Japan, from where he continued attempting to undermine Nobunaga,[3] even raising troops against him for the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War,[2] but he never managed to overthrow his enemy nor to reinstall himself as shōgun.[3]
Life in exile[]
Following his deposition, Yoshiaki, resentful of Nobunaga, sought to depose him and also claim the three Imperial Regalia, which were said to grant the divine right to rule over Japan. To this end, Yoshiaki formed a secret organization known as the Shinbakufu, which he led under the alias of "The Horseman". Taking advantage of the Templar Order's recent expansion to Japan, Yoshiaki sold the Portuguese Templars information on the Regalia, hoping to use them as insurance in exchange for money and power to fund his activities.[1]
By 1582, the deposed shōgun had made his way to Yamashiro, where he took a liking to spectating sumo matches held at the Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine. In late June of that year he met with Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke, and though they did not recognize him until after he had left, he imposed some philosophical life lessons onto them.[6]
Appearances[]
- Echoes of History – Shadows (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows (first appearance)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Shadows – The Man Behind the Mask
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2
Ashikaga Yoshiaki on Wikipedia
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Echoes of History – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga
- ↑
Ashikaga Yoshiteru on Wikipedia
- ↑ Echoes of History – Shadows – Episode 7: Kyoto: Japan's Imperial City
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Shadows – The Rising Tide
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