[April 26] Yoshihisa, shogun of Japan

True Name: 足利 義尚
Parents: Yoshimasa, shogun of Japan

Date of Birth: 11 December 1465

House: Ashikaga
Spouse: Mór, daughter of Uí Fiachrach Aidne, king of Connacht, then Gormflaith of Leinster, among others

Predecessor: Yoshimasa

Reign: 1473 – 1489

Summary: The birth of Yoshihisa began a succession struggle in Japan over the Ashikaga shogunate. Although the shoguns were the de facto rulers of Japan during the 1400s, they were just as prone to succession problems as the Japanese monarchy. Prior to Yoshihisa birth, his father appointed an uncle, Yoshimi, as heir to the shogunate. But Yoshihisa was born and his uncle became angry about his lost place in the line of succession. Yoshihia's father, Yoshimasa, and Yoshimi went into open war in 1467 over the different claims. The war that resulted was the Ônin War and it prompted the Sengoku period in Japanese history. To make matters worse, Yoshimasa retired in 1473 leaving the title of shogun to his eight-year-old son. 

Throughout the course of the war, the Ashikaga shogunate lost much of its power to the Hosokawa family, which turned Yoshihisa into a puppet ruler. Thus the Japanese emperor was controlled by a puppet shogun. Yoshihisa took over the government in 1479 but failed to achieve independence from his overlords. In 1487, Yoshihisa led a campaign against the daimyo of southern Omi who had risen up in rebellion against the shogunate. The shogun died unexpectedly while on campaign in 1489 and his rival, Yoshimasa took over for a year until his cousin, Yoshitane, could legitimately succeed in 1490.

Date of Death: 26 April 1489

Successor: Yoshitane

Other Monarch Deaths:

Go-Shirakawa, emperor of Japan (1192)

Giuliano di Piero, patriarch of Florence (1478)