Shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa

The Man Who's Birth Caused the Onin Wars and the Sengoku Period

Ashikaga Yoshihisa (December 11, 1465 – April 26, 1489) was born the second son of the eighth Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa and his wife Hino Tomiko. Yoshimasa was around 30 and being without children, he adopted his younger brother, Yoshimi as his heir, but not long after announcing Yoshimi as heir, Yoshimasa’s wife gave birth to a son. When Yoshihisa was born, the issue of succession arose. Yoshimasa intended to appoint Yoshimi as the interim shogun and then later make Yoshihisa the shogun. However, Yoshimasa’s vassal, Ise Sadachika, who was in charge of raising Yoshihisa, was opposed to Yoshimi's appointment as shogun. This created a dispute over the title that would evolve into the Onin War (1467-1477) and in turn, lead to the over century-long conflict now known as the Sengoku (Warring States) Period.