The Ashikaga clan was a prominent samurai clan that was descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan. They originated in Shimotsuke Province, and in 1336 they took over the Kamakura Shogunate; from 1336 to 1573, the Ashikaga Shogunate ruled over Japan. During the Genpei War, they were aligned with the Minamoto and were duly conquered in 1181 by the Hiraizumi Fujiwara.
History[]
The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto that originated in the town of Ashikaga in Shimotsuke Province, and they gained power during the Genpei War as trade partners with the Kamakura Minamoto. The Hiraizumi Fujiwara clan invaded their lands in 1181 and conquered them in a proxy war against the Minamoto clan as the Fujiwara and Minamoto competed for power, but the clan would remain influential in the politics of Japan after the fall of the Fujiwara. In 1333, the ambitious Ashikaga Takauji assisted Emperor Go-Daigo in defeating the Hojo regents of the Kamakura Shogunate before turning on the Emperor and crushing his army at the Battle of Minatogawa the next year, and in 1336 the Ashikaga proclaimed the Ashikaga Shogunate. Takauji was the first shogun, and his brother Ashikaga Tadayoshi challenged him for power after the Kanno disturbance of 1349-51; Takauji had to fight against his brother in addition to the Southern Court forces loyal to the Emperor. The Ashikaga would secure Kyoto and crush their enemies before the turn of the century, and their dynasty would rule Japan until Nobunaga Oda deposed Yoshiaki Ashikaga in 1573.
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