Ashikaga Takauji

Ashikaga Takauji was a descendant of the Minamoto clan, a powerful samurai family that had settled in the Ashikaga area of Shimotsuke Province. He served as a general of the Kamakura shogunate, a military government that ruled Japan from 1192 to 1333. He was sent to Kyoto in 1333 to suppress a rebellion by Emperor Go-Daigo, who wanted to restore the imperial authority. However, Takauji switched sides and joined the emperor, helping him overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and end the Hōjō clan's domination. This marked the beginning of the Kemmu Restoration, a brief period of imperial rule. However, Takauji soon became dissatisfied with the emperor's policies and ambitions, and rebelled against him in 1335. He defeated the imperial forces and captured Kyoto, proclaiming himself as shogun and establishing the Ashikaga shogunate. He also set up a rival emperor in the north, creating a division between the Northern and Southern Courts that lasted for over 50 years. Takauji consolidated his power by granting land and titles to his loyal followers, and by supporting the development of trade and culture. He was a patron of Zen Buddhism, and invited the famous Zen master Musō Soseki to be his adviser. He also built the Tōji-in temple in Kyoto, where he was buried after his death in 1358. His son and successor, Ashikaga Yoshiakira, continued his legacy and expanded the shogunate's influence. Takauji is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Japanese history, and the founder of the Muromachi period, which lasted from 1336 to 1573.