Ashikaga Yoshimitsu

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was the third shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate, ruling from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. He was the grandson of Ashikaga Takauji, the founder of the shogunate. He was a powerful and influential leader who achieved political stability and cultural prosperity for his domain. He was also a patron of the arts, especially of Zen Buddhism and Noh theatre. He built the famous Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) in Kyoto, which was originally his retirement villa. He also established diplomatic and trade relations with China, becoming the first Japanese ruler to receive the title of King of Japan from the Ming emperor. He ended the Nanboku-cho imperial schism that had divided Japan into two rival courts for over half a century, by persuading the southern court to return the imperial regalia to Kyoto. He retired from the shogunate in 1394 and became a Buddhist monk, taking the name Rokuon-in. He died in 1408 at the age of 49. He was succeeded by his son, Ashikaga Yoshimochi, as the fourth shogun.