This is the continued chapter of 21 Muromachi Periods History Please read chapter 21 before this chapter one more time.
The circle indicate the time we are discussing in this chapter
Until the Muromachi (室町) Period, the way to divide the political history and sword history is the same. Please look at the above timeline. The middle line is for sword history and the bottom line is for political history. The style of the sword has a distinct difference between Nanboku-Cho period (南北朝時代 ), Muromachi period, and the Sengoku period (戦国時代). Therefore, it has to be divided into three separate periods for sword study. But school history textbook shows that Muromachi Period is from 1333 (Fall of Kamakura Bakufu ) until 1573 when Oda Nobunaga(織田信長) removed Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki (足利義昭) from Kyoto (the fall of Muromachi Bakufu). The school history textbooks describe that the Nanboku-Cho period and the Sengoku period is a part of the Muromachi period. For the purpose of sword study, we need to divide into three periods, Nanboku-Cho period, Muromachi period, and Sengoku period.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (足利義満)
The best time for the Muromachi period was when Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (足利義満, Grandson of Ashikaga Takauji) was in power. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu moved the Bakufu to the place called Muromachi (室町), therefore Muromachi period. By Shogun Yoshimitsu’s time, the majority of the South Dynasty Samurai went under the North dynasty. The South Dynasty side accepted Shogun Yoshimitsu’s offer to end to oppose to the North Dynasty that completed the power of Muromachi Bakufu of the Ashikaga family. Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu created a huge amount of profit from trade with China (Ming). One of a famous beautiful temple in Kyoto, Golden Pavillion (Kinkakuji-temple 金閣寺) was built by Shogun Yoshimitsu*. It is said that he created the Golden Pavillion to display his power and wealth. The beautiful culture around this time was called Kitayama Bunka (Kitayama culture 北山文化).
*Golden Pavillion (Kinkaku-Ji 金閣寺) —— Correct name is Rokuonji –Temple (鹿苑寺 ). This is a Zen temple of Rinzaishu Sokoku-Ji group (臨済宗相国寺派 ). The Kinkakuji-temple is one part of the Rokuonji-Temple. Kinkakuji-temple is a Buddhist hall containing relics of Buddha. This place was once owned by Saionji Kintsune (西園寺公経 ) in Kamakura period. Shogun Yoshimitsu acquired it in 1397, and he rebuilt it as his own villa. It is also functioned as an official guesthouse. Kinkakuji-temple represents the height of the glory of Kitayama Bunka (Kitayama culture). After Shogun Yoshimitsu’s death, his villa was converted to a temple, called Rokuon-Ji temple. In 1994, it was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
The photo was taken in May 2019, a family trip to Kyoto
Ashikaga Yoshimasa (足利義政 )
After Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (足利義満 ) died (49 years old), the Muromachi Bakufu became financially weaker that made the military power weaker. As a result, Daimyo (feudal lord) became powerful. A few generations after Shogun Yoshimitsu, Ashikaga Yohimasa became a Shogun (8th Ashikaga Shogun). His wife is the famous Hino Tomiko (refer 21|Muromachi Period History （室町時代. It is said that Shogun Yoshimasa was not interested in his job as a Shogun, but he was a great culture person who influenced the base of today’s Japanese art, such as Japanese garden, Shoin Zukuri (書院造り)*, Tea ceremony, Flower Arrangement, Painting, and other art forms. His cultural attribute is called Higashiyama Bunka (Higashiyama culture (東山文化). As it is described in Chapter, 21|Muromachi Period History （室町時代, Shogun Yoshimasa did not have a child, his brother Yoshimi (義視) was supposed to be a next Shogun. But his wife, Hino Tomiko gave birth to a son, Yoshihisa (義尚 ). Hino Tomiko asked Yamana Sozen (powerful family 山名宗全 ) to back up her son, and brother Yoshimi joined with Hosokawa Katsumoto (powerful family 細川勝元). The problem was Shogun Yoshimasa was paying attention too much to all his cultural hobbies, did not pay attention to the problem he created by not being clear who should be the next Shogun. He did not yield Shogunate to either one. He kept enjoying his cultural hobby. In 1467, on top of the successor problem, because of the other conflict of interest of other powerful Daimyo, “Onin-no-Run (応仁の乱 ) started. All the Daimyo sided either Hosokawa group or Yamana group. Eventually, the war spread to the rest of Japan and last over 10 years. Finally at 1477, after both Hosokawa Katsumono and Yamana Sozen died, Shogun Yoshimasa decided to transfer Shogunate to his son Yoshihisa. This war caused Kyoto to be devastated and weakened the power of Ashikaga Bakufu. While all this is happening, people were suffering from the war, Yoshimasa still spent money to build Ginnkakuji Temple (silver Pavillion, 銀閣寺 ). He died without seeing the completion of Ginkakuji temple. Onin-no-Run will lead to the next Sengoku-Jidai (100-year warring States period).
*Shoin Zukuri (書院造り )———- Traditional Japanese residential architecture style. That is with Tatami mat, an alcove on a wall and Shoji sliding screen. Below picture.
Below Shoin Zukuri style Japanese room
Public Domain GFDL,cc-by-sa-2.5,2.0,1.0 file: Takagike CC BY-SA 3.0view terms File: Takagike Kashihara JPN 001.jpg
Bishu Osafune Moromitsu (備州長船師光) from Sano Museum Catalogue
Hiromitsu From Sano Museum Catalogue (permission granted)
