Ashikaga Yoshimasa unexpectedly became shogun at a young age, after his older brother Yoshikatsu died under possibly suspicious circumstances, and it is clear that he never really wanted the responsibility that came with the position. He was more interested in artistic and spiritual pursuits, and is known today not only for his mismanagement of the Ōnin War, but also for his patronage of the artistic traditions that developed into (now) classical Higashiyama culture. These traditions draw on Zen Buddhism and the concept of wabi-sabi (imperfection and impermanence), and include the tea ceremony, flower arranging, Noh theatre, ink painting, and certain forms of poetry. Before the outbreak of the Ōnin War, Yoshimasa ordered the construction of a new villa that he planned to (and eventually did) retire to, now called the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji), in contrast with the older and more ornate Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) commissioned by his grandfather Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The understated and sometimes sorrowful nature of Higashiyama culture gains an extra poignancy upon learning of its origins in the bloody, and ultimately futile, Ōnin War.

Yoshimasa’s early reign was marked by the civil strife described in the previous article, and by the general decline of the Muromachi Bakufu’s power and influence. There are many reasons for this, but poor decisions by Yoshimasa and his advisors certainly contributed to it. The bakufu was already relatively poor, without much directly controlled territory and reliant on the support of the powerful Hatakeyama, Shiba, and Hosokawa clans in order to enforce its rule. Compounding this was the bakufu’s frequent resort to issuing tokusei, or loan forgiveness, edicts in response to peasant riots; a series of natural disasters, including a famine in 1461 during which the Kamo River in Kyoto was said to be clogged with corpses; and Yoshimasa’s own extravagant spending habits on projects such as the Silver Pavilion. None of this made Yoshimasa or the Muromachi Bakufu especially popular.  

In 1464 Yoshimasa was already making plans to retire to a monastery, but he had no male heir and so appointed his brother Yoshimi as his successor. Yoshimi was concerned about what might happen if an heir were born, not wanting to be drawn into a violent succession dispute, but Yoshimasa promised that this would not supersede Yoshimi’s claim, and even formally adopted his brother to forestall any possible dispute (or so he hoped). However, in 1465 his wife Hino Tomiko unexpectedly gave birth to a son, Yoshihisa, and she began scheming to ensure that her child could become shogun. Tomiko managed to gain the support of Yamana Sōzen, head of the Yamana clan, and eventually even convinced Yoshimasa to rescind his earlier promise to his brother. In response, Hosokawa Katsumoto, head of the Hosokawa clan, backed Ashikaga Yoshimi, and both clans began gathering troops and allies to Kyoto to support their claimant. In a strange twist, Yoshimi would eventually betray the Hosokawa and join the Yamana, while the Hosokawa ended the war instead supporting Yoshihisa’s claim to be the next shogun. This alone makes it clear that neither the Yamana nor the Hosokawa were fighting out of any deep sense of principle or justice, but rather were just opportunistically supporting whichever cause they thought might strengthen their own position.

Hino Tomiko was not the only influential figure in the Muromachi Bakufu. Her brother Katsumitsu held an official palace position, and was known to accept bribes in exchange for access to the shogun. The Hino family were an important institution, traditionally providing wives for the Ashikaga shoguns. Together these two siblings engaged in many outrageous schemes, such as instituting a toll to enter the city in order to pay for the construction of a new palace. Another important family were the Ise, hereditary retainers of the Ashikaga clan. Ise Sadachika had served as guardian and regent during Yoshimasa’s childhood, and continued to exert significant influence over the bakufu, eventually becoming foster father to Yoshihisa and strongly advocating for his claim to the position of shogun. He was reputedly lecherous and corrupt, also accepting bribes for access to the shogun, and in 1466 he was temporarily forced to flee Kyoto. Tales of this kind paint a fairly sordid picture of Yoshimasa’s court, and regardless of how true they are they tell us a lot about how he was popularly regarded.  

The (un)popularity of Yoshimasa is represented in the game by Support for the Muromachi Bakufu, which is a shared victory condition for both the Hosokawa and Yamana factions (a mechanic so far unique to this volume of the COIN series). These two factions are engaged in a civil war for dominance of the bakufu, but winning this war is only going to be meaningful if the bakufu is still supported by the rest of the country. Their struggle in Kyoto and the provinces, if it becomes too violent, can eventually build Opposition to the bakufu, and they can restore Support by holding lavish (and expensive) festivals. The Ikkō-ikki faction, militant sectarian monks, can also remove Support by preaching, and then build Opposition by radicalising the populace against the bakufu. If the Ikkō-ikki become too powerful then they might overthrow the bakufu entirely, rendering the civil war between the Hosokawa and Yamana even more meaningless than it already is!    

Control of Kyoto by either the Hosokawa or Yamana factions can also be used to influence the Loyalty of the various non-player clans represented in the game, as the political alignment of these clans is affected by events in the capital, such as Yoshimasa’s eventual decision to appoint his son Yoshihisa as his official heir. If Kyoto is uncontrolled, however, then the Jizamurai faction can instead shift these Loyalties towards Unaligned, as the non-player clans begin to lose confidence in both rival powers. The new Loyalty sub-system will be introduced in the next article, which focuses on this central rivalry between Hosokawa Katsumoto and his father-in-law Yamana Sōzen.

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