Asakura Yoshikage (12 October 1533 – 16 September 1573) was a Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period (1467-1603) who ruled a part of Echizen province.
Asakura Yoshikage, head of the Asakura clan
Author: SaiKaiAngel
photo credits: wikipedia.org
Asakura Yoshikage was born in the Ichijōdani castle of the Asakura clan in Echizen province. His father was Asakura Takakage and his mother seems to have been the daughter of Takeda Motomitsu.
Yoshikage succeeded his father as head of the Asakura clan and lord of Ichijōdani Castle in 1548, demonstrating great skill in political and diplomatic management, especially through his negotiations with the Ikkō-ikki at Echizen. Thanks to them, Echizen enjoyed a period of relative peace compared to the rest of Sengoku-period Japan, becoming a place for refugees fleeing violence in the Kansai region. Ichijōdani even became a centre of culture modelled on the capital of Kyōto.
Ichijōdani Asakura Family Rovine storiche | photo credits: wikipedia.org
Conflicts with Oda Nobunaga
After his capture in 1568, Ashikaga Yoshiaki appointed Yoshikage as regent and enlisted the help of the Asakuras to drive Nobunaga from the capital. In 1570, Oda Nobunaga then invaded Echizen and succeeded in invading the castle due to Yoshikage’s lack of military skill. Azai Nagamasa, Yoshikage’s brother-in-law, attacked Nobunaga with the Asakuras at Kanegasaki, but Nobunaga withdrew his troops and managed not to be captured. At the Battle of Anegawa, Yoshikage and Nagamasa were defeated by the superior forces of the Oda and Tokugawa clans led by Nobunaga and Ieyasu.
Death
Yoshikage fled to Hiezan after the battle and attempted to reconcile with Nobunaga, which enabled him to avoid conflict for three years. In 1573, during the siege of Ichijodani Castle, Yoshikage was betrayed by his cousin, Asakura Kageaki, and was forced to commit seppuku at the age of 39. His death also destroyed the Asakura clan.