Takauji’s Appointment as Shogun

The Northern Court appointed Ashikaga Takauji seii taishōgun in 1338. The commission formally recognized his military leadership within the imperial order supported by his government. Go-Daigo’s rival court remained active, so the appointment did not settle the dispute over which imperial line should rule.

Takauji had already exercised political authority in Kyoto. In 1336 he acknowledged the Ichijō family’s inheritance of holdings in Tosa, Sanuki and Settsu. The surviving letter’s careful wording reflects his position before the shogunal commission: a powerful commander responding to a court proprietor, with formal jurisdiction and practical influence not yet identical.

His brother Tadayoshi handled much judicial and administrative work. A 1338 letter acknowledges military service by the deputy of Asayama Kagetsura, the governor of Bingo, in neighboring Aki. It gives a concrete example of the network joining central decision-makers, provincial governors and serving warriors.

The shogunal title became one part of that developing government. Its offices, income and relations with military governors continued to change through war. The later name Muromachi derives from the headquarters established under Yoshimitsu; it does not identify a residence built by Takauji on his appointment day.