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Ashikaga School

[Ashikaga School] (Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, Former Province Name: Shimotsuke) It is not clear when "Ashikaga School" existed in Ashikaga, Shimotsuke Province (present-day Tochigi Prefecture). There are records that the school was "rebuilt" in the middle of the Muromachi period, so it is assumed that it had already taken on a certain form as an educational institution by that time. It is said that its origins came from Shimotsuke Province's national studies (a school for training officials established in each province under the Ritsuryo system) or that it was built by the Ashikaga clan, whose main territory was the area, in the Kamakura period, but there are many conflicting theories and no conclusion has yet been reached. In any case, after its restoration in the Muromachi period, students came from all over the country, and its prosperity led Francis Xavier to call it "the largest and most famous university in Bando in Japan." The man who played a key role in this revival was Uesugi Norizane (1410-1466), a feudal lord who served as Kanto Kanrei during the Muromachi period. During the mid-Muromachi period when Norizane was active, the relationship between the shogunate shogunate in Kyoto and the Kamakura kubō, who ruled the entire Kanto region from Kamakura, was delicately balanced. Meanwhile, the Kamakura kubō, Ashikaga Mochiuji (1398-1439), looked down on the 6th shogunate shogun, Ashikaga Yoshinori (1394-1441, son of the 3rd shogun Yoshimitsu and father of the 8th shogun Yoshimasa. He was originally a monk, but was said to have had a lifelong complex about having become shogun by "drawing lots." He tried to improve the status of the shogun through authoritarian politics, but was assassinated by the Akamatsu clan), as a "secular shogun," and the conflict between the two became serious. Norizane repeatedly remonstrated with his lord, Mochiuji, and attempted to mediate with the shogunate, but Mochiuji instead distanced himself from Norizane and tried to subjugate him. Finally, the shogunate invaded Kamakura, with one of its aims being to support Norizane, and Mochiuji surrendered. (The so-called Eikyō Rebellion) Yoshinori ordered Norizane to kill Mochiuji, who had been taken prisoner, but Norizane, even though they were in conflict, did not approve of killing his lord, and continued to stubbornly plead for his life to be spared. However, Yoshinori could not forgive Mochiuji for scorning the shogun, which had stimulated his own complexes, and he also grew distrustful of Norizane, who refused to kill him. At this point, Norizane entrusted the books and treasures that had been passed down through generations to the Ashikaga School, which was in his own territory, and was forced to kill Mochiuji with the determination to die. Immediately afterwards, he gave up all his positions, became a monk, and severed all ties with the secular world. Norizane, who was originally a scholar, not only actively protected the Ashikaga School, but also supported its prosperity by donating a huge amount of materials as mentioned above (similarly, he also worked to restore the "Kanazawa Bunko" in Musashi Province). For this reason, Norizane is still revered as the founder of the school's revival at the Ashikaga School, and a wooden statue of him is enshrined on campus. The school today is a restoration of its Edo period appearance, but there are many things to see, such as the tranquil and deep approach of the "school route" and the majestic and impressive Hojo that appears at the end. Inside the Hojo, you can learn about the school's history, its education system, and its influence on politics in the eastern provinces. If we trace these things in detail, Norizane respected Confucianism, preached the importance of its teachings to students, and donated classic books to them. From this fact, we can see Norizane's sincere spirituality as a subject and a man who tried to learn and embody the way of life, but it is also clear that he was deeply troubled by the tyrannical changes of the times and his own heavy position. It was only natural that Norizane's anguish at having ended up killing his lord would drive him to become a monk and live in seclusion. After becoming a monk, Norizane set out on a journey, not even caring that his own children had lost their lives in the midst of political strife, and he ended his life quietly in a hermitage at Tainei-ji Temple in Nagato Province (present-day western Yamaguchi Prefecture), far from the Kanto region. Norizane's honesty and integrity, which may have been considered unusual in a world plagued by constant war, caused him deep anguish during his lifetime, but in the Edo period, when Confucianism began to be valued throughout the country, he is remembered as a brilliant figure. One of the reasons why Ashikaga School has been carefully preserved and passed down to this day is that the "path" that Norizane tried to embody throughout his life still lives on. Recommended for solo travelers: ★★★ (There are a fair number of people, but it's a large place so it doesn't bother you) Visit date: Saturday, the third week of April, around 2pm Access: About 10 minutes on foot from Ashikaga Station #AshikagaSchool #Ashikaga #TochigiPrefecture #TochigiTrip #TochigiTourism #DomesticTravel #DomesticTravelLover #Architecture #ArchitectureWalk #HistoricalSite #HistoricalSiteTour #CulturalProperty #WarringStatesPeriod #ShortTrip #TravelDiary #HistoricalSites #History #ILoveHistory #SoloTravel #SoloTravel
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Posted: May 27, 2023
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