Ashikaga Yoshiaki

Yoshiaki Ashikaga is the 14th Shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate in Japan, but not recognized by most Japanese clans. Yoshiaki was the younger sister of Yoshiteru Ashikaga, the 13th Ashikaga Shogun before the Miyoshi Three launched a coup d'état against her brother. In order to save themselves, Yoshiteru and his sister fled to China in exile. The Ashikaga Shogunate was officially deposed and a new Shogunate, the Imagawa Shogunate, was established. However, upon learning that her cousin Yoshimoto became the new Shogun and the Miyoshi Three were defeated by Nobuna Oda, Yoshiaki, angered that Yoshimoto "stole" the Shogunate, returned to the Japan to claim back what is rightfully hers. After having her brother give up the title, Yoshiaki declared herself as the 14th Ashikaga Shogun, becoming the rival and competitor of the new official Shogun Yoshimoto Imagawa. Supported by the Mori clan, she currently seeks help from the Oda faction's rivals to regain the Shogunate.

History
As the youngest child of the 12th Shogun, Yoshiharu Ashikaga, she was not intended as heir. Therefore, her older brother Yoshiteru was declared Shogun after the death of their father.



However, Yoshiteru's reign should end soon. The Miyoshi Three, a group of conspirators, overthrew the Ashikaga Shogunate in a coup for power. Their intention was, after overthrowing the Shogun and seizing control over Kyoto, to make themselves the new rulers of Japan. The Ashikaga clan could manage to escape the city, and due to the power of the Miyoshi Three and the fear for more assassination attempts on his lives, Yoshiteru fled Japan with his sister Yoshiaki, relinquishing his title.

A little later, the Miyoshi Three were themselves overthrown, this time by Nobuna Oda, Daiymo of Owari and leader of an mighty alliance in central Japan. The head of the Oda clan made Yoshimoto Imagawa the new Shogun as her figurehead to legitimatize her claim for Kyoto and established the Imagawa Shogunate.

However, these informations eventually reached the Ashikaga clan in exile in China. Yoshiaki, upset about the deposition of her family, got her brother to give her the position of Shogun and returned to Japan, protected by the Mori clan, the best seafaring group in Japan.

In order to destroy the Imagawa Shogunate and regain the position of the Shogun, Yoshiaki sent out decrees ordering the subduing of Nobuna to the various Daimyos (starting from Shingen Takeda and Kenshin Uesugi) from her hideout in Mori. However, these "decrees" were merely filled with self-congratulations, abstract promises of awards, and profanities against Nobuna.

Trivia

 * She is based on the real-life historical figure Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
 * In reality, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was the 15th shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate and was ironically set up by Oda Nobunaga who is the model for Nobuna Oda. He was also the last officially recognized Shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, while in the Oda Nobuna no Yabou-timeline Yoshiteru Ashikaga was the last recognized Ashikaga Shogun. However, both the real Yoshiaki and his counterpart from Oda Nobuna no Yabou ultimately turned against the Oda.