Asakura Yoshikage

Yoshikage was born at the Asakura clan castle in Echizen Province, Ichijōdani Castle, in the present-day Kidanouchi district of Fukui, Fukui Prefecture. His father was Asakura Takakage (1493–1548) and his mother is presumed to be the daughter of Takeda Motomitsu.[3] The Asakura had displaced the Shiba clan as the shugo military commanders of part of Echizen in 1471.[1] Yoshikage succeeded his father as head of the Asakura clan and castle lord of Ichijōdani Castle in 1548.[2][4] He proved to be adept at political and diplomatic management, markedly demonstrated by the Asakura negotiations with the Ikkō-ikki in Echizen. As a result of the negotiations and effective governance by Yoshikage, Echizen enjoyed a period of relative domestic stability compared to the rest of Sengoku period Japan. Consequently, Echizen became a site for refugees fleeing the violence in the Kansai region. Ichijōdani became a center of culture modeled on the capital at Kyōto.[1]

After the capture of Kyoto in 1568, Ashikaga Yoshiaki appointed Yoshikage regent and requested Asakura aid in driving Nobunaga out of the capital.[3]  As a result, in 1570, Oda Nobunaga launched an invasion of Echizen. Due to Yoshikage’s lack of military skill, Oda's forces besieged Kanegasaki Castle (in modern-day Tsuruga city), opening the entire Asakura Domain to invasion.[1][5][6]

Yoshikage benefited from military conflict between Oda Nobunaga and his brother-in-law, Azai Nagamasa (1545–1573).  Azai launched a pincer attack with Asakura against Nobunaga at Kanegasaki, but Nobunaga withdraw his troops, the coalition of Asakura and Azai forces failed to capture Nobunaga.[3]  Later in 1570, in the Battle of Anegawa, Yoshikage and Nagamasa were defeated by numerically superior combined forces of the Oda and Tokugawa clans lead by Nobunaga and Ieyasu (1543–1616).[1]

Yoshikage fled to Hiezan (Enryaku-ji, Hiei Monastery) after the Battle of Anegawa and negotiated a reconciliation with Nobunaga and was able to avoid conflict for three years.[3] In 1573, at Siege of Ichijodani Castle, Yoshikage was eventually betrayed by his cousin, Asakura Kageaki (1529–1574). He was forced to commit suicide by seppuku at Rokubō Kenshō-ji, a temple which was located in present-day Ōno, Fukui Prefecture. He was 39 years old.[1][3] The Asakura clan was destroyed with the death of Yoshikage.[2]

The former Asakura residence in Fukui Prefecture was excavated in 1967 and revealed the ruins of the castle, residences, and gardens of Ichijōdani. The site has been designated a Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites, and an Important Cultural Properties of Japan as the Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins. The site covers 278 hectares (690 acres).

• https://archive.is/20030925005405/http://www.sengoku-expo.net/person/E/176.html