Changes

The government Takauji established was very much influenced by the political situation of the time. The threat the Southern Court posed his fledgling government compelled Takauji to place especially loyal retainers in the provinces he controlled, and in this virtual wartime environment the authority of the Shugo was much enhanced. Rather then essentially acting as go-betweens with the jito and other landowners and the Bakufu, the Shugo became military governors, of whom those with a history of loyalty to the Ashikaga (the Hosokawa and Akamatsu, for instance) became the strongest. Takauji kept his headquarters in Kyoto to stay close to Yoshino and in a centralized position, though he did maintain a political institution in Kamakura.

The government Takauji established was very much influenced by the political situation of the time. The threat the Southern Court posed his fledgling government compelled Takauji to place especially loyal retainers in the provinces he controlled, and in this virtual wartime environment the authority of the Shugo was much enhanced. Rather then essentially acting as go-betweens with the jito and other landowners and the Bakufu, the Shugo became military governors, of whom those with a history of loyalty to the Ashikaga (the Hosokawa and Akamatsu, for instance) became the strongest. Takauji kept his headquarters in Kyoto to stay close to Yoshino and in a centralized position, though he did maintain a political institution in Kamakura.

With the feud with Southern Court on going, Takauji had been content to hand over most political tasks to his brother Tadayoshi. By [[1349]], however, conflict had arisen between the two and Takauji dismissed Tadayoshi on the suspicion of treachery<ref>Tadayoshi comes across as an entirely unsavory character, and even allowing for the biases of the Taiheki he does not appear to have been at all popular in his day. In particular, his murder of Prince Morinaga and the poisoning of Prince Tsunenaga, another of Go-Daigo's son, was considered villainous.</ref>. Takauji's son Tadafuyu, whom Tadayoshi had adopted, protested the move and in [[1350]] came to blows with his natural father. The realm seemed to teeter on the brink of a three way civil war between Takauji, Tadayoshi, and the Southern Court, with the latter gaining support as a result of the rift between the brothers. Takayoshi was captured by Takauji's men in [[1352]] in Izu and poisoned, presumably on Takauji's orders. Tadafuyu responded by joining the Southern Court, whose cause was alive in the Kanto as the Nitta family joined with Tadayoshi's surviving followers and took to the field against Takauji. Takauji managed to defeat this group but learned of startling developments back in the capital. The new emperor of the Southern Court Go-Murakami (Prince Norinaga, whose father Go-Daigo had died in 1338) had taken advantage of Takauji's distraction to recapture Kyoto on 5 April [[1352]]. The operation had been finely executed and hard fighting and considerable blood was required to dislodge Go-Murakami's adherents. Heavy fighting continued in the Kinai for the next three years, culminating in the January [[1355]] recapture of Kyoto by Go-Murakami's army. Takauji rallied his forces in Omi province and launched a counterattack that produced a string of fiercely contested struggles in March and a fight for the capital itself that occupied the better part of April.

With the feud with Southern Court on going, Takauji had been content to hand over most political tasks to his brother Tadayoshi. By [[1349]], however, conflict had arisen between the two and Takauji dismissed Tadayoshi on the suspicion of treachery<ref>Tadayoshi comes across as an entirely unsavory character, and even allowing for the biases of the Taiheki he does not appear to have been at all popular in his day. In particular, his murder of Prince Morinaga and the poisoning of Prince Tsunenaga, another of Go-Daigo's sons, was considered villainous.</ref>. Takauji's son Tadafuyu, whom Tadayoshi had adopted, protested the move and in [[1350]] came to blows with his natural father. The realm seemed to teeter on the brink of a three way civil war between Takauji, Tadayoshi, and the Southern Court, with the latter gaining support as a result of the rift between the brothers. Takayoshi was captured by Takauji's men in [[1352]] in Izu and poisoned, presumably on Takauji's orders. Tadafuyu responded by joining the Southern Court, whose cause was alive in the Kanto as the Nitta family joined with Tadayoshi's surviving followers and took to the field against Takauji. Takauji managed to defeat this group but learned of startling developments back in the capital. The new emperor of the Southern Court Go-Murakami (Prince Norinaga, whose father Go-Daigo had died in 1338) had taken advantage of Takauji's distraction to recapture Kyoto on 5 April [[1352]]. The operation had been finely executed and hard fighting and considerable blood was required to dislodge Go-Murakami's adherents. Heavy fighting continued in the Kinai for the next three years, culminating in the January [[1355]] recapture of Kyoto by Go-Murakami's army. Takauji rallied his forces in Omi province and launched a counterattack that produced a string of fiercely contested struggles in March and a fight for the capital itself that occupied the better part of April.

[[Ashikaga Tadafuyu]], present on the Southern side, fought tenaciously but by 25 April was driven out. Takauji's forces had been badly blooded in the last weeks of the fighting, and the future Ashikaga deputy Shôgun [[Hosokawa Yoriyuki]] was wounded, but Kyoto was secured. The Southern Court had expended its greatest efforts in the previous three years, and would never again pose so great a threat to the Ashikaga.

[[Ashikaga Tadafuyu]], present on the Southern side, fought tenaciously but by 25 April was driven out. Takauji's forces had been badly blooded in the last weeks of the fighting, and the future Ashikaga deputy Shôgun [[Hosokawa Yoriyuki]] was wounded, but Kyoto was secured. The Southern Court had expended its greatest efforts in the previous three years, and would never again pose so great a threat to the Ashikaga.