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59 Letter placement, Takauji asks that Yoshiakira ar- (popular name for Kyôô Gokokuji) in
Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358) range it quickly if he has an appropriate Kyoto. From the time the shogunate was
hanging scroll; ink on paper piece of land. The spontaneous calligra- established in 1338, there was a division of
31.0 X 44.0 (12 !/ 4 X iy 3/8) phy (sôsho) and the subject of the letter re- authority between Ashikaga Takauji (1305-
his
affable
flect the
1358), who took military leadership, and
and evenhanded
side of
Nanbokuchô period, mid-i4th century
Takauji's character. The letter was proba- younger brother, Tadayoshi, who super-
Tokyo National Museum bly written in 1353 while Takauji remained vised daily political affairs, including law-
in Kamakura, entrusting Kyoto to Yoshi- suits. This writ was issued to convey a
As the emperor Go-Daigo's chief military akira. It is addressed to Bômondono, a fa- court decision based on Tadayoshi's
supporter, Ashikaga Takauji overthrew the miliar name of Yoshiakira, after the name authority.
shogunate and was instrumental in exter- of his residence at Bómon. TY The management of some privately
minating the Hôjô family, which had con- owned manorial land in Harima province
trolled the shogunate for over a century. had been turned over to Tôji by the em-
But the two allies soon fell out, as each dis- 60 Writ peror Go-Uda (1267-1324) in the twelfth
covered the other's determination to be Ashikaga Tadayoshi (1306-1352) month of 1313, as were other similar prop-
master of the realm. Not without much hanging scroll; ink on paper erties in 1317. However, in 1349 the temple
hard fighting, Takauji drove Go-Daigo 35.0 x 57.0 (133/4 x 22^/2) appealed to the shogunate against the jitd
from Kyoto and set up in his stead an em- Nanbokuchô period, 1349 (estate stewards) of the original owners,
peror of the rival line, who obligingly ap- Kyoto FuritsuSógo Shiryókan who since 1340 had occupied the land and
pointed Takauji shogun. Important Cultural Property diverted the temple's lawful revenues. De-
Takauji wrote this letter to his son and spite the government's summons, the
heir, Yoshiakira (1330-1367), the second This document, one of over twenty-four stewards had not come to Kyoto to justify
shogun. He has unwittingly given away, thousand known as the Tôji documents, is their actions. Therefore, Ashikaga Tada-
the letter says, a portion of the land once a gechijd (warrior's order given to his re- yoshi ordered in this writ that their illegal
owned by Akamatsu Norisuke (d. 1351), a tainers) by Ashikaga Tadayoshi in response
powerful daimyo of Harima and Bizen to the complaint of a certain Kôshin, the
provinces who supported the Ashikaga. zdss/zo (temple representative) of Tôji
Since Norisuke had demanded land for re-

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