Hosokawa Katsumoto

Timeline

1. 1445–1464Kyoto · KyotoHe became kanrei in 1445 in his teens, briefly stepped down in 1449, and served again from 1452 to 1464. During this period the Hosokawa clan held provinces such as Tamba and Sanuki, and Katsumoto stood alongside Yamana Mochitoyo (later known as Sōen) in shogunal politics, maintaining a superficial alliance through marriage while patronizing Zen temples—the later Ryōan-ji was connected to his vow.
2. 1464–1467Around the Muromachi Palace, Kyoto · KyotoAshikaga Yoshimasa first took his brother Yoshimasa as adopted heir, then his legitimate son Yoshitsuna was born, splitting the succession; the headship disputes of the Hatakeyama and Shiba houses broke out at the same time. Katsumoto and Sōen each backed a faction, and the marriage alliance collapsed. In 1466–1467 both sides assembled large armies in Kyoto; though the shogunate forbade striking first, the conflict was irreversible and the Ōnin War was on the verge of erupting.
3. 1467–1473Kyoto (eastern battle zone) · KyotoWar broke out in Kyoto in 1467; Katsumoto's forces held the eastern part of the city, called the Eastern Army, facing Sōen's Western Army along the Ichijō area, with many residences and temples destroyed in the fighting. In 1468 Katsumoto again became kanrei, and Yoshimasa later designated Yoshitsuna as heir. The war settled into a war of attrition; Katsumoto died of illness in 1473, failing to see the Western Army withdraw in 1477. The devastation of Kyoto and the shugo becoming entrenched in their provinces marked the end of shogunal centralization.