Sasaki Takauji

Sasaki Takauji (佐々木 高氏, 1306 – September 12, 1373), also known by his religious name Sasaki Dōyō, was a Japanese poet, warrior, and bureaucrat of the Muromachi period.

[1] Born in Ōmi Province, Sasaki Takauji served the regent Hōjō Takatoki briefly, before aiding the shōgun Ashikaga Takauji in overthrowing the Kenmu Restoration (in which the Emperor Go-Daigo sought to regain real power) and establishing the Ashikaga shogunate.

During his period of service to the shogunate, Sasaki Takauji served as shugo (military governor) of six provinces, and held a number of other important positions.

[2] Takauji is portrayed in the epic Taiheiki as a paragon of elegance and luxury, and as the quintessential military aristocrat.

He exemplifies the extreme of extravagant taste known as "basara" where "the love of the extraordinary and accumulation of objects was paramount", and hosted events such as the twenty-day-long flower viewing event at Oharano.