Ashikaga School: A Center of Divination and Learning That Supported Japan’s Shoguns

Ashikaga School

(Ashikaga City, Tochigi)

【Ekikyō (易経)】 is the Japanese name for the I Ching (Yijing), an ancient Chinese text originally created as a manual of divination and later recognized as one of the Five Classics of Confucianism. It is not merely a book of fortune‑telling; it explains the principles of change that govern all things and teaches how one should act in accordance with shifting circumstances.

From ancient times through the medieval period, Japan was often shaken by political intrigue, warfare, epidemics, and other uncertainties. Rulers frequently relied on the auspices of the I Ching as a spiritual guide and used its judgments to support important political and military decisions.

In Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, stands the Ashikaga School, known today as the oldest surviving school building in Japan. Its exact founding date is unclear—some theories trace it back to the 9th century—but what is historically certain is that in the early 15th century, Uesugi Norizane, the regional governor of the Kantō Plain (a large plain in eastern Japan that includes present-day Tokyo), donated books and invited the eminent Zen monk Kaigen from Kamakura to revive the institution. This marked the beginning of the school’s significant development.

During the Age of Exploration, Francis Xavier, the first Jesuit missionary to visit Japan, visited the country in 1549 and described the Ashikaga School as “the largest and most renowned academy in all of Japan.” At its peak, it is said to have had as many as 3,000 students, making it one of the most prominent centers of learning in the country.

The curriculum of the Ashikaga School was based on Confucian studies, but it also included I Ching studies (divination) and military strategy. Kaigen, who played a central role in the school’s revival, was highly knowledgeable in the I Ching, and many students came specifically to study divination under him.

Over time, mastering I Ching studies at the Ashikaga School became a mark of prestige. During the Warring States period (15th–16th centuries), divination was often used to determine important matters such as the timing of battles. Some graduates of the Ashikaga School served powerful warlords as military advisors, offering counsel on strategy and the most auspicious times to act.

One famous anecdote tells of a warlord in Kai Province (present-day Yamanashi) who asked a prospective strategist, “Were you taught divination at Ashikaga?” Because the strategist had not studied there, he was ultimately not hired.

In the decisive Battle of Sekigahara (1600), which paved the way for the unification of Japan, the headmaster of the Ashikaga School accompanied Tokugawa Ieyasu and is said to have divined the auspicious date for his army’s departure. After Ieyasu unified Japan and became shogun, it became customary for the headmaster of the Ashikaga School to present an annual divination, predicting the fortunes of the shogun’s coming year.

When the age of warfare ended and peace returned, many renowned scholars and writers visited the Ashikaga School to view the valuable books donated by Uesugi Norizane. Although a lightning strike in 1754 caused a fire that destroyed many of these works, several of the school’s buildings still stand today due to continuous maintenance and restoration efforts.

The Ashikaga School is recognized as an important institution that contributed to Japan’s high educational standards and helped shape the nation’s emphasis on courtesy and moral discipline. It is registered as one of the cultural assets of the Japan Heritage site “Educational Heritage of Early Modern Japan: The Origins of Learning and Courtesy.” Other institutions included in this heritage group are Kodokan (Ibaraki), Shizutani School (Okayama), and Kangien (Oita).

Please visit the Asikaga School website.