was the twelfth shà Âgun of the Ashikaga shogunate from 1521 through 1546 during the late Muromachi period of Japan. He was the son of the eleventh shà Âgun Ashikaga Yoshizumi.
From a western perspective, Yoshiharu is significant, as he was shà Âgun when the first contact of Japan with the European West took place in 1543. A Portuguese ship, blown off its course to China, landed in Japan. In 1526, Yoshiharu invited archers from neighbouring provinces to come to the capital for an archery contest.
His childhood name was Kameomaru (äºÂçÂÂ丸). On 1 May 1521, after Shà Âgun Ashikaga Yoshitane and Hosokawa Takakuni struggled for power over the shogunate and Yoshitane withdrew to Awaji Island, the way was clear for Ashikaga Yoshiharu to be installed as shà Âgun as he enters Kyoto.
In 1521, Hosokawa Takakuni orchestrated the appointment of Yoshiharu as shà Âgun. By 1526, tumultuous events marked by the Kasai and Miyoshi rebellions unfolded. In 1528, the political landscape shifted dramatically as Yoshiharu was ousted by Miyoshi Nagamoto, setting the stage for a period of significant change.
The 1530s further complicated the era, beginning with the eruption of the Ikkà  rebellion in 1533. 1536 became a pivotal year with Emperor Go-Nara's ascension, and by 1538, internal strife plagued the Koga Kubà Â's family, introducing new layers of discord. Later in 1546 Yoshiharu sought refuge in à Âmi, while his son, Yoshiteru, assumed the role of shà Âgun in exile.
Void of any political power and repeatedly forced from the capital in Kyoto, Yoshiharu retired in 1546 over a political struggle between Miyoshi Nagayoshi and Hosokawa Harumoto making his son Ashikaga Yoshiteru the thirteenth shà Âgun. He died on 20th May, 1550. Later in 1568, supported by Oda Nobunaga, his other son Ashikaga Yoshiaki became the fifteenth shà Âgun.
The years in which Yoshiharu was shà Âgun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengà Â.