Although Yoshimitsu ASHIKAGA had succeeded in unifying the two courts and solidifying the central power and authority of the bakufu, after his sudden death, the country returned to the old oligarchic daimyo system, and the power of the Shogun waned by comparison.
足利義満が南北朝合一を達成し幕府権力を絶大にしたものの、義満急死後は大名合議制に戻り相対的に将軍の権力も低下した。