Tokugawa Iesada
Asahiko was also known as "Awata no miya" or "Awataguchi no miya" after the location of that temple. During this period, the prince became an outspoken advocate of" jōi ", the expulsion of all foreigners from Japan. His popularity among the "Ishin Shishi" (the pro-imperial court nationalist patriots) attracted the attention of Ii Naosuke, "daimyō" of Hikone and the "Tairō" during the final illness of "Shōgun" Tokugawa Iesada. When Ii launched the Ansei Purge, the prince was condemned to perpetual confinement at Shōkoku-ji and spent more than two years living in a tiny, dilapidated hut. This disrespectful treatment of the prince enraged the "shishi", who made his release one of their principal objectives.