ASHIKAGA, a'she-kil'sa. A Unm of Japan in the prefecture of Tochigi, situated in the southern part of Honshiu. 71 miles by the Riomo Railway, from Tokio (ilap: Japan, F 5). The town was famous for its academy of Chinese learning said to have been foinided in the Ninth Century. It contained an e.xtensive library of Chinese works and was one of the most famous centres of Chinese culture and Confucianism. With the establishment of the Seido at Yolo, at the end of the Seventeenth Century, it lost its former importance, and at present retains only a fraction of its library and an image of Con- fucius. Commercially Ashikaga is important for its extensive trade in cotton and silk goods. Population, in 1898, 21,348.
ASHIKAGA. A dynasty of Shoguns or mili-
tary lieutenants of the Jlikado, who ruled Japan
from ]XiC< to 1574, the last being overthrown by
Ota Xnbunaga. See Shogitn.
ASHIO, a-she'6, A town of .Japan, situated
in the soutlicrn part of Honshiu, lO^i miles
southwest of Xikko. It is famous for the two cop-
per mines of Ashio and Kotaki, 2 miles distant,
considered the most pro<luctive in Japan. In
the vicinity of the town are situated extensive
smelting- works, run by electricity generated by
water-power. Population, about 6000.
ASH'KELON (Gk. 'Amri/ur, Askalon, Heb.
Ashkelon), or Asc.m.on. A ruined city of Pales-
tine, situated on the shore of the Mediterranean,
3G miles west-southwest of Jerusalem. It was
in ancient times a fortified city. After passing
from the possession of the Egyptians to the
Canaanites it became one of the five towns of
the Pliilistine Confederacy. Its name occurs in
the history of the people of Israel in the Old Tes-
tament, w'here it is represented as falling at an
early period into the hands of the tribe of Judah,
but "it never submitted to the Israelite domina-
tion and remained a bitter enemy of the Jewish
monavchv to the last. Ashkelon was the seat
of worship of Astarte and of the fish deities,
Dagon and Dercetis, whose temple, according to
Herodotus, was plundered by the Scythians in
B.C. 630. Herod the Great embellished it with
baths, palaces, and fountains: but in the subse-
quent wars with the Romans, it suffered mucli
damage. After continuing long under the domin-
ion of the Roman Empire, the city came into the
possession of the Saracens in the Seventh Cen-
tury. On August 12, 1099, a great victory was
won by Godfrey de Bouillon over the army of
the ruler of Eg>'pt on the plains of Ashkelon.
The citv was taken and retaken during the wars
of the "Crusaders, and was finally destroyed by
the Sultan Bihars in 1270. The ruins of the
massive city walls still stand, and not far from
the ancient." sit<:' of the city is a small village of
Arabs and Christians.
ASH'KENA'ZIM. Ashkenaz is a name found
in the genealogical list of (Jencsis (x. 3), where
he is entered as the son of Corner. The refer-
ence is probably to an Armenian people, but t>y
the Jews themselves Ashkenaz was made to refer
to Germany; and the Jews of Germany (as well
as of other regions in which German Jews have
settled) are called Ashkenazim, as against the
Sephardim — the so-called Portuguese Jews, the
descendants of the Jews of Spain and Portugal.
The difference between the two consists merely
in a different pronunciation of the Hebrew, and
slight divergences in the ritual. Doctrinally,
there is no difference. At times, however, social
distinctions have been very great and intermar-
riage almost impossible.
ASH'LAND. A city in Boyd County, Ky.,
144 miles east by south of Cincinnati, Ohio, on
the Ohio River, and on the Chesapeake and Ohio,
the Norfolk and Western, and other railroads
( ilap: Kentucky, J 2 ) . The princijjal features
of interest are Central Park, a public preserve
of about fifty acres in the centre of the city, and
Clift'side Park, a sunnner resort with various
attractions, maintained by a corporation, just
outside the city limits. Ashland is important
chiefly as a manufacturing city, though it carries
on also an extensive trade in coal, iron ore, and
the varied products of its industrial plants, which
include pig iron, cut and wire nails, wire rods,
steel billets, sheet steel, fire brick, leather, furniture stock, and oak and poplar lumber. Set-
tled in 1854, Ashland was chartered as a city in
1870. Under a revised charter of 1894, the. gov-
ernment is vested in a mayor, elected every four
years, and a city council which chooses all
municipal officials excepting the board of educa-
tion. Population, 1890, 4195; 1900, 0800.
ASHLAND. A village and county-seat of
Ashland County, Oliio, 65 miles southwest of
Cleveland, on the Erie and other railroads ( ilap:
Ohio, F 4). It has a public school library, mis-
cellaneous manufactures, and a trade in grain.
Population. 1890. 3566; 1900, 4087.
ASHLAND. A city in Jackson County, Ore.,
15 miles southeast of Jacksonville, the county
seat: on Ashland Creek and on the Southern
Pacific Railroad (Map: Oregon, C 7). One of
the most important towns in soutliern Oregon,
it has fruit-growing, gold-mining, and granite
and sandstone quarrying interests, and contains
railroad shops, flour-mills, planing-mills, quartz
mills, creamery, lumber-yards, etc. The city is
the seat of a State normal school, and, from the
existence of mineral springs with medicinal prop-
erties, is developing as a healtli resort. There
are municipal water-works. Population, 1890,
1784; 1900. 2034.
ASHLAND. A borough of Schuylkill County,
Pa., 12 miles northwest of Pottsville, on the
Philadelpliia and Reading, and Leliigh Valley
railroads (Map: Pennsylvania, E 3). Coal
mining is the chief industry, but there are also
important foundries, machine-shops, etc. Ash-
land owns and operates its water-works. Settled
in 1850, Ashland was incoi-porated in 1857. Its
charter of that date provides for a mayor elected
everv three vears and a citv council of fifteen
menibers. Population, in 1890, 7346; in 1900,
6438.
ASHLAND. A residential town in Hanover County. Va., 17 miles north of Richmond, on the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad (Map: Virginia, G 4). It is the seat of Randolph-Macon College (Methodist Episcopal, South), founded in 1832, in ilecklenhurg County, and removed to Ashland in 1866. Settled in 1845, Ashland was incorporated in 1856. Under the charter, last revised in 1899, it is governed by a mayor, elected for two years, and a town council. Ashland suff'ered from a number of raids during the Civil War. and the locality was the scene of several battles. Henry Clay was born about
