A Sengoku warlord who controlled Awa, Sanuki, Awaji, Settsu, Kawachi, Yamashiro, and other provinces. By expelling the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and subjugating the Kinai region, he is evaluated as the first person to approach the position of "master of the realm" before Nobunaga. He gathered powerful retainers including Matsunaga Hisahide and the Miyoshi Three, deepened relations with Sakai merchants, and built up economic power. He also had a cultural side, enjoying Noh and waka poetry. Grieving the successive deaths of his sons, he died at forty-three in 1564. After his death, retainer Matsunaga Hisahide assassinated the shogun, and the Miyoshi clan declined rapidly.

A complex figure who, while possessing ruthless political and military power, never forgot his love of culture. He aimed for unification of the Kinai as a forerunner of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, but succession problems and retainer defections troubled his later years.

Reevaluation as the "master of the realm before Nobunaga" has advanced in recent years. His economic ties with Sakai and cultural promotion served as precedents for the later policies of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi.