Sengoku period

Long ago, Japan went through a time of many wars.

Powerful lords fought to rule different lands. These lords were called daimyo.

Some people even fought for fairness. Farmers and workers held big meetings to protest.

New people could also become warriors. One man even rose from being a peasant.

Later, three great leaders worked to bring peace. They helped make the country one again.

The Sengoku period was a time of many wars in Japan.

It lasted from the 1400s to the late 1500s. During this time, the central government lost its power. This government was called the Ashikaga shogunate.

Local lords called daimyo began to fight for control.

Many wars started because leaders could not agree on who should rule. One big fight was the Ōnin War. It lasted from 1467 to 1477. This war destroyed much of the city of Kyoto.

Life changed for many people during these years. Some people from low classes became samurai. One man named Toyotomi Hideyoshi even rose from being a peasant to a great leader.

Other people, like farmers and workers, held revolts called ikki. They fought against the ruling class.

Eventually, three leaders helped bring peace to Japan. They were Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. These men worked to bring the country back together. This ended the long age of war.

The Sengoku period was a time of constant change in Japan. It was a long era of civil wars and social shifts. This period happened mostly during the 15th and 16th centuries. During these years, the central government lost its strength. This government was known as the Ashikaga shogunate. A shogun was a military leader who held power. While the Emperor was the official ruler, he mostly held religious roles. The shogunate was supposed to keep order across the land. However, that order began to break down during this time.

Power began to shift from the center to local leaders. These local lords were called daimyo.

In the past, the shogunate gave officials called shugo control over land. These shugo became very wealthy by collecting taxes. They shared this wealth with local samurai warriors. Over time, these leaders became the powerful daimyo. Some daimyo were appointed by the shogun. Other daimyo, called sengoku daimyo, took power on their own. They did not need permission from the central government to rule. This change made the country much harder to control.

Many wars started because of arguments over leadership. One major conflict was the Ōnin War from 1467 to 1477.

This war began because of disagreements over who should be the next shogun. Two large groups fought against each other. One was the Eastern Army led by Hosokawa Katsumoto. The other was the Western Army led by Yamana Sōzen. The fighting was very destructive for the capital city. It destroyed two-thirds of Kyoto, including many temples and homes. This war showed that the Ashikaga shoguns could no longer keep peace.

Social rules also changed during these many years of fighting.

The old rules between lords and their servants began to fail. Some people from lower social classes even became samurai. A famous example is Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He started his life as a simple peasant. Later, he became a samurai and a powerful leader. Other groups, like farmers and merchants, also fought back. They held uprisings called ikki to protest unfair treatment. In 1488, the Kaga Rebellion showed how strong these groups could be.

Eventually, three great leaders worked to bring Japan back together.

These men are known as the three unifiers. They were Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Nobunaga began the work by marching on Kyoto in 1568.

After him, Hideyoshi helped unify the different lands. Finally, Tokugawa Ieyasu helped establish a new, stable government. This new era helped end the long age of civil war. The period of constant fighting finally came to a close.

The Sengoku period was an era of near-constant civil war in Japan. It took place during the 15th and 16th centuries. This period was defined by social upheaval and the breakdown of central authority. The Ashikaga shogunate served as the de facto central government. A shogun was a military dictator who held practical power. The Emperor remained the official ruler of the state. However, the Emperor was largely a ceremonial and religious figure. During the Sengoku period, the shogunate's influence declined sharply. This allowed local military lords to seek greater political control.

To understand this shift, one must look at how power was distributed. Between 1346 and 1358, the shogunate expanded the authority of shugo. A shugo was a local military and police official. These officials gained jurisdiction over land disputes between gokenin, or vassals. They also received half of all taxes from their controlled areas. The shugo shared this wealth with local samurai. This created a hierarchy that produced the first shugo daimyo. Eventually, these leaders evolved into the more independent sengoku daimyo. Unlike the earlier shugo daimyo, sengoku daimyo ruled without shogun appointment.

Instability often began with disputes over leadership within the shogunate. In 1428, the fourth shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimochi, became ill. This raised questions about who would succeed him. The fifth shogun, Ashikaga Yoshikazu, died at age 19. This led to a lottery to choose the sixth shogun. That leader was Ashikaga Yoshinori. His despotic behavior caused great resentment among others. In 1441, Akamatsu Mitsusuke assassinated him during the Kakitsu Rebellion. This event destabilized the shogunate and weakened its control over the daimyo.

Conflict frequently erupted over succession in the capital. The Kyōtoku incident in 1454 began a war in the Kanto region. It started when Ashikaga Shigeuji killed Uesugi Noritada. This caused forces to divide into Kubō and Kanrei sides. Later, the eighth shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, faced political chaos. He had no sons to inherit his position. He tried to install his brother, Ashikaga Yoshimi, as the ninth shogun. However, his wife Hino Tomiko gave birth to a son named Ashikaga Yoshihisa. This disagreement between factions triggered massive fighting.

The most famous conflict was the Ōnin War from 1467 to 1477. It pitted the Eastern Army against the Western Army. The Eastern Army was led by Hosokawa Katsumoto. The Western Army was led by Yamana Sōzen. The war spread to the provinces by 1469. The leaders of both armies died in 1473. The war ended in 1477 when the western lords withdrew from Kyoto. The fighting was devastating for the capital city. It destroyed two-thirds of Kyoto, including many temples and residences.

Social structures also changed as the old order collapsed. The traditional master-servant relationship between lords and vassals broke down. Many vassals rebelled against their lords or fought over family lordships. Samurai culture also became more fluid during this time. People born into other social classes could sometimes become samurai. Some common samurai even rose to become sengoku daimyo. Hōjō Sōun was the first to achieve this. Uesugi Kenshin also rose by replacing his lord. Toyotomi Hideyoshi provided the most spectacular example. He rose from a peasant background to become a kampaku, or Imperial Regent.

Common people also took action through organized uprisings. These revolts were known as ikki. Many were driven by socioeconomic unrest and poor treatment by aristocrats. The Ikkō-ikki were uprisings supported by the True Pure Land sect. In 1488, the Kaga Rebellion saw local ikki take control of Kaga province. Eventually, three great leaders worked to restore order. These unifiers were Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Nobunaga began his march on Kyoto in 1568. This effort helped transition Japan toward a more centralized government.

Historians debate the exact dates for the start and end of this era. Some point to the Kyōtoku incident in 1454. Others suggest the Meiō incident in 1493 marked the beginning. The end of the period is also debated. Some cite Nobunaga's entry into Kyoto in 1568. Others look to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603. Some even include the suppression of the Shimabara Rebellion in 1638. Regardless of the dates, the Sengoku period fundamentally reshaped Japanese society. It moved the nation from fragmented rule toward unified leadership.