Sengoku period

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.