1. The Age of Warring States 1467-1573
Sengoku Jidai
The Age of Warring States

2. Shoguns, Too, Lose Power Kamakura shogunate overthrown – rivalries!
Two rival emperors
New shogun clan, Ashikaga, unable to to be supreme ruler
Onin War 1467 Ashikaga shoguns lose control
“After the major battles the streets were choked with corpses , and cartloads of severed heads were collected as trophies.”
“Of the 142 daimyo families ruling in 1543, only 45 still held their position 30 years later.”

3. Ge Koku Jo “Those Below Subjugating Those Above”
Three Shoguns Re-Unify Japan

4. Oda Nobunaga 1534-1582 Leader of central province, Owari
Unified 32 of 66 provinces under his control
Brilliant military leader
Surprise attacks, firearms
Ruthless to enemies
Buddhist temples and priests burned and destroyed
Trapped by traitor in 1582 and committed seppukku before reunification was completed

5. Toyotomi Hideyoshi 1536-1598 Son of a peasant
Became ruler of all of Japan “ge koku jo”
Chief general of eastern Nobunaga army
Killed Nobunaga’s traitor, resumed
quest to unify Japan’s daimyo
More diplomatic, negotiated
Took 8 years to bring all 66 under a
feudal agreement
Tokugawa Ieyasu agreed to trade Kanto province for Kyoto

6. Tokugawa Ieyasu 1603
Powerful daimyo under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of most trusted generals!
Supposed to let son of TH inherit, declared war instead!
5 years of ruthless fighting later = Tokugawa Ieyasu controls all 66 daimyo of Japan, moves capital to Tokyo.
Eliminated Christianity,
closed Japan to travel or trade, and made a 4-level social order

7. Bushido The Way of the Warrior
The Era of Samurai Peace

8. Daimyo and Samurai
Went from fighting to working as officials for the Bakufu
Developed Bushido Code: stressed simplicity and total loyalty*
Daimyo ruled from castles as local governors, lower daimyo reported to them (mayors?) lesser samurai lived there reinforced law (police?)

9. Peasants/Merchants & Towns
Castles had towns grow around them
Attracted people like artisans and merchants
Twons also grew along roads connecting towns
Merchants became really rich
Samurai eventually supplanted by merchants!