"Samurai's Life in Medieval Japan"

The Heian period (794-1185) was followed by 700 years of warrior governments—the Kamakura, Muromachi, and Tokugawa.  The civil government at the imperial court continued, but the real rulers of the country were the military daimyo class.

Kamakura Period  (1185-1333)

 The Kamakura period was the beginning of warrior class rule. The imperial court still handled civil affairs, but with the defeat of the Taira family, the Minamoto under Yoritomo established its capital in the small eastern city of Kamakura. Yoritomo received the title shogun or “barbarian-quelling generalissimo.” Different clans competed with one another as in the Hogen Disturbance of 1156 and the Heiji Disturbance of 1159.

During the Genpei Civil War of 1180-1185, Yoritomo fought against and defeated the Taira, beginning the Kamakura Period.  Yoritomo chose officials called shugo (military governors) in each province to be responsible for military control of the provinces, to supervise the land, and to collect taxes.

Obligation and dependency between shogun and military governors became the basis for the governing system until the end of the nineteenth century. As the shugo gained power and no longer acted only on behalf of the shogun, they evolved into the daimyo of the late fifteenth century. It also should be clarified that only about 10 percent of the population were of this warrior culture. Most Japanese at the time were farmers. 

Muromachi Period (1336-1573)

 The Muromachi district of Kyoto became the capital for the second period in medieval Japanese history. This time period, called the Muromachi or Ashikaga Period (1336-1573), was marked by unrest, disturbances, and violent changes. Warfare destroyed cities and countryside. The shogun’s power was still based on the coalition of shugo who helped control land and the power in the provinces. The increased power made many of these warriors wealthy, and this  period saw the development of feudal lords who were called daimyo. Their success depended on their military prowess and social connections. 

Within their provinces, daimyo developed their own local rule. Samurai served a lord or shogun as long as they were rewarded well. The Ashikaga were not able to control the various provinces, so it was the daimyo who ruled the local population, often fighting over territory and allies. There were approximately 250 daimyo domains at the end of the Ashikaga Period.

Momoyama Period  (1573-1603)

 The end of the Muromachi came when increasing rivalries between daimyo played out in the Onin War (1467-1477). Kyoto was destroyed, and the country spent the next hundred years in chaos known as the Sengoku or Warring States Period. 

 The Momoyama Period or Momoyama-Azuchi Period reunited Japan after these years of civil war. Over time, three generals worked to limit the powers of the daimyo and end the constant warfare between families and provinces.

 Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) expelled the last Ashikaga shogun and began the restoration of order after centuries of war. His castle was built at Azuchi and became the model for huge structures to protect and defend the daimyo. Firearms, which had arrived with the Portuguese in 1543, influenced Nobunaga’s policies. He was known for brutally eliminating his rivals by any means necessary including burning temples, killing innocent civilians, and assassination. 

Nobunaga’s leading general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, finalized the reunification of the country. He defeated some daimyo, and made alliances with others so that he became the most powerful man in the land.  All recognized his preeminence. Hideyoshi made some major changes, including forcing all non-samurai to give up their weapons, He introduced a class system and limited Chinese and Dutch to trading in Nagasaki in southern Japan.  The Portuguese and Spanish were banned from Japan for proselytizing.