The Muromachi Period (1333-1573)

The incredible success in repelling the Mongol invasions did have its disadvantages. After military triumphs it was customary to reward those who had fought for the victory, with the lands of the defeated usually being the reward. In this case, however, there was absolutely nothing to distribute, but still many parties claiming rights to rewards. Warriors far and wide sent claims (mostly legitimate) to the Bakufu that they deserved payment for their acts of valor. Furthermore, even temples and shrines began to make claims that their prayers had invoked the kami-kaze that saved Japan. The attacks had also left agriculture in poor condition, so just as the Bakufu needed resources to repay its warriors, the food supply began to dwindle. Many claimants went unpaid and dissatisfaction grew to the point where many felt it was time for a change.

In 1318, a man by the name of Go-Daigo became the Emporer. Unlike his predecessors who had all been mere boys acting as puppets for others, Go-Daigo was determined to rule Japan according to his own will and to restore the full power of the emporer. In 1331 he rose in revolt against the Bakufu, who stood between him and total rule. A year later he had been captured by the Bakufu and exiled, but his supporters continued to fight for his cause. When he defied the Bakufu once more and returned from exile, the trusted general Ashikaga Takauji was sent out to deal with him. However, Takauji saw that his family had much to gain from this situation and turned against the Bakufu, capturing Kyoto in the name of the Emporer. Meanwhile another general, Nitta Yoshisada, stormed Kamakura and destroyed the Bakufu, thus allowing Go-Daigo to regain his throne.

Seeking to restore the once absolute power of the emporer, Go-Daigo sought to diminish the power of the samurai families. This did not sit well with Ashikaga Takauji, who had other plans. He sought to restore the power of the shogun, with himself as ruler. The two sides became polarized, and once again conflict was brewing: this time the imperial cause versus the samurai cause. Many of the warlords sought a return to samurai-controlled government, and Ashikaga Takauji received more military support. After a decisive victory at the Battle of Minatogawa, Takauji was able to enter Kyoto and install a new line of emporers, who would be controlled by Ashikaga shoguns. He also installed a new Bakufu in the Muromachi district of Kyoto (known, reasonably enough, as the Muromachi Bakufu). Not one to stay defeated, Go-Daigo fled to Yoshino and set up a new imperial court there. From 1337 to 1392, both the Yamato and Kyoto courts claimed imperial power.

In 1467 fighting broke out in Kyoto between the Yamana and the Hosokawa clans, who each backed a different son to take the shogun position recently abdicated by Ashikaga Yoshimasa. The conflict, known as the Onin War, lasted ten years and had no clear victor. By the end of the fighting the office of shogun had lost most prestige, and like the emporer the shogun began to be seen as not much more than a symbol. With no central governing figure, individual warlords set about to fighting for control of the land. Thus began the Sengoku Jidai, or the 'Age of the Country at War'.

The Age of the Country at War

This time saw the emergence of a new political system, in which authority was not determined by political ties but by military strength. Without having to worry about a central government, the daimyo (regional lords) of this time were free to maneuver as they wished, conquering neighbors as they saw fit. In effect, each daimyo was the leader of his own small autonomous nation.

The increased fighting of the period inspired a new growth in castle building. Whereas castles used to simply be places to retreat to during conflicts, the nonstop warring forced daimyo to build living quarters inside their castles. Also, the ishigaki (stone walls) and construction started to be maintained. Famous castles of this kind are Odawara castle (home to the Hojo clan), Kasugayama castle (home of the Uyesugi), Odani castle (Azai), and Kouriyama castle (Mori), to name a few.

The Arrival of Christianity

Around 1542 a Chinese vessel containing three Portuguese traders, having been blown off course by a typhoon, landed on a small island just south of Kyushu. They were the first Westerners to ever set foot on Japanese soil, and they brought with them two things which would greatly alter the history of Japan: Christianity and firearms.

Following soon after the traders were the missionaries, who immediately set about winning converts to the new religion. They came at perhaps the right time, as the Buddhist Church had become increasingly worldly and had been gradually losing influence. The early missions in Kyushu met with great success; significantly, several of the converts were samurai, who were the highest and most influential social class. Saint Francis Xavier, who led the first missions, wrote of the Japanese that they were "the best who have as yet been discovered, and it seems to me that we shall never find among the heathens another race to equal the Japanese."

The reasons for success in Japan were not entirely faith-based, however. Many daimyo seeked to extend trade with the Portuguese, who had brought with them the marvelous gun. Their motives for supporting the foreigners were probably every bit as political as they were religious. Additionally, Oda Nobunaga's support of the Christians was based on the fact that they could be counted on to compete with the Buddhists, whose influence Nobunaga despised.

The gun could not have been introduced into Japan at a more opportune time. In a time of constant warring, everyone was looking to improve upon existing military technology. It was in the gun that they found their answer. With the introduction of firearms into Japanese military strategy, castles were also forced to adapt. Beginning with Azuchi castle, castles began to account for the threat (and use) of gunfire in their designs. More information on the history of guns in Japan can be found in the defense section.