Part I
Feudal Japan

Emperor of Japan

The Chrysanthemum Throne is the common name given to the Imperial throne of Japan. The chrysanthemum is the monsho, or crest, of the Emperor of Japan.

The Chrysanthemum Throne is the oldest continuing monarchy in the world. (from Wikipedia)

According to mythology, Japan's first Emperor Jimmu, a descendant of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, was enthroned in the year 660 BC. While the myths are not considered historically accurate, it is a commonly accepted fact that emperors have reigned over Japan for more than 1500 years, and that they have all descended from the same imperial family.

Despite the fact that the effective power of the emperors was limited or purely symbolic throughout most of Japan's history, all actual rulers, from the Fujiwara and Hojo regents to the Minamoto, Ashikaga and Tokugawa shoguns respected the emperor and were keen in having the imperial legitimization for their position as rulers of Japan.

In the 12th century, two military families with aristocratic backgrounds gained much power: the Minamoto and Taira families. The Taira replaced many Fujiwara nobles in important offices while the Minamoto gained military experience by bringing parts of Northern Honshu under Japanese control in the Early Nine Years War (1050 - 1059) and the Later Three Years war (1083 - 1087).

After the Heiji Rising (1159), a struggle for power between the two families, Taira Kiyomori evolved as the leader of Japan and ruled the country from 1168 to 1178 through the emperor. The major threats with which he was confronted were not only the rivalling Minamoto but also the increasingly militant Buddhist monasteries which frequently led wars between each other and disturbed public order.

After Kiyomori's death, the Taira and Minamoto clans fought a deciding war for supremacy, the Gempei War, which lasted from 1180 to 1185. By the end of the war, the Minamoto were able to put an end to Taira supremacy, and Minamoto Yoritomo succeeded as the leader of Japan. After eliminating all of his potential and acute enemies, including close family members, he was appointed Shogun (highest military officer) and established a new government in his home city Kamakura.

(from JapanGuide)

Battle of Dan no Ura (1185) Taira with the red flags fights the Minamoto

Shogun

Shogun is a military rank and historical title in Japan. The rank is equivalent to "general," a high officer in an army.

The Shogun became the military dictator of Japan.

Himeji Castle was built by Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1581

Daimyo

A feudal lord of a Japanese province.

The daimyo usually wore purples, ranging from dark to light depending on how high ranked they were. Dark and light purple preceded dark and light green, dark and light red, and finally black. The very highest daimyo were considered to be nobles.

Ainu peasants pay tribute to Japanese Daimyo

Kamakura

The Kamakura period is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance of the Kamakura Shogunate;
officially established in 1192 by the first Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo.

The Kamakura period (1185–1333) marks the transition to the Japanese "medieval" era, a nearly 700-year period in which the emperor, the court, and the traditional central government were left intact but were largely relegated to ceremonial functions. Civil, military, and judicial matters were controlled by the bushi class, the most powerful of whom was the de facto national ruler.

The term feudalism is generally used to describe this period, being accepted by scholars as applicable to medieval Japan as well as to medieval Europe. Both had land-based economies, vestiges of a previously centralized state, and a concentration of advanced military technologies in the hands of a specialized fighting class. Lords required the loyal services of vassals, who were rewarded with fiefs of their own. The fief holders exercised local military rule and public power related to the holding of land. This period in Japan differed from the old shoen system in its pervasive military emphasis.

Once Minamoto Yoritomo had consolidated his power, he established a new government at his family home in Kamakura.

(from Wikipedia)

Mongol invasions of Japan

The Mongol invasions of Japan of 1274 and 1281 were major military operations undertaken by Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan) to invade the Japanese islands after conquering Korea. Despite their ultimate failure, the invasion attempts are of macrohistorical importance, setting a limit on Mongol expansion, and ranking as nation-defining events in Japanese history. (Wikipedia)

The Mongolian Kublai Khan became Emperor of China in 1260 and established his capital at Beijing in 1264. Two years later, the Mongolians dispatched emissaries to Japan, commanding the Japanese to submit to Mongol rule, or face invasion. A second set of emissaries were sent in 1268, returning empty-handed, like their predecessors.

In 1274, the Mongol fleet set out, with roughly 15,000 Mongol & Chinese soldiers and 8,000 Korean warriors, in 300 large vessels and 400-500 smaller craft. They captured the islands of Tsushima and Iki easily, and landed on November 19th in Hakata Bay, a short distance from Dazaifu, the ancient administrative capital of Kyushu. However, heavy casualties, lack of supplies, rebellion brewing among the Korean and Chinese auxiliaries that made the majority of the army forced the invasion to come to a swift end; some claim a storm dealt the decisive blow, destroying much of the Mongol fleet.

In the spring of 1281, the Mongols' Chinese fleet was delayed by difficulties in provisioning and manning the large number of ships they had. Their Korean fleet set sail, suffered heavy losses at Tsushima, and turned back. In the summer, the combined Korean/Chinese fleet took Iki-shima, and moved on to Kyushu, landing at a number of separate positions. The Japanese army was again heavily outnumbered, but had fortified the coastal line and was easily able to repulse the auxiliaries that were launched against it. The now-famous kamikaze, a massive typhoon, assaulted the shores of Kyushu for two days straight, and destroyed much of the Mongol fleet.

Kamikaze is a Japanese word, usually translated as divine wind, believed to be a gift from the gods. The term is first known to have been used as the name of a pair or series of typhoons that are said to have saved Japan from two Mongol fleets under Kublai Khan that attacked Japan in 1274 and again in 1281.

In popular Japanese myths at the time, the god Raijin (picture to the right) was the god who turned the storms against the Mongols.

(from Wikipedia)

Muromachi
Ashikaga Shogunate

The Muromachi period is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi shogunate, also known as the Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1336 by the first Muromachi shogun Ashikaga Takauji (picture to right). The period ended in 1573 when the 15th and last shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki was driven out of the capital in Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga.

(Wikipedia)

Azuchi-Momoyama

Oda Nobunaga

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

The Azuchi-Momoyama period came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1568 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order upon the chaos that had pervaded since the collapse of the Ashikaga Shogunate.

(Wikipedia)

Period of Warring States: Nobunaga's army in its last battle

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three unifers of Japan

Toyotomi Hideyoshi changed Japanese society in many ways. During the Sengoku period, it became common for peasants to become warriors, or for samurai to farm due to the constant uncertainty caused by the lack of centralized government and always tentative peace. Upon taking control, Hideyoshi decreed that all peasants be disarmed completely. This solidified the social class system for the next 300 years.

Furthermore, he ordered all of Japan surveyed, and a complete census taken. Once this was done and all citizens were registered, and he required all Japanese to stay in their respective provinces (or 'han') unless they obtained official permission to go elsewhere. This ensured order in a period when bandits still roamed the countryside and peace was still new. By surveying the countryside, Japanese land and resources could also be utilized properly.

In 1588, Hideyoshi effectively abolished slavery by stopping sales of slaves. Contract and indentured labor replaced slavery.

(from Wikipedia)