Page 74 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan

DISCOVER A Brief History 1

2 3

Warring States Period 1 General and statesman
After years of civil war, the Muromachi shogunate emerged Oda Nobunaha.
victorious in 1336. Whereas Kamakura had existed in equilibrium 2 Statue of Toyotomi
with the imperial court, the Muromachi took over the remnants Hideyoshi outside Osaka.
of the imperial government. Rebellions followed and, in 1467, 3 The landing of
the Ōnin War broke out, leaving Kyoto devastated and effec­ Commodore Perry.
tively ending the national authority of the shogunate. For the 4 The Great Kanto
next century, Japan was racked by debilitating warfare between Earthquake of 1923.
increasingly autonomous samurai sections. Oda Nobunaga –
a daimyo (feudal lord) who rose through military ranks in the
provinces – set out to unify the nation, but died unsuccessful in
1582. Nobunaga’s deputy, a former peasant named Toyotomi Did You Know?
Hideyoshi, continued the work of unification. To achieve this, he
set about destroying as many of the country’s castles and forts The Japanese imperial
as he could and confiscating weapons belonging to farmers. family were believed to
After Hideyoshi died, daimyo from eastern and western Japan have succeeded from
fell into dispute and sent their samurai, led by Tokugawa Ieyasu the sun goddess,
and Ishida Mitsunari respectively, to battle in Sekigahara. Amaterasu.
Ieyasu emerged victorious in 1600 and subsequently founded
the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603.

Timeline of events
1467 1641 1707
The devastating Only the Dutch and Last eruption
Ōnin War begins, Chinese are allowed of Mount Fuji.
destroying much access to Japan.
of Kyoto.

1635
1600 All foreign commerce
Tokugawa Ieyasu is confined to the
establishes the artificial island of
Tokusgawa shogunate. Dejima in Nagasaki.
74

072-077_EW_Japan.indd 74 19/02/2019 12:00

EW Brief History template v1 – 19th April 2018
Fonts: Aptifer Sans LT Pro, ITC Caslon 224,
Posterama Text, Soho Gothic Pro, Soho Pro