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Medieval and Early Japanese History

By zoegilchrist
  • Period: 1603 BCE to 1868 BCE

    The Tokugawa Shogunate

    In 1603 a shogunate was established by a warrior, Tokugawa Ieyasu, in the city of Edo (present Tokyo). The period thence to the year 1867—the Tokugawa, or Edo, era—constitutes the later feudal period in Japan. This era, though also dominated by warriors, differed from former ones in that internal disturbances finally ended and long-enduring peace ensued. There emerged a merchant class that developed a flourishing commoner’s culture. Schools for commoners thus were established.
  • Period: 1336 BCE to 1568 BCE

    The Muromachi Shogunate

    also called Ashikaga Period, in Japanese history, period of the Ashikaga Shogunate (1338–1573). It was named for a district in Kyōto, where the first Ashikaga shogun, Takauji, established his administrative headquarters. Although Takauji took the title of shogun for himself and his heirs, complete control of Japan eluded him.
  • Period: 1192 BCE to 1333 BCE

    The Kamakura Shogunate

    in Japanese history, the period from 1192 to 1333 during which the basis of feudalism was firmly established. It was named for the city where Minamoto Yoritomo set up the headquarters of his military government, commonly known as the Kamakura shogunate. After his decisive victory over the rival Taira family at the battle of Dannoura (1185), Yoritomo created his own military administration (bakufu) to serve beside the imperial court.
  • Period: 794 BCE to 1185 BCE

    Heian Period

    in Japanese history, the period between 794 and 1185, named for the location of the imperial capital, which was moved from Nara to Heian-kyō (Kyōto) in 794. The Chinese pattern of centralized government that was first adopted in the Nara period (710–784) gradually changed as the growth of private estates (shōen), exempt from taxation, encroached upon the public domain and reduced the substance of state administration.
  • Period: 710 BCE to 94 BCE

    Nara Period

    in Japanese history, period in which the imperial government was at Nara, and Sinicization and Buddhism were most highly developed. Nara, the country’s first permanent capital, was modeled on the Chinese T’ang dynasty (618–907) capital, Ch’ang-an. Nara artisans produced refined Buddhist sculpture and erected grand Buddhist temples. A network of roads connected the capital with remote provinces.