Muromachi Period

• Japanese: 室町時代 (Muromachi jidai)

The Muromachi Period, also known as the Ashikaga Period, covers the years during which the Ashikaga Bakufu controlled Japan. It runs from around 1333 (some say 1336) until 1573. The era began with turmoil, as the country divided itself between support of the Northern and Southern Imperial courts, while the Ashikaga shôguns consolidated their power, ruling from the Muromachi district of Kyôto. Eventually, the two lineages were reconciled, ending the civil war.

Eventually, the Bakufu began to lose authority in the provinces, becoming more insular. Regional powers grew up in the countryside, with daimyô taking de facto control as local lords. The countryside devolved into chaos, culminating in the Ônin War, opening the Sengoku Period.

The Ashikaga shôguns continued to rule in Kyôto, but had very little actual authority. The era eventually came to a close when Oda Nobunaga deposed the final shôgun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

History

Beginnings

The Kamakura Period came to a close with the end of the Kamakura Bakufu and the re-establishment of Emperor Go-Daigo. Go-Daigo instituted the Kemmu Restoration to revive Imperial power.

However, the military and civil government soon came to a head. Ashikaga Takauji, one of the generals who had placed Go-Daigo back on the throne, disobeyed an Imperial command, and eventually marched on Kyôto. Emperor Go-Daigo fled, supported by Nitta Yoshisada and others. War raged across the country. Eventually, Go-Daigo submitted to Takauji, in 1336, but he would continue to oppose the Ashikaga Bakufu. He eventually fled with his supporters to Yoshino, in the south, while Takauji, had another Emperor installed in Kyôto. Thus began the Nanbokucho Period, or era of Southern and Northern Courts.

References

• Sansom, George. A History of Japan 1334-1615. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1963.
• Hall, John Whitney. Government and Local Power in Japan 500 to 1700: A Study Based on Bizen Province". Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1966.
• Hall, John Whitney and Toyota, Takeshi. Japan in the Muromachi Age. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1977.

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