Sengoku Period

The Muromachi Period was ruled by the Muromachi shogunate, established by Ashikaga Takauji.
Over time, the shogun’s authority weakened, and the succession dispute after the 8th shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, led to the Onin War, which lasted 11 years. By the time it ended, the shogunate had lost both military power and the public’s trust.
As the shogunate declined, so did the shugo daimyo, regional lords who had governed the provinces. In their place, powerful warriors rose across Japan.
Warriors challenged the established order, taking power by force, and gekokujo spread from region to region, marking the start of the Sengoku Period.
Those who gained land and authority through gekokujo became known as sengoku daimyo.

In the early Sengoku Period, most fighting was between local clans and warlords competing for control of their own regions.
As rulers in each area became more established, they gradually began invading neighboring territories.
The first to gain enough power and land to truly be called sengoku daimyo were the Hojo clan.
As the Hojo rose, battles over power and territory only grew more intense.

Amid escalating conflict, Oda Nobunaga made his name at the Battle of Okehazama.
After his rise, Nobunaga backed Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the 15th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, and entered Kyoto, declaring his intent to unify Japan.
He pushed forward to make it reality, conquering and governing regions, but was ultimately killed in the Honno-ji Incident, a betrayal led by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide.

Akechi Mitsuhide was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was also a retainer of Oda Nobunaga.
Hideyoshi then gained major influence in the struggle over Nobunaga’s succession.
He further strengthened his authority when the emperor appointed him kampaku, the highest position in the court nobility.
With that power, he pacified regions across Japan and eventually unified the country.
After unification, Hideyoshi aimed to expand into China but died before achieving his goal.

After Hideyoshi’s death, Tokugawa Ieyasu expanded his influence and defeated Ishida Mitsunari at the decisive Battle of Sekigahara.
With victory, Ieyasu drastically reduced the Toyotomi clan’s power.
He was then appointed Seii Taishogun by the imperial court, became Japan’s top authority, and founded the Edo shogunate, beginning Tokugawa rule.
The Toyotomi clan lingered on in diminished form, but was destroyed by Ieyasu in the Summer Siege of Osaka. With that, the Sengoku Period, nearly 140 years of turmoil, came to an end.

The Battle of Sekigahara is often called the most famous battle in Japanese history.
It was fought to decide the de facto successor to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had unified Japan. Tokugawa Ieyasu’s forces clashed with Ishida Mitsunari’s at Sekigahara, and Ieyasu ultimately won.

The Battles of Kawanakajima were fought five times between “God of War” Uesugi Kenshin, renowned for his battlefield prowess, and Takeda Shingen, often called the strongest warlord of the Sengoku Period.
In the fourth battle, the two are said to have dueled one-on-one.
In the fifth battle, both sides withdrew, and the conflict ended without a clear winner.

The Battles of Kawanakajima spanned 12 years, and during that time Oda Nobunaga rose and pushed forward with unification.
If Kawanakajima had never happened, and Kenshin and Shingen had instead formed an alliance against Nobunaga, Japanese history might have taken a very different course.
In that sense, Kawanakajima can also be seen as a battle that changed history.

Oda Nobunaga was the first in Sengoku-era Japan to openly declare his aim to unify the country.
His pragmatic, revolutionary approach to warfare and politics, along with his ruthless treatment of enemies, left a major mark on Japanese history.
He was killed when unification was within reach, betrayed by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide, yet his charisma still makes him one of Japan’s most popular warlords today.

Born the son of a poor farming family, Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose through the ranks as Oda Nobunaga’s retainer, became his de facto successor, and ultimately was appointed kampaku, the highest position among the court nobility.
He then became the first ruler to unify Japan during the Warring States era.
Even in an age of gekokujo, it was extraordinary for someone of such humble origins to rise so far.
He was a different kind of genius from Nobunaga.

Tokugawa Ieyasu brought the Sengoku Period to an end.
He spent his childhood as a hostage, endured the eras of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and at times moved with calculated cunning, before ultimately unifying Japan.
The Edo shogunate he established lasted about 260 years and created a long period of stability.

Sengoku BASARA is an action game by Capcom set in the Sengoku Period, and its popularity also led to an anime adaptation.
You fight Sengoku battles while controlling famous warlords, and many well-known historical figures and conflicts appear throughout.
If you’re not into “history as a school subject” but you are curious about the Sengoku Period, starting with Sengoku BASARA might be a fun way in.

Inuyasha is an adventure story about Kagome, a high school girl who can travel between modern-day Japan and the Sengoku Period, and Inuyasha, a half-demon.
Both the manga and anime are hugely popular.
It doesn’t focus on real Sengoku warlords or famous battles, but it’s a great way to enjoy the atmosphere and culture of Sengoku-era Japan.

Nobunaga Concerto is a manga and TV drama built on the idea that Oda Nobunaga was actually a modern high school student who time-traveled to the Sengoku Period.
As he struggles with the gap between modern life and Sengoku Japan, he gradually adapts and begins pursuing the unification of Japan as “Nobunaga.”
Many famous warlords appear as well, including Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Because it follows the era through Nobunaga’s eyes, it’s a great pick for Nobunaga fans.

It’s often said that Oda Nobunaga was the first to give castles, once mainly military bases, a new role as symbols of a warlord’s power.
Azuchi Castle, built by Nobunaga, featured a main keep that was the tallest wooden high-rise structure of its time.
It also overturned the very idea of what a castle could be, with lavish details like roof tiles covered in gold leaf and floors where ceilings and pillars were entirely lacquered in vermilion.
Unfortunately, Azuchi Castle was abandoned only six years after it was built, and today only the ruins remain.
While not built by Nobunaga, Gifu Castle, his base for unification, still stands. If you want a sense of the kind of castle Nobunaga may have lived in, Gifu Castle is well worth a visit.

After Oda Nobunaga’s death, Toyotomi Hideyoshi gained unrivaled power and built the magnificent Osaka Castle to display it.
Its five-story main keep used cutting-edge techniques of the day, and vast amounts of gold and silver, a castle designed to overwhelm visitors.
Osaka Castle symbolized Hideyoshi’s prosperity, but it was also where the Toyotomi clan fell.
Because it still stands today, why not visit Osaka Castle and see the kind of fortress that represented the authority of a ruler who unified Japan?

Nijo Castle was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu so he could stay in Kyoto after winning the decisive Battle of Sekigahara.
In the era of the 3rd shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, it was renovated into an even more lavish complex to welcome the emperor, showcasing Tokugawa prestige through its splendor.
The castle remains today and is registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site as part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.”