The Muromachi period

The Ashikaga Shogunate dominated Japan during much of the Muromachi period (1333-1573), but it had to share power with a new class of warlords called daimyo (dy-EEM-yoh). This created an unstable situation, but the shogun Yoshimitsu (ruled 1368-94) managed to successfully balance the shoguns and the daimyo. With the death of his grandson in 1428, however, the uneasy peace came to an end, and the shogunate began to weaken. Clan disputes led to all-out conflict in 1467.

The Onin War raged for ten years, destroying the power of the Ashikagas and devastating Kyoto. Warlords controlled the land until 1568, during which time the balance of power on the battlefield shifted from samurai to mass foot-soldiers. The arrival of Portuguese traders in 1543 created an external threat that aided the daimyo in consolidating their power, and the Europeans' introduction of firearms gave them a particularly effective means for doing so. The Portuguese gradually gained a degree of acceptance, and introduced castles to Japan, where they appeared in military towns around the country.

Despite the unrest of the times, a number of vital social changes took place. The feudal system actually gave more power to the people, because the daimyo were closer to the populace than the faraway imperial court had been. Zen Buddhism, which emphasized meditation and discipline, took hold in Japan during this period, as did a number of distinctly Japanese arts such as flower arranging, gardening, landscape painting, No theatre, and the tea ceremony. At the same time, new forces were at work in

The upper levels of the Japanese military, and these would end the era of unrest with the unification of the country in 1573.

Wolfe, Bob. Lessons from the Samurai: Ancient Self-Defense Strategies and Techniques. Photographs by Bob Wolfe. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1987.