Timeline: Japan Under Shoguns Timeline - Zane Richardson

1192

First Shogun

After many events, the Genpei war, his brother being killed and the decease of Emperor Go-Shirakawa earlier in the year, Minamoto Yoritomo crowned himself "seii taishōgun" and became the first Shogun in Japan's history. In Yoritomo's rule, he begun the Kamakura shogunate which reduced the emperor's power over the people and country.

Period: 1192 to 1868

Japan Under The Shogun Rule

Period: 1192 to 1333

Kamakura Period

1274

Mongol Invasion

During 1274, Kublai Khan and his soldiers had conquered the islands of Tsushima and Iki but one of the nights, a typhoon blew through washing away and sinking the mongols ships forcing the survivors to retreat. After the invasion, the brave Japanese soldiers went to the government for reward money but got nothing in return.

1333

Fall of Kamakura

During the Kamakura rule, the mongol army attacked several times, resulting in the government spending funds but not earning any. This lead to the government going bankrupt and eventually falling.

1338

Rise of Muromachi

In 1333, the emperor Go-Daigo overthrew the Kamakura clan and attempted to restore power to the imperial court in Kyoto. Ashikaga Takauji who once fought for the emperor, challenged the imperial court and succeeded in conquering Kyoto. Later, in 1338 Takauji named himself shogun and founded his government (Muromachi) in Kyoto.

Period: 1338 to 1573

Muromachi Period

1467

Ōnin war begins

Under the rule of Ashikaga Yoshimasa, there was a dispute of who Yoshimasa's successor would be. Fighting broke out between two samurai families who each had small armies of their own in Kyoto. The civil war lasted for ten years until Yoshimasa's son was elected shogun.

Period: 1467 to 1477

Ōnin War

1543

Firearms Introduced

When the portuguese come to Japan accidentally, they came with gunpowder and related weapons which they were going to trade with the chinese, but they ended up trading them to the Japanese instead. This triggered the production of guns and related weapons, which took a major impact on their warfare.

1543

Visitors

European sailors accidentally come across japan on a journey to trade spices with China. On the ship were several priests who introduced christianity to the people of japan and at one point, they even had a school dedicated to teaching christianity.

Period: 1573 to 1603

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

1603

Tokugawa/Edo period

Tokugawa Ieyasu was one of the most powerful men in Japan and in 1603 he was titled Shogun by the current emperor. He soon founded his government in Edo (present-day Tokyo). During the Edo period, a strict, 4 class system arose consisting of the samurai at the top,followed by the peasants, artisans and at the bottom, merchants.

Period: 1603 to 1868

Tokugawa/Edo Period

1614

Christianity Banned

In 1614 the current shogun issued a statement which commanded outsiders to leave the country at once and Japanese citizens were ordered to convert back to Buddhism. Most priests left, but those who chose to stay and continue following christianity in secret were caught and executed publicly.

1868