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58-707: The original Kururi Castle was a mountain-top fortification built during the Muromachi period by Takeda Nobunaga (1401–1477), and was ruled by his descendants, the Mariya clan, from 1540. With the expansion of the Satomi clan from Awa Province in the Sengoku period , the castle was taken over by Satomi Yoshitaka , who used it as his base of operations against the Hōjō clan , based at Odawara Castle . The Hōjō attempted to take Kururi unsuccessfully on

116-672: A few occasions, and finally seized it in 1564. They lost it just three years later in 1567, when the Satomi regained control. Following the Battle of Odawara , Toyotomi Hideyoshi punished the Satomi clan for their lukewarm support of his campaigns by depriving them of their territories in Kazusa Province . With the entry of Tokugawa Ieyasu into the Kantō region , he assigned the fortifications at Kururi to one of his retainers, Matsudaira (Osuga) Tadamasa,

174-512: A local political force in Kyoto. The Ashikaga shogunate's foreign relations policy choices were played out in evolving contacts with Joseon on the Korean Peninsula and with imperial China. Bloody succession crises amongst the warrior families led to a decline in the authority of the bakufu until it almost vanished by 1441 at the death of Ashikaga Yoshinori . The lack of government control

232-567: A national consciousness of the role of the kamikaze in defeating the enemy. Less than fifty years later (1339–43), Kitabatake Chikafusa (1293–1354), the chief commander of the Southern Court forces, wrote the Jinnō Shōtōki . This chronicle emphasized the importance of maintaining the divine descent of the imperial line from Amaterasu to the current emperor, a condition that gave Japan a special national polity ( kokutai ). Besides reinforcing

290-421: A number of attendants, and do not in the least care to save money. They are, in short, a very warlike people, and engaged in continual wars among themselves; the most powerful in arms bearing the most extensive sway. They have all one sovereign, although for one hundred and fifty years past the princes have ceased to obey him, and this is the cause of their perpetual feuds. The Spanish arrived in 1587, followed by

348-581: A reward of lands after the defeat of the Mongol invasions , led to simmering resentment among Hōjō vassals . In 1333, the Emperor Go-Daigo ordered local governing vassals to oppose Hōjō rule, in favor of Imperial rule in the Kenmu Restoration . The Kamakura shogunate ordered Ashikaga Takauji to squash the uprising, but for reasons that are unclear, Takauji turned against Kamakura and fought on behalf of

406-666: Is marked by the continued resistance of the supporters of Emperor Go-Daigo , the emperor behind the Kenmu Restoration . The Sengoku period or Warring States period, which begins in 1465, largely overlaps with the Muromachi period. The Muromachi period is succeeded by the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600), the final phase of the Sengoku period, and later by the Edo period (1603–1867). Emperor Go-Daigo 's brief attempt to restore imperial power in

464-520: Is nothing of which they are so proud as of weapons adorned with gold and silver. They always wear swords and daggers both in and out of the house, and when they go to sleep they hang them at the bed's head. In short, they value arms more than any people I have ever seen. They are excellent archers, and usually fight on foot, though there is no lack of horses in the country. They are very polite to each other, but not to foreigners, whom they utterly despise. They spend their means on arms, bodily adornment, and on

522-510: The Hana-no-gosho ( 花の御所 , Flower Palace) – were relocated by the third shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu , in 1378. What distinguished the Ashikaga shogunate from that of Kamakura was that, whereas Kamakura had existed in equilibrium with the imperial court, Ashikaga took over the remnants of the imperial government. Nevertheless, the Ashikaga shogunate was not as strong as Kamakura had been, and

580-494: The Ashikaga period or Ashikaga era ( 足利時代 , Ashikaga jidai ) , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( Muromachi bakufu or Ashikaga bakufu ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shōgun , Ashikaga Takauji , two years after the brief Kenmu Restoration (1333–1336) of imperial rule

638-760: The Gohojo clan in Odawara provided protection later. Francis Xavier , a missionary of the Society of Jesus , who propagated Christianity in Japan, described that "the Ashikaga Gakko is the biggest and most famous academy of Bando in Japan (the university of eastern Japan)." Shukyu Banri, a priest and a composer of Chinese-style poems, went down to Mino Province in the Onin War, and then left for Edo at Dokan Ota's invitation. He traveled all over

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696-784: The Hatakeyama clan in Noto Province , the Takeda clan in Wakasa Province , and the Asakura clan in Echizen Province . Meanwhile, in the eastern part of Japan, Norizane Uesugi re-established the Ashikaga Gakko , Japan's oldest surviving academic institution, by adding a collection of books and so priests and warriors from all over the country gathered there to learn. For the Ashikaga Gakko ,

754-595: The Kamakura shogunate , or its successor, the Tokugawa shogunate , when Ashikaga Takauji established his government he had little personal territory with which to support his rule. The Ashikaga shogunate was thus heavily reliant on the prestige and personal authority of its shōgun . The centralized master-vassal system used in the Kamakura system was replaced with the highly de-centralized daimyōs (local lord) system, and because of

812-523: The Kenmu Restoration alienated the samurai class, and Ashikaga Takauji deposed Emperor Go-Daigo with their support. In 1338 Takauji was proclaimed shōgun and established his government in Kyoto . However, Emperor Go-Daigo escaped from his confinement and revived his political power in Nara . The ensuing period of Ashikaga rule (1336–1573) was called Muromachi after the district of Kyoto in which its headquarters –

870-508: The Mōri clan in western Japan. The Ashikaga family survived the 16th century, and a branch of it became the daimyō family of the Kitsuregawa domain. The shogunal residence, also known as the "Flower Palace", was in Kyoto on the block now bounded by Karasuma Street (to the east), Imadegawa Street (to the south), Muromachi Street (to the west, giving the name), and Kamidachiuri Street (to

928-864: The Nanboku-chō period between the Pro-Ashikaga Northern Court in Kyoto and the Pro-Go-Daigo Southern Court in Yoshino until the South conceded to the North in 1392. The Ashikaga shogunate collapsed upon outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, entering a state of constant civil war known as the Sengoku period , and was finally dissolved when Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki was overthrown by Oda Nobunaga in 1573. The Ashikaga shogunate's alternative name Muromachi and

986-572: The Northern Court located in Kyoto, in favor of Kōmyō under Ashikaga influence; and the Southern Court located in Yoshino , in favor of Go-Daigō. The Northern and Southern courts engaged in an ideological struggle for power that continued for 56 years, until the Southern Court gave up during the reign of Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1392. The Ashikaga shogunate was the weakest of the three Japanese military governments. Unlike its predecessor,

1044-536: The Tsuchiya clan with a reduction in revenues to 20,000 koku from 1601-1679. The domain was suppressed in 1679 when Tsuchiya Naoki was declared unfit to rule due to insanity, and his son was demoted to a 3000 koku hatamoto . Kururi was administered as tenryō territory directly under the control of the Tokugawa shogunate until 1742. In July 1742, Kuroda Naozumi, daimyō of Numata Domain in Kozuke Province

1102-640: The abolition of the han system in July 1871. Kururi Domain became “Kururi Prefecture”, which merged with the short lived “Kisarazu Prefecture” in November 1871, which later became part of Chiba Prefecture. The domain had a population of 1189 samurai in 253 households, 143 ashigaru in 74 households, and 20,766 commoners in 4465 households per an 1869 census. The domain maintained its primary residence ( kamiyashiki ) in Edo at Hiro-koji, in Shitaya . As with most domains in

1160-448: The daimyōs could back their own candidates. In time, the Ashikaga family had its own succession problems, resulting finally in the Ōnin War (1467–77), which left Kyoto devastated and effectively ended the national authority of the bakufu . The power vacuum that ensued launched a century of anarchy. The Japanese contact with the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) began when China was renewed during

1218-450: The han system , Kururi Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned kokudaka , based on periodic cadastral surveys and projected agricultural yields. In the case of Kururi Domain, these territories were scattered over a wide area of Musashi Province and Kazusa Province . Muromachi period The Muromachi period or Muromachi era ( 室町時代 , Muromachi jidai ) , also known as

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1276-554: The shōgun at Kyoto. Yoshimitsu was finally successful in reunifying the Northern and Southern courts in 1392, but despite his promise of greater balance between the imperial lines, the Northern Court maintained control over the throne thereafter. The line of shoguns gradually weakened after Yoshimitsu and increasingly lost power to the daimyōs and other regional strongmen. The shōgun ' s influence on imperial succession waned, and

1334-483: The 15th Ashikaga shōgun and Nobunaga's puppet . However Yoshiaki was not entirely subservient to Nobunaga: he continued to strike bargains amongst the monasteries to gain favor, and mediated between powerful clans such as the Otomo and Mori . The Ashikaga shogunate was finally destroyed in 1573 when Nobunaga drove Yoshiaki out of Kyoto. Initially, Yoshiaki fled to Shikoku . Afterwards, he sought and received protection from

1392-572: The Dutch in 1609. The Japanese began to attempt studies of European civilization in depth, and new opportunities were presented for the economy, along with serious political challenges. European firearms, fabrics, glassware, clocks, tobacco, and other Western innovations were traded for Japanese gold and silver. Significant wealth was accumulated through trade, and lesser daimyō, especially in Kyūshū, greatly increased their power. Provincial wars became more deadly with

1450-498: The Imperial court of much of its power, which were then assumed by the Ashikaga shōgun . This situation reached its peak under the rule of the third shōgun , Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. After Yoshimitsu however, the structural weakness of the Ashikaga shogunate was exposed by numerous succession troubles and early deaths. This became dramatically more acute after the Ōnin War , after which the shogunate itself became reduced to little more than

1508-619: The Imperial court, successfully overthrowing the shogunate. It is possibly because Takauji was the unofficial leader of the powerless Minamoto clan while the Hōjō clan were from the Taira clan the Minamoto had previously defeated. Japan was returned to Imperial civilian rule , but Emperor Go-Daigo's policies were unpopular and failed to satisfy those who had fought for him. In 1336, Takauji established his own military government in Kyoto, effectively overthrowing

1566-569: The Kanto region, Echigo Province , and Hida Province . The above-mentioned Sesshu visited the Risshaku-ji Temple in Yamagata City , Dewa Province . In this period, local lords and local clans considered it indispensable to acquire skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic for the management of their territories. A growing number of land deeds were written by peasants, which means that literacy

1624-531: The Kenmu Restoration and appointing himself as the new Shōgun . After Ashikaga Takauji established himself as the Shōgun , a dispute arose with Emperor Go-Daigo on the subject of how to govern the country. That dispute led Takauji to cause Prince Yutahito, the second son of Emperor Go-Fushimi , to be installed as Emperor Kōmyō while Go-Daigō fled Kyoto. Japan was subsequently divided between two Imperial courts:

1682-453: The Minamoto under Minamoto no Yoritomo , establishing the Kamakura shogunate after being pronounced Shōgun and beginning the Kamakura period . The Hōjō clan rose to power and governed Japan from the city of Kamakura , while the Emperor and his Imperial Court remained in the official capital city of Heian-kyō as largely symbolic figures. The Hōjō monopoly of power, as well as the lack of

1740-925: The Ming dynasty, traveled around Kyushu, he was invited by the Kikuchi clan in Higo Province and the Shimazu clan in Satsuma Province to give a lecture; and later, he established the Satsunan school (school of Neo-Confucianism in Satsuma). In Tosa, Baiken Minamimura, who lectured on Neo-Confucianism, became known as the founder of Nangaku (Neo-Confucianism in Tosa); in Hokuriku region , Nobutaka Kiyohara lectured on Confucianism for various daimyo such as

1798-454: The Muromachi period after the Chinese sought support in suppressing Japanese pirates in coastal areas of China. Japanese pirates of this era and region were referred to as wokou by the Chinese (Japanese wakō ). Wanting to improve relations with China and to rid Japan of the wokou threat, Yoshimitsu accepted a relationship with the Chinese that was to last for half a century. In 1401 he restarted

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1856-624: The Muromachi period are derived from the Muromachi district of Kyoto, where the third Shōgun , Ashikaga Yoshimitsu , established his residence nicknamed the "Flower Palace" ( 花の御所 , Hana no Gosho ) on Muromachi Street in 1379. From 1180 to 1185, the Genpei War was fought between the Taira and Minamoto clans, which had a longstanding violent rivalry for influence over the Emperor of Japan and his Imperial Court . The Genpei War ended with victory for

1914-511: The Muromachi period, the re-constituted Blue Cliff Record became the central text of Japanese Zen literature; it still holds that position today. Art of all kinds—architecture, literature, Noh drama, Kyōgen (comedy) , poetry, sarugaku (folk entertainment) , the tea ceremony , landscape gardening, and flower arranging—all flourished during Muromachi times. There was renewed interest in Shinto , which had quietly coexisted with Buddhism during

1972-534: The bakufu headquarters in Kyoto to reach all levels of society, strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. Zen played a central role in spreading not only religious teachings and practices but also art and culture, including influences derived from paintings of the Chinese Song (960–1279), Yuan , and Ming dynasties. The proximity of the imperial court to the bakufu resulted in a co-mingling of imperial family members, courtiers, daimyō, samurai, and Zen priests. During

2030-522: The central region, which no daimyō had been able to control, and to the Inland Sea . Economic developments and the desire to protect trade achievements brought about the establishment of merchant and artisan guilds. By the end of the Muromachi period, the first Europeans had arrived. The Portuguese landed in Tanegashima south of Kyūshū in 1543 and within two years were making regular port calls, initiating

2088-472: The centuries of the latter's predominance. Shinto, which lacked its own scriptures and had few prayers, had, as a result of syncretic practices begun in the Nara period, widely adopted Shingon Buddhist rituals. Between the eighth and fourteenth centuries, Shinto was nearly totally absorbed by Buddhism, becoming known as Ryōbu Shinto (Dual Shinto). The Mongol invasions in the late thirteenth century, however, evoked

2146-731: The century-long Nanban trade period . In 1551, the Navarrese Roman Catholic missionary Francis Xavier was one of the first Westerners who visited Japan . Francis described Japan as follows: Japan is a very large empire entirely composed of islands. One language is spoken throughout, not very difficult to learn. This country was discovered by the Portuguese eight or nine years ago. The Japanese are very ambitious of honors and distinctions, and think themselves superior to all nations in military glory and valor. They prize and honor all that has to do with war, and all such things, and there

2204-620: The children are quick to grasp our lessons and instructions. They learn to read and write our language far more quickly and easily than children in Europe. The lower classes in Japan are not so coarse and ignorant as those in Europe; on the contrary, they are generally intelligent, well brought up and quick to learn." Teikin Orai (Home Education Text Book), Joe-shikimoku (legal code of the Kamakura shogunate), and Jitsugokyo (a text for primary education) were widely used in shrines and temples as textbooks for

2262-483: The concept of the emperor as a deity, the Jinnōshōtōki provided a Shinto view of history, which stressed the divine nature of all Japanese and the country's spiritual supremacy over China and India. Buddhism, arriving in the 6th century, impacted education but did not replace Shinto. Confucianism began to be recognized as essential to the education of a daimyo in the Muromachi period. When Genju Keian, who returned from

2320-540: The education of children of the warrior class. It was in the Sengoku Period that the following books were published: Setsuyoshu (a Japanese-language dictionary in iroha order) written by Soji MANJUYA, and "Ishotaizen" (The Complete Book of Medicine), a medical book in Ming's language, translated by Asai no Sozui, who was a merchant in Sakai City and a physician. The new Zen monasteries, with their Chinese background and

2378-558: The initial creative restrictions, Japanese Zen ink painting soon achieved poetic and indigenous expression as elements were rearranged in a Japanese manner, and brushstrokes became gentle, fluid and more impulsive. The Ōnin War (1467–77) led to serious political fragmentation and obliteration of domains: a great struggle for land and power ensued among bushi chieftains and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century. Peasants rose against their landlords and samurai against their overlords as central control virtually disappeared. The imperial house

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2436-630: The introduction of firearms, such as muskets and cannons, and greater use of infantry. Christianity affected Japan, largely through the efforts of the Jesuits , led first by the Spanish Francis Xavier (1506–1552), who arrived in Kagoshima in southern Kyūshū in 1549. Both daimyō and merchants seeking better trade arrangements as well as peasants were among the converts. By 1560 Kyoto had become another major area of missionary activity in Japan. In 1568

2494-425: The lack of direct territories, the military power of the shōgun depended heavily on the loyalty of the daimyō . On the other hand, the Imperial court was no longer a credible threat to military rule. The failure of the Kenmu Restoration had rendered the court weak and subservient, a situation that Ashikaga Takauji reinforced by establishing his court within close proximity to the Emperor in Kyoto. The authority of

2552-434: The local daimyō greatly expanded from that of Kamakura times. In addition to military and policing responsibilities, the shogunate-appointed shugo now absorbed the judicial, economic, and taxation powers of the local Imperial governors, while the government holdings in each province were rapidly absorbed into the personal holdings of the daimyō or their vassals. The loss of both political clout and an economic base deprived

2610-438: The martial rulers in Kamakura sought to produce a unique cultural legacy to rival the Fujiwara tradition. Hence, Chinese painter-monks were frequently invited to the monasteries while Japanese monks travelled back and forth. This exchange led to the creation of Muromachi ink painting which often included Chinese themes, Chinese ink-washing techniques, fluid descriptive lines, dry brushes, and almost invisible facial features. Despite

2668-462: The peasantry in permanent serfdom in exchange for protection. Most wars of the period were short and localized, although they occurred throughout Japan. By 1500 the entire country was engulfed in civil wars. Rather than disrupting the local economies, however, the frequent movement of armies stimulated the growth of transportation and communications, which in turn provided additional revenues from customs and tolls. To avoid such fees, commerce shifted to

2726-461: The port of Nagasaki , in northwestern Kyūshū, was established by a Christian daimyō and was turned over to Jesuit administration in 1579. By 1582 there were as many as 150,000 converts (two percent of the population) and 200 churches. But bakufu tolerance for this alien influence diminished as the country became more unified and openness decreased. Proscriptions against Christianity began in 1587 and outright persecutions in 1597. Although foreign trade

2784-399: The son of one of his Four Generals , Sakakibara Yasumasa , and appointed him as daimyō of the newly created 30,000 koku Kururi Domain. Osuga Tadamasa built most of the current fortifications of Kururi Castle, and established a castle town at its base. Following the Battle of Sekigahara , the Osuga clan was transferred to Yokosuka Castle in Suruga Province , and were replaced by

2842-417: The tribute system, describing himself in a letter to the Chinese Emperor as "Your subject, the King of Japan". Japanese wood, sulfur, copper ore, swords, and folding fans were traded for Chinese silk, porcelain, books, and coins, in what the Chinese considered tribute but the Japanese saw as profitable trade. During the time of the Ashikaga bakufu, a new national culture, called Muromachi culture, emerged from

2900-459: Was brought to a close. The period ended in 1573 when the 15th and last shogun of this line, Ashikaga Yoshiaki , was driven out of the capital in Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga . From a cultural perspective, the period can be divided into the Kitayama and Higashiyama cultures (later 15th – early 16th centuries). The early years from 1336 to 1392 of the Muromachi period are known as the Nanboku-chō or Northern and Southern Court period. This period

2958-408: Was especially acute when the daimyō feuded among themselves in the pursuit of power during the Ōnin War (1467–1477), until it erupted into open warfare in the late Muromachi period, also known as the Sengoku period . When the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru was assassinated in 1565, an ambitious daimyō , Oda Nobunaga , seized the opportunity and installed Yoshiteru's brother Ashikaga Yoshiaki as

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3016-410: Was established when Ashikaga Takauji was appointed Shōgun after overthrowing the Kenmu Restoration shortly after it had overthrown the Kamakura shogunate in support of Emperor Go-Daigo . The Ashikaga clan governed Japan from the Imperial capital of Heian-kyō ( Kyoto ) as de facto military dictators along with the daimyō lords of the samurai class. The Ashikaga shogunate began

3074-458: Was greatly preoccupied with civil war. Not until the rule of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (as shōgun , 1368–94, and chancellor, 1394–1408) did a semblance of order emerge. Yoshimitsu allowed the constables, who had had limited powers during the Kamakura period, to become strong regional rulers, later called daimyōs . In time, a balance of power evolved between the shōgun and the daimyōs ; the three most prominent daimyō families rotated as deputies to

3132-559: Was left impoverished, and the bakufu was controlled by contending chieftains in Kyoto. The provincial domains that emerged after the Ōnin War were smaller and easier to control. Many new small daimyō arose from among the samurai who had overthrown their great overlords. Border defenses were improved, and well fortified castle towns were built to protect the newly opened domains, for which land surveys were made, roads built, and mines opened. New house laws provided practical means of administration, stressing duties and rules of behavior. Emphasis

3190-416: Was put on success in war, estate management, and finance. Threatening alliances were guarded against through strict marriage rules. Aristocratic society was overwhelmingly military in character. The rest of society was controlled in a system of vassalage. The shōen (feudal manors) were obliterated, and court nobles and absentee landlords were dispossessed. The new daimyō directly controlled the land, keeping

3248-443: Was still encouraged, it was closely regulated, and by 1640, in the Edo period , the exclusion and suppression of Christianity became national policy. Ashikaga shogunate The Ashikaga shogunate ( 足利幕府 , Ashikaga bakufu ) , also known as the Muromachi shogunate ( 室町幕府 , Muromachi bakufu ) , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573. The Ashikaga shogunate

3306-426: Was transferred to Kururi, and the han was revived. His descendants continued to rule Kururi until the Meiji Restoration . The final daimyo of Kururi Domain, Kuroda Naotaka, initially served as a guard for the pro-Tokugawa forces at the Battle of Ueno in the Boshin War , but then changed his allegiance to the new Meiji government two months later. He was appointed domain governor under the new administration, until

3364-443: Was widespread even among the commoner class. The Italian Jesuit, Alessandro Valignano (1539–1606), wrote: "The people are white (not dark-skinned) and cultured; even the common folk and peasants are well brought up and are so remarkably polite that they give the impression that they were trained at court. In this respect they are superior to other Eastern peoples but also to Europeans as well. They are very capable and intelligent, and

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