- Azuchi-Momoyama period
The nihongo|Azuchi-Momoyama period|安土桃山時代|"azuchi momoyama jidai" came at the end of the Warring States Period in
Japan , when the political unification that preceded the establishment of theTokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately1568 to1603 , during which timeOda Nobunaga and his successor,Toyotomi Hideyoshi , imposed order upon the chaos that had pervaded since the collapse of theAshikaga Shogunate . The name of this period is taken from Nobunaga's castle,Azuchi Castle , in the present-day town of Azuchi,Shiga Prefecture and Hideyoshi's castle, Momoyama Castle (also known asFushimi Castle ), inKyoto .In broad terms, this period begins with Nobunaga's entry into Kyoto in 1568, when he led his army to the imperial capital in order to install
Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the 15th, and ultimately final, shogun of theAshikaga shogunate , and lasts until the coming to power ofTokugawa Ieyasu after his victory over supporters of the Toyotomi clan at theBattle of Sekigahara in1600 .Nobunaga gains prominence in the area around the capital
During the last half of the 16th century, a number different
daimyo became strong enough either to manipulate theMuromachi "bakufu" to their own advantage or to overthrow it altogether. One attempt to overthrow the "bakufu" was made in 1560 byImagawa Yoshimoto , whose march towards the capital came to an ignominious end at the hands ofOda Nobunaga in theBattle of Okehazama . In 1565, an alliance of the Matsunaga and Miyoshi clans attempted a coup by assassinatingAshikaga Yoshiteru , the 13th Ashikaga shogun. Internal squabbling, however, prevented them from acting swiftly to legitimatize their claim to power, and it was not until 1568 that they managed to install Yoshiteru's cousin,Ashikaga Yoshihide , as the next Shogun. Failure to enter Kyoto and gain recognition from the imperial court, however, had left the succession in doubt, and a group of "bakufu" retainers led byHosokawa Fujitaka negotiated with Nobunaga to gain support for Yoshiteru's younger brother, Yoshiaki.Nobunaga, who had prepared over a period of years for just such an opportunity by establishing an alliance with the Azai in northern Omi and then conquering the neighboring province of Mino, now marched toward Kyoto. After routing the Rokkaku clan in southern Omi, Nobunaga forced the Matsunaga to capitulate and the Miyoshi to withdraw to Settsu. He then entered the capital, where he successfully gained recognition from the emperor for Yoshiaki, who became the 15th Ashikaga shogun.
Nobunaga had no intention, however, of serving the Muromachi "bakufu," and instead now turned his attention to tightening his grip on the Kinai region. Resistance in the form of rival daimyo, intransigent Buddhist monks, and hostile merchants was eliminated swiftly and mercilessly, and Nobunaga quickly gained a reputation as a ruthless, unrelenting adversary. In support of his political and military moves, he instituted economic reform, removing barriers to commerce by invalidating traditional monopolies held by shrines and guilds and promoting initiative by instituting free markets known as "rakuichi-rakuza".
By
1573 he had destroyed the alliance of Asakura and Azai clans that threatened his northern flank, obliterated the militantTendai Buddhist s monastic center atMount Hiei near Kyoto, and also had managed to avoid a potentially debilitating confrontation withTakeda Shingen , who had suddenly taken ill and died just as his army was on the verge of defeating the Tokugawa and invading Oda's domain on its way to Kyoto.Even after Shingen's death, there remained several daimyo powerful enough to resist Nobunaga, but none were situated close enough to Kyoto to pose a threat politically, and it appeared that unification under the Oda banner was a matter of time.
During the period from 1576 to 1579, Nobunaga constructed on the shore of
Lake Biwa at Azuchi (in present-dayShiga Prefecture )Azuchi Castle , a magnificent seven-story castle that was intended to serve not simply as an impregnable military fortification but also as a sumptuous residence that would stand as a symbol of unification.Having secured his grip on the Kinai region, Nobunaga was now powerful enough to assign his generals the task of subjugating the outlying provinces.
Shibata Katsuie was given the task of conquering theUesugi clan in Etchū,Takigawa Kazumasu confronted the Takeda in Kai, andHashiba Hideyoshi was given the formidable task of facing the Mori in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū.In 1582, after a protracted campaign, Hideyoshi requested Nobunaga's help in overcoming tenacious resistance. Nobunaga, making a stop-over in Kyoto on his way west with only a small contingent of guards, was attacked and killed by one of his own disaffected generals,
Akechi Mitsuhide .Hideyoshi completes the unification
What followed was a scramble by the most powerful of Nobunaga's retainers to avenge their lord's death and thereby establish a dominant position in negotiations over the forthcoming realignment of the Oda clan. The situation became even more urgent when it was learned that Nobunaga's oldest son and heir, Nobutada, had also been killed, leaving the Oda clan with no clear successor.
Quickly negotiating a truce with the Mori before they could learn of Nobunaga's death, Hideyoshi now took his troops on a forced march toward his adversary, whom he defeated at the
Battle of Yamazaki , less than two weeks later.Although a commoner who had risen through the ranks from foot soldier, Hideyoshi was now in position to challenge even the most senior of the Oda clan's hereditary retainers, and proposed that Nobutada's infant son, Sanpōshi (who became
Oda Hidenobu ), be named heir rather than Nobunaga's adult third son, Nobutaka, whose cause had been championed byShibata Katsuie . Having gained the support of other senior retainers, including Niwa Nagahide and Ikeda Itsuoki, Sanpōshi was named heir and Hideyoshi appointed co-guardian.Continued political intrigue, however, eventually led to open confrontation. After defeating Shibata at the
Battle of Shizugatake in 1583 and enduring a costly but ultimately advantageous stalemate with Tokugawa Ieyasu at theBattle of Komaki and Nagakute in 1584, Hideyoshi managed to settle the question of succession for once and all, to take complete control of Kyoto, and to become the undisputed ruler of the former Oda domains. Daimyo of ShikokuChōsokabe clan surrendered to Hideyoshi in July, 1585. Daimyo of KyushuShimazu clan also surrendered two years later. He was adopted by theFujiwara family , given the surname Toyotomi, and granted the title Kanpaku in representing civil and military control of all Japan. By the following year, he had secured alliances with three of the nine major daimyo coalitions and carried the war of unification toShikoku andKyūshū . In1590 , at the head of an army of 200,000, Hideyoshi defeated theHōjō clan , his last formidable rival in easternHonshū . The remaining daimyo soon capitulated, and the military reunification of Japan was complete.Japan under Hideyoshi
Land survey
With all of Japan now under Hideyoshi's control, a new structure for national government was configured. The country was unified under a single leader, but the day-to-day governance of the people remained decentralized. The basis of power was distribution of territory as measured by rice production in units of "
koku ". In 1598, a national survey was instituted and assessed the national rice production at 18.5 million koku, 2 million of which was controlled directly by Hideyoshi himself. In contrast,Tokugawa Ieyasu , whom Hideyoshi had transferred to the Kanto region, held 2.5 million koku.The surveys, carried out by Hideyoshi both before and after he took the title "Taiko," have come to be known as the "Taikō surveys" ("Taikō kenchi"). [The surveys are called "Taikō kenchi" despite Hedeyoshi was not yet Taiko at the beginning of the surveys because he liked to refer to himself as Taiko. (Hideyoshi become Taiko in 1591 after he relinquished the title of Kanpaku to his nephew, Hidetsugu.) ]
Control measures
A number of other administrative innovations were instituted to encourage commerce and stabilize society. In order to facilitate transportation, toll booths and other checkpoints along roads were largely eliminated as were unnecessary military strongholds. Measures that effectively froze class distinctions were instituted, including the requirement that different classes live separately in different areas of a town and a prohibition on the carrying or the owning of weapons by farmers. Hideyoshi ordered the collection of weapons in a great "sword hunt" ("
katanagari ").Unification
Hideyoshi sought to secure his position by rearranging the holdings of the daimyo to his advantage. In particular, he reassigned the Tokugawa family to the Kanto region, far from the capital, and surrounded their new territory with more trusted vassals. He also adopted a hostage system in which the wives and heirs of daimyo resided at his castle town in
Osaka .He also attempted to provide for an orderly succession by taking the title Taikō, or "retired Kanpaku," in
1591 and turned the regency over to his nephew and adopted sonToyotomi Hidetsugu . Only later did he attempt to formalize the balance of power by establishing administrative bodies. These included theCouncil of Five Elders , who were sworn to keep peace and support the Toyotomi, the five-member Board of House Administrators, who handled routine policy and administrative matters, and the three-member Board of Mediators, who were charged with keeping peace between the first two boards.Korea campaigns
"Main article:
Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598) "Hideyoshi's last major ambition was to conquer the
Ming Dynasty ofChina . In April1592 , after having been refused safe passage throughKorea , a flourishing kingdom which enjoyed an alliance with Ming China, he sent an army of 200,000 to invade and pass through Korea by force. During theJapanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598) , the Japanese occupiedSeoul by May of 1592, and within three months of invading reachedPyongyang together with large numbers of Korean collaborators who at first viewed them as liberators from the corrupt aristocracy. The king of Korea fled, and the two princes were captured byKato Kiyomasa . [ [History of Ming] [http://www.hoolulu.com/zh/25shi/24mingshi/t-320.htm] 昖棄王城,令次子琿攝國事,奔平壤。已,複走義州,願內屬。七月,兵部議令駐劄險要,以待天兵;號召通國勤王,以圖恢復。而是時倭已入王京,毀墳墓,劫王子、陪臣,剽府庫,八道幾盡沒,旦暮且渡鴨綠江,請援之使絡繹於道。] [北関大捷碑 "其秋清正入北道、兵鋭甚、鐡嶺以北無城守焉、於是鞠敬仁等叛、應賊、敬仁者會寧府吏也、素志不卒、及賊到富寧、隙危扇亂、執兩王子及宰臣、□播者、並傳諸長吏、與賊效欸"]The king of the
Joseon Dynasty turned to China for military support, and, with Chinese intervention, the Japanese forces were forced to retreat as far south asSeoul by January 1593. The main generals in Korea have already been killed by a Japanese army. Therefore, A Chinese emperor sent admiral Chen Lin andLi Rusong to aid the Koreans. Li Rusong banished Japan from the Korean peninsula northern part. A Japanese army gathered in Seoul, and counterattacked to China. However, The Korean admiralYi Sun-shin succeeded in attacks on the Japanese supply ships, and proceeded to cut off the Japanese supply line. Therefore, a Japanese army that had become a food scarcity started peace talks with China.During peace talks, Hideyoshi demanded a division of Korea, free-trade status, and a Chinese princess as consort for the emperor. The Chinese saw no reason, however, to treat the invaders as equals, and, the Japanese requests denied, peace efforts reached an impasse. A second invasion began in
1597 , but had far less success as the Japanese met with greater Korean resistance, and it was eventually terminated abruptly with Hideyoshi's death the following year in1598 , as Japanese commanders hurried home to the battles that were likely to ensue for control of the shogunate.ekigahara and the end of the Toyotomi reign
Hideyoshi had on his deathbed appointed a group of the most powerful lords in Japan—Tokugawa, Maeda, Ukita, Uesugi, Mori—to govern as the
Council of Five Regents until his infant son, Hideyori, came of age. An uneasy peace lasted until the death of Maeda Toshiie in 1599. Thereafter,Ishida Mitsunari accused Ieyasu of disloyalty to the Toyotomi name, precipitating a crisis that led to theBattle of Sekigahara . Generally regarded as the last major conflict of the Azuchi-Momoyama period and "sengoku-jidai", Ieyasu's victory at Sekigahara marked the end of the Toyotomi reign. Three years later, Ieyasu received the title "Seii Taishogun ", and established the Edo "bakufu", which lasted until theMeiji Restoration in 1868.ocial and cultural developments during the Momoyama period
The Momoyama period was a period of interest in the outside world, which also saw the development of large urban centers and the rise of the merchant class. The ornate castle architecture and interiors adorned with painted screens embellished with gold leaf were a reflection of a daimyo's power but also exhibited a new aesthetic sense that marked a clear departure from the somber monotones favored during the Muromachi period. A specific genre that emerged at this time was called the "Namban" style—exotic depictions of European priests, traders, and other "southern barbarians."
The art of the tea ceremony also flourished at this time, and both Nobunaga and Hideyoshi lavished time and money on this pastime, collecting tea bowls, caddies, and other implements, sponsoring lavish social events, and patronizing acclaimed masters such as
Sen no Rikyū .Hideyoshi had occupied Nagasaki in 1587, and thereafter sought to take control of international trade and to regulate the trade associations that had contact with the outside world through this port. Although China rebuffed his efforts to secure trade concessions, Hideyoshi commercial missions called to present-day Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand in
Red seal ships were successful. He was also suspicious of Christianity in Japan, which he saw as potentially subversive and some missionaries were crucified by his regime.Famous "Senryu"
The contrasting personalities of the three leaders who contributed the most toJapan's final unification—Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu—areencapsulated in a series of three well known "
senryu " that are still taught to Japanese school children:
*"Nakanunara, koroshiteshimae, hototogisu" (If the cuckoo does not sing, kill it.)
*"Nakanunara, nakashitemiseyou, hototogisu" (If the cuckoo does not sing, coax it.)
*"Nakanunara, nakumadematou, hototogisu" (If the cuckoo does not sing, wait for it.)Nobunaga, known for his ruthlessness, is the subject of the first; Hideyoshi, known for his resourcefulness, is the subject of the second; and Ieyasu, known for his perseverance, is the subject of the third verse.
Chronology
* 1568: Nobunaga enters Kyoto, marking the beginning of the Azuchi-Momoyama period
* 1571:Ohama Kagetaka begins his piracy in theIse Bay area, working as a naval general forTakeda Shingen and laterTokugawa Ieyasu
* 1573: Nobunaga overthrows the Muromachi bakufu and exerts control over central Japan
* 1575: Nobunaga defeats the Takeda clan theBattle of Nagashino
* 1579:Battle of Mimaomote : Doi Kiyoyoshi/Seiryo defeats the forces of Hisatake Chikanobu.
* 1580: The Ikkō-ikki finally surrender their fortress ofIshiyama Honganji to Nobunaga, after enduring an 11-year siege.
* 1582: Nobunaga is assassinated by Akechi Mitsuhide, who is then defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at theBattle of Yamazaki .
* 1584: Hideyoshi fights Tokugawa Ieyasu to a standstill at theBattle of Komaki and Nagakute .
* 1586:Osaka castle is built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
* 1590: Hideyoshi defeats the Hōjō clan, effectively unifying Japan.
* 1592: Hideyoshi invades Korea.
* 1598: Hideyoshi dies.
* 1600: Ieyasu is victorious at theBattle of Sekigahara , marking the end of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.References
"This period is also entirely encompassed by theSengoku period ."<
Muromachi period |History of Japan |Edo period >
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