Japanese History Digest

The Muromachi Period

Kenmu Restoration

After overthrowing the Kamakura shogunate in 1333, Emperor Godaigo abolished the positions of regent and chancellor, advocated direct imperial rule, and sought to realize a new political system. This system, known as the Kenmu Restoration, took place during the Kenmu era (1334-1336).

He established central institutions such as the Record Office, the Military Affairs Office, and the Office for Deciding on Miscellaneous Laws and Pleas, while establishing the Kamakura Shogunate and the Seiwaifu in the provinces. He governed the entire country through kokushi (provincial governors). While some theories suggest that Ashikaga Takauji was appointed as the head of the Military Affairs Office, others suggest that Nitta Yoshisada served as its head. It is believed that influential samurai, including Kusunoki Masashige, were responsible for its practical implementation.

The Kenmu Restoration idealized the Engi and Tenryaku eras of the Heian period, but it failed to adequately reconcile the interests of the nobles and samurai. This led to growing discontent between the two parties, leading to social unrest.

 

Ashikaga Takauji and the Northern and Southern Courts Period

Amid the chaos of the Kenmu Restoration, in 1335, Hojo Tokiyuki, the surviving son of the Hojo clan, launched the Nakasendai Rebellion. Ashikaga Takauji traveled to Kamakura to suppress the rebellion, but remained there after suppressing it. Dissatisfied with Emperor Godaigo's reward policy, he rebelled against the Kenmu government.

Emperor Godaigo dispatched Nitta Yoshisada and Kusunoki Masashige to suppress Takauji, but in 1336 Takauji defeated them and occupied Kyoto. Takauji established the Northern Court by enthroning Emperor Komyo, the younger brother of Retired Emperor Kogon, from the Jimyoin lineage. Emperor Go-Daigo retreated to Yoshino, retained the Three Sacred Treasures, and asserted the Southern Court, centered on the Daikakuji lineage. Thus began the Nanboku-cho period.

 

Establishment of the Muromachi Shogunate

Ashikaga Takauji conquered Kyoto in 1336, enthroned Emperor Komyo of the Jimyoin lineage, and supported the Northern Court. He shared political duties with his younger brother, Ashikaga Tadayoshi, and established the Kenmu Code. In 1338, he was appointed Seii Taishogun, establishing the Muromachi Shogunate.

Meanwhile, within the Southern Court, Emperor Go-Murakami and others continued their resistance and maintained a certain degree of influence even after Emperor Godaigo's death in 1339. Within the Northern Court and the Shogunate, conflict between Takauji and Tadayoshi led to the Kan'o Disturbance (1350-1352), and Takauji overthrew Tadayoshi and seized power.

Initially, Takauji was in charge of military affairs and Tadayoshi was in charge of politics, earning the nickname "Takauji of Warriors, Tadayoshi of Politics." However, the conflict between the brothers led to internal conflict within the Shogunate, which spread throughout the country.

 

The Era of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu

The Era of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu The name "Muromachi Shogunate" (Muromachi Shogunate) comes from the fact that the third Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, established the Hana no Gosho (Flower Palace) in Muromachi, Kyoto, and used it as his seat of government.

The turmoil of the Northern and Southern Courts came to an end during Yoshimitsu's reign, and the unification of the Northern and Southern Courts was realized with the Meitoku Peace Treaty of 1392. Yoshimitsu suppressed powerful shugo daimyo (provincial governors) and strengthened the Shogun's power, establishing a system of national control.

In the Shogunate's governing structure, the position of Kanrei (regent) was held by three families—Hosokawa, Shiba, and Hatakeyama—who rotated among them (the Three Kanrei), and the position of Shoshi (chief of the Samurai Department) was held by four families—Yamana, Akamatsu, Isshiki, and Kyogoku (the Four Offices). The Kamakura Office was established in Kanto, and the Kyushu Tandai (Kyushu Tandai) was established in Kyushu.

The Shogunate's finances were based on direct domains (goryosho) and supported by taxes such as dansen (ranked office), tsubetsusen (mountain-bearing office), and tariffs. In foreign affairs, Japan established diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty and conducted tangyo trade using tangyofu (tangyo-fu) (tangyo-trade). Japan exported sulfur and swords and imported copper coins, raw silk, and silk fabrics from the Ming Dynasty.

 

The Shogunate and Civil Wars After Yoshimitsu

After Yoshimitsu's death, during the reign of the fourth Shogun, Yoshimochi, the power of the shugo daimyo (provincial governors) that had been suppressed by Yoshimitsu once again grew. Following Yoshimochi's death, the shogunate fell into turmoil over the succession to the shogunate. However, Yoshimochi's younger brother, Ashikaga Yoshinori (Gien), who had become a monk, was selected by lottery as the sixth shogun, and returned to secular life to assume the position.

Yoshinori aimed to strengthen the shogun's power and governed with an autocratic style. In the Kanto region, there was a conflict between Ashikaga Mochiuji, the Kamakura kubo, and Uesugi Norizane, the Kanto kanrei (regent for the Kanto region). Yoshinori supported Uesugi and defeated Mochiuji (the Eikyō Rebellion). Furthermore, he defeated the Yūki clan of Shimōsa, who had sheltered Mochiuji's surviving child (the Yūki Battle), destroying them.

However, Yoshinori's authoritarian politics drew strong opposition from the shugo daimyo, and in 1441, he was assassinated by Harima Shugo Akamatsu Mitsusuke (the Kakitsu Rebellion). Mitsusuke was subsequently hunted down by the shogunate forces (Hosokawa Mochiyuki and others) and eventually committed suicide. After the Kakitsu Rebellion, the authority of the shogun declined significantly, and the Muromachi shogunate's control gradually weakened.

 

The Onin War and the Beginning of the Sengoku Period

After Yoshinori's death, successive succession disputes among powerful shugo families, such as the Hatakeyama and Shiba clans, undermined the shogunate's authority. Furthermore, a conflict over succession arose within the shogunate between Yoshimi, the younger brother of the eighth shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, and Yoshimasa's son, Yoshihisa, destabilizing the political situation. The conflict between powerful shugo, Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Mochitoyo (Sōzen), further complicated the political situation.

In 1467, the conflict between the Eastern Army, led by Hosokawa Katsumoto, and the Western Army, led by Yamana Mochitoyo (Sōzen), escalated into armed conflict, sparking the Onin War. This conflict, primarily centered in Kyoto, lasted for approximately 11 years, significantly weakening the shogunate's control. As a result, the shogunate's effective control was so weakened that it was limited to Yamashiro.

The Onin War was a turning point for shugo daimyo and kokujin in various regions to advance independent rule in their local areas, and a trend of overthrowing the ruling elite spread. In this way, the authority of the Muromachi shogunate was decisively lost, and Japan entered the full-scale Sengoku period.

 

The Rise of Sengoku Daimyo

After the Onin War, there were increasing instances of shugo daimyo losing their power to deputy shugo and kokujin (local lords), and independent sengoku daimyo emerged in various regions. These lords formed lord-vassal relationships with local samurai and kokujin, governed their territories, and enacted local laws, conducting their own political activities.

In Kyoto, Miyoshi Nagayoshi rose to power, replacing Kanrei Hosokawa Harumoto, who had held real power in the Muromachi shogunate. Internal conflicts within the Miyoshi clan continued, and his vassal, Matsunaga Hisahide, also gained power.

In the Kanto region, the shogunate was divided due to a conflict between Ashikaga Mochiuji's son, Shigeuji (Koga kubō), and Ashikaga Masatomo (Horikoshi kubō). Amid this chaos, Hojo Soun advanced from Izu to Sagami, expanding his influence from Odawara as his base. During the reigns of his son Ujitsuna and grandson Ujiyasu, they established powerful power in the key regions of Sagami, Musashi, and Shimousa.

In the western part of the country, Ouchi Yoshitaka of Suo was killed by his vassal Sue Harukata, bringing the Ouchi clan's lineage to an end. Subsequently, the Sue clan was also annihilated by Mōri Motonari, and a series of uprisings of subordinates took place across the country.

As the authority of the Muromachi shogunate weakened, Sengoku daimyo from all over the country strengthened their control over their territories, and Japan entered the Sengoku period.

 

Timeline of the Muromachi period

1333	Fall of the Kamakura Shogunate (due to Emperor Godaigo's overthrow of the shogunate)
1335	Nakasendai Rebellion (Hojo Tokiyuki's uprising). After suppressing the revolt, Ashikaga Takauji became opposed to the Kenmu government and established his base in Kamakura.
1336	Ashikaga Takauji enacted the Kenmu Code (basic law defining the political direction of the Muromachi shogunate).
1378	Ashikaga Yoshimitsu built the Flower Palace (Muromachi Palace).
1392	Unification of the Northern and Southern Courts (Emperor Gokameyama of the Southern Court abdicated through Yoshimitsu's mediation).
1394	Ashikaga Yoshimitsu appointed Grand Minister of State.
1399	Oei War (Rebellion by Ouchi Yoshihiro, defeated by shogunate forces in Sakai).
1467	Onin War begins (conflict between Eastern and Western forces).
1477	End of the Onin War (fire in Kyoto subsides).
1543	Introduction of firearms (Portuguese merchants stranded on Tanegashima).
1549	Introduction of Christianity (Francis Xavier lands in Kagoshima).

Facilities where you can learn about the Muromachi period

Imperial Household Agency Visitor Information: Facility Information – Kyoto Imperial Palace
https://kyoto-gosho.kunaicho.go.jp/en
Note: The Hana-no-Gosho was located at the northwest of today’s Kyoto Imperial Palace, diagonally across from the Karasuma-Imadegawa intersection within the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden.

Daishoji Temple(Kyoto City Kamigyo Ward Official Website)
https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kamigyo/page/0000012472.html

Yoshino Town Promotion Website
https://www.town.yoshino.nara.jp/promotion/chosennochi-yoshino/yoshinonochosennorekishi/rekishi/331.html

Eizan-ji Temple (Nara Tabinet – Official Tourism Site of Nara Prefecture)
https://yamatoji.nara-kankou.or.jp/01shaji/02tera/04south_area/eisanji/

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