Japanese History Digest

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

The Azuchi-Momoyama period refers to the era when Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi held power in Japan. The name comes from Nobunaga’s residence, Azuchi Castle, and from Hideyoshi’s Fushimi Castle, which was located on the Momoyama hills. The period’s starting point is variously considered to be 1568, when Nobunaga entered Kyoto with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, or 1573, when Nobunaga expelled Yoshiaki from Kyoto and brought about the fall of the Muromachi shogunate. The end of the period is also debated, with some marking it at 1600, when Tokugawa Ieyasu won the Battle of Sekigahara, and others at 1603, when Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate.

 

The Era of Oda Nobunaga

As the Muromachi shogunate weakened, a social trend of “the low overthrowing the high” (gekokujo) emerged. Oda Nobunaga of Owari Province became a central figure in this age of warring states. In 1560, Imagawa Yoshimoto of Suruga led a large army toward Kyoto, but was defeated and killed by Nobunaga at the Battle of Okehazama. In 1567, Nobunaga destroyed the Saito clan of Mino and made Gifu Castle his base. In 1568, he entered Kyoto and installed Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the 15th shogun. By 1573, Nobunaga expelled Yoshiaki from Kyoto, ending the Muromachi shogunate. He went on to defeat the Asai and Asakura clans at the Battle of Anegawa, and in 1575, he defeated Takeda Katsuyori at the Battle of Nagashino, steadily advancing the unification of Japan. However, in 1582, Nobunaga was forced to commit suicide at Honnoji Temple due to the betrayal of his retainer, Akechi Mitsuhide (the Honnoji Incident).

 

The Era of Toyotomi Hideyoshi

When the Honnoji Incident occurred in 1582, Hideyoshi, then a retainer of Nobunaga, was engaged in battle with the Mori clan in western Japan. Upon learning of Nobunaga’s death, Hideyoshi quickly made peace with the Mori and rushed back to Kyoto to avenge his lord. He defeated Akechi Mitsuhide at the Battle of Yamazaki. Hideyoshi then vied with Shibata Katsuie, Nobunaga’s foremost retainer, for succession, eventually defeating him at the Battle of Shizugatake and solidifying his position. Hideyoshi continued Nobunaga’s campaign to unify Japan, subjugating the Chosokabe clan in Shikoku in 1585, the Shimazu clan in Kyushu in 1587, and finally destroying the Hojo clan in Odawara in 1590. Even the Date clan of the Tohoku region submitted to Hideyoshi, completing the unification of the country.

 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Foreign Policy

Oda Nobunaga tolerated Christianity for its trade benefits. However, when Hideyoshi attacked the Shimazu clan in Kyushu, he learned that the Christian daimyo Omura Sumitada had donated Nagasaki to the church. In response, Hideyoshi issued the Edict of Expulsion of the Jesuits (Bateren Edict) in 1587, banning Christian missionaries from Japan.

Hideyoshi also harbored ambitions of continental expansion. Through the So clan of Tsushima, he demanded tribute and a guide to Ming China from Korea. When Korea refused, Hideyoshi launched invasions in 1592 (the Bunroku Campaign) and again in 1597 (the Keicho Campaign). Although his forces advanced as far as present-day Seoul and Pyongyang, they struggled against the Korean navy and eventually retreated after Hideyoshi’s death in 1598. These invasions weakened the western daimyo and destabilized the Toyotomi regime, while Tokugawa Ieyasu, who did not participate, preserved his strength and later gained supremacy.

 

The Fall of the Toyotomi Regime

After Hideyoshi’s death, conflict intensified between Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the Five Elders, and Ishida Mitsunari, one of the Five Commissioners. This culminated in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, where Ieyasu’s Eastern Army defeated Mitsunari’s Western Army, securing Ieyasu’s dominance. In 1603, Ieyasu was appointed shogun and established the Tokugawa shogunate. The Toyotomi clan remained in Osaka Castle and did not submit to Ieyasu. Concerned, Ieyasu used the issue of the inscription on the bell at Hokoji Temple as a pretext to launch the Winter and Summer Sieges of Osaka, ultimately destroying the Toyotomi clan in 1615.

 

Timeline of Azuchi-Momoyama Period period

1560 AD	Battle of Okehazama
1568 AD	Oda Nobunaga installs Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the 15th Shogun
1573 AD	Oda Nobunaga expels Ashikaga Yoshiaki from Kyoto (End of the Muromachi Shogunate)
1575 AD	Battle of Nagashino
1582 AD	Incident at Honnō-ji (Honnō-ji Incident)
1584 AD	Battle of Komaki and Nagakute
1590 AD	Fall of the Hōjō clan
1592 AD	Bunroku Campaign (Japanese Invasion of Korea)
1598 AD	Keichō Campaign (Second Japanese Invasion of Korea)
1600 AD	Battle of Sekigahara
1603 AD	Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes Shogun; Start of the Edo Shogunate
1614 AD	Winter Siege of Osaka
1615 AD	Summer Siege of Osaka (Fall of the Toyotomi clan)

Facilities where you can learn about Azuchi-Momoyama Period

Highlights Around the Battle of Okehazama Area (Nagoya City Midori Ward Website)
http://www.city.nagoya.jp/midori/page/0000052400.html

The Battle of Nagashino (Shinshiro City Tourism Association Website)
http://shinshirokankou.com/history.html

Highlights Around the Battle of Okehazama Area (Nagoya City Midori Ward Website)
https://www.city.kiyosu.aichi.jp/shisetsu_annai/kanko_shisetsu_sonota/kiyosujo.html

Honnō-ji Temple
http://www.kyoto-honnouji.jp/

The Battle of Komaki and Nagakute | Komaki Castle (Nagoya Tourism Website)
http://nk.xtone.jp/archives/komakijo.html

The Battle of Komaki and Nagakute | Inuyama Castle (National Treasure Inuyama Castle Website)
http://inuyama-castle.jp/

Osaka Castle (Osaka Castle Main Keep Website)
http://www.osakacastle.net/

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