Japanese History Digest

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

The Azuchi-Momoyama Period occurred at the end of the Sengoku period, when Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi successively seized power and nearly achieved national unification. It is called the "Azuchi-Momoyama Period" because Nobunaga's castle, Azuchi Castle in Omi, and Hideyoshi's Fushimi Castle, both of which were located on the Momoyama Hills. The beginning of this period is said to have been in 1568, when Nobunaga accompanied Ashikaga Yoshiaki to Kyoto, or in 1573, when Yoshiaki was expelled from Kyoto and the Muromachi shogunate was destroyed. There is also a wide range of interpretations of the end of the period, with some saying it was in 1600, when Tokugawa Ieyasu won the Battle of Sekigahara, and others saying it was in 1603, when Ieyasu was appointed Shogun and established the Edo shogunate.

 

The Era of Oda Nobunaga

As the authority of the Muromachi shogunate declined, a growing trend of overthrowing superior powers emerged, with feudal lords and warlords from various regions expanding their influence through sheer force. The nation entered a period of warring states. One figure who rose to prominence in this context was Oda Nobunaga, a Sengoku daimyo from Owari. In 1560, Imagawa Yoshimoto of Suruga attempted to march to Kyoto with a large army, passing through Owari and heading west, but was killed in a surprise attack by Nobunaga at Okehazama. In 1567, Nobunaga defeated the Saito clan of Mino, renamed Inabayama Castle Gifu Castle, and established his base there, expanding his power under the slogan "Tenka Fubu" (Unifying the World with Military Power). In 1568, he marched to Kyoto with Ashikaga Yoshiaki and supported him as the 15th shogun. However, conflicts subsequently deepened, and in 1573, Yoshiaki was banished from Kyoto, effectively destroying the Muromachi shogunate.

Nobunaga defeated the Azai clan of Omi and the Asakura clan of Echizen in a series of battles, including the Battle of Anegawa, and then inflicted a major defeat on Takeda Katsuyori of Kai at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, establishing a vast sphere of control stretching from the Kinai region to the Tokai and Hokuriku regions. While he failed to unify the entire country, he paved the way for centralized control. He promoted market liberalization through measures such as implementing free markets and abolishing checkpoints, thereby promoting economic development. He also actively utilized firearms and trade with the Western countries, and tolerated Christianity to a certain extent, in an attempt to capture the benefits of international trade while keeping the power of temples and shrines in check. However, in 1582, while staying in Kyoto, he was ambushed by his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide at Honnoji Temple, and committed suicide (the Honnoji Incident).

 

The Era of Toyotomi Hideyoshi

At the time of the Honnoji Incident, Hashiba Hideyoshi (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi), who was fighting against the Mori clan in the Chugoku region, received urgent news and made peace with the Mori, turning his forces around, and defeated Akechi Mitsuhide at the Battle of Yamazaki. Over the succession of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi clashed with Shibata Katsuie of Echizen, and seized the initiative by defeating him at the Battle of Shizugatake. Hideyoshi then continued Nobunaga's work and promoted national unification, subjugating the Chosokabe clan of Shikoku in 1585 and the Shimazu clan of Kyushu in 1587. Furthermore, in 1590, he destroyed the Hojo clan of Kanto at the Siege of Odawara and formally subjugated the Date clan of Oshu, achieving nominal unification of the country.

Under the Toyotomi administration, the establishment of a system to support national unification was also underway. Hideyoshi conducted the Taiko Land Survey, a nationwide survey of feudal lords' territories based on land survey records, and clarified the annual tax burden based on the kokudaka system. He also issued the Sword Hunt Order, which confiscated weapons such as swords and spears from peasants, forcing them to focus on farming and clarifying the social distinction between samurai and peasants. These policies promoted "one man's control over the land" and "separation of soldiers and farmers," laying the foundation for the Edo period's feudal domain system.

 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Foreign Policy

In foreign relations, while Nobunaga tolerated Christianity to a certain extent in order to secure trade interests with the Western Barbarians and to contain Buddhist influence, Hideyoshi gradually became more wary. During the course of his conquest of Kyushu, he learned that the Christian daimyo Omura Sumitada had donated Nagasaki to a church. In 1587, he issued the Missionary Expulsion Order, ordering missionaries to leave the country and restricting missionary activities.

Meanwhile, Hideyoshi harbored ambitions for expansion into the continent, and through the So clan of Tsushima, he demanded that Korea guide them to Ming and accept a similar response of submission. When Korea refused, a large army was sent to the Korean Peninsula in 1592 (the Bunroku War). Japanese forces initially advanced from southern Korea to Hanseong (Seoul) and Pyongyang, but with the valiant efforts of the Korean navy and reinforcements from the Ming army, the front lines became deadlocked and a ceasefire was eventually reached. When peace negotiations broke down, Japan again sent troops to Korea in 1597 (the Keicho War). However, when Hideyoshi died of illness in 1598, Japanese forces withdrew, bringing an end to the long-running Korean campaign. This war placed a heavy burden on the western daimyo and exhausted them, while Tokugawa Ieyasu and others, who did not take part in the campaign as a major force, were able to preserve their military and financial strength, creating the conditions for them to take the lead in postwar politics.

 

The Fall of the Toyotomi Regime

After Hideyoshi's death, his successor, Toyotomi Hideyori, was still a child, and the government was left to the Five Elders and Five Magistrates. However, the conflict between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari deepened. In 1600, the Eastern Army, led by Ieyasu, clashed with the Western Army led by Mitsunari at the Battle of Sekigahara in Mino Province, resulting in a victory for the Eastern Army. Ieyasu redistributed the territories of the various daimyo, significantly reducing and transferring the feudal lords who belonged to the Western Army, thereby placing his subordinates throughout the country. In 1603, Ieyasu was appointed Shogun and established the shogunate in Edo, marking the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, a full-fledged military government.

Even after the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, the Toyotomi clan continued to reside in Osaka Castle and maintained great economic and military power. Ieyasu saw this as a threat, and took issue with the inscription on the bell that was cast when the Great Buddha Hall of Hokoji Temple was rebuilt, using it as an excuse to attack the Toyotomi clan. The Winter Siege of Osaka took place in 1614, followed the following year by the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615, during which Osaka Castle fell, and Toyotomi Hideyori and Yodo-dono committed suicide, resulting in the downfall of the Toyotomi clan. This marked the end of the large-scale wars between daimyo that had continued since the Sengoku period, and Japan transitioned to a long period of peace and rule under the Edo Shogunate, in other words, the Edo period.

 

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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