Muromachi Bakufu and Political Figures
– Ashikaga Takauji deposed Emperor Go-Daigo and established the Muromachi Bakufu in Kyoto.
– The Ashikaga shogunate took over the remnants of the imperial government.
– The Ashikaga shogunate was not as strong as the Kamakura shogunate.
– Ashikaga Yoshimitsu relocated the headquarters to the Hana-no-gosho in Kyoto.
– The power of the shogunate weakened after Yoshimitsu and the daimyos gained more control.
– Ashikaga Takauji captures Kyoto and becomes the first shōgun of the Muromachi period.
– Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, known for his patronage of the arts and cultural achievements.
– Hosokawa Katsumoto, a powerful daimyo who played a crucial role in the Muromachi period.
– Emperor Daigo II, forced to relocate to Yoshino during Ashikaga Takauji’s rise to power.
– Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the last shōgun of the Muromachi period.
Economic and Cultural Developments
– Japan had contact with the Ming dynasty and established trade relations.
– Yoshimitsu restarted the tribute system with China.
– Muromachi culture emerged and was influenced by Zen Buddhism.
– Trade between China and Japan included items like wood, sulfur, copper ore, swords, silk, porcelain, books, and coins.
– The bakufu headquarters in Kyoto influenced various aspects of Japanese culture.
– Zen played a central role in spreading religious teachings, art, and culture.
– The re-constituted Blue Cliff Record became the central text of Japanese Zen literature.
– Various forms of art flourished during the Muromachi period, including architecture, literature, Noh drama, poetry, and tea ceremony.
– Zen Buddhism was strongly influenced by Chinese paintings of the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties.
– Zen priests, imperial family members, courtiers, daimyos, and samurai were all part of the Zen culture.
Shinto and National Consciousness
– Shinto had coexisted with Buddhism but was absorbed by it during the Nara period.
– Interest in Shinto was renewed during the Muromachi period.
– The Mongol invasions and the concept of kamikaze led to a national consciousness of the role of Shinto in defeating enemies.
– Kitabatake Chikafusa wrote the Jinnō Shōtōki, emphasizing the divine descent of the imperial line and Japan’s spiritual supremacy.
– Shinto was seen as an essential part of Japan’s national polity (kokutai).
Education and Confucianism
– Confucianism gained recognition as essential learning for daimyos during the Muromachi period.
– Genju Keian and Baiken Minamimura established schools of Neo-Confucianism in Kyushu and Tosa.
– Nobutaka Kiyohara lectured on Confucianism for various daimyos in the Hokuriku region.
– Norizane Uesugi re-established the Ashikaga Gakko, the oldest academic institution in Japan.
– The Ashikaga Gakko attracted priests and warriors from all over the country to learn.
Provincial Wars, Foreign Contacts, and Western Influence
– Ōnin War led to political fragmentation.
– Peasants and samurai rose against their rulers.
– Imperial house left impoverished.
– Provincial domains emerged with smaller daimyos.
– Border defenses improved and castle towns built.
– Local economies not disrupted by wars.
– Movement of armies stimulated transportation and communications.
– Additional revenues from customs and tolls.
– Commerce shifted to central region and Inland Sea.
– Merchant and artisan guilds established.
– Europeans arrived in Japan by the end of the Muromachi period.
– Portuguese landed in Tanegashima in 1543.
– Nanban trade period initiated.
– Spanish arrived in 1587, Dutch in 1609.
– European goods traded for Japanese gold and silver.
– Jesuits led by Francis Xavier arrived in Japan.
– Daimyō, merchants, and peasants converted to Christianity.
– Nagasaki established as a port and turned over to Jesuit administration.
– By 1582, there were 150,000 converts and 200 churches.
– Proscriptions and persecutions against Christianity began in 1587. Source URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muromachi_period
