japan shoguns

Nara period

704

Nara period, (ad 710–784), in Japanese history, period in which the imperial government was at Nara, and Sinicization and Buddhism were most highly developed.

Hein period

794

The Heian period was preceded by the Nara period and began in 794 AD after the movement of the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto), by the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu.

Minamoto no Yoritomo

Aug 21, 1185

Minamoto Yorimoto was appointed a shogun, or Japanese military leader. He established the first shogunate, a system of military government that would last until the 19th century.

beginning of the Warring states period

1467

the period began in 1467 with the outbreak of the Onin War and lasted until 1567 when Oda Nobunaga took over Kyoto and established a semblance of national unity.

first contact between Japanese and Europeans and beginning of trade

1543

The first contact between Japan and Portugal occurred in 1543 when three Portuguese merchants landed on Tanegashima Island at the southern tip of the Japanese Archipelago after their boat was blown off course.

Azuchi-Momoyama period

1573

The Azuchi–Momoyama period is the final phase of the Sengoku period in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600.

the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate

1603

In 1603, the imperial court conferred upon Ieyasu the title of shōgun. Ieyasu then moved his base to the village of Edo when he had already established a castle. It marked the beginning of nearly three full centuries of shogunal rule by the Tokugawa family.

the sakoku (“locked country”) period begins

1635

N/A

the arrival of the United States navy fleet commanded by Matthew Perry

Jul 8, 1853

American Commodore Matthew Perry led his four ships into the harbor at Tokyo Bay, seeking to re-establish for the first time in over 200 years regular trade and discourse between Japan and the western world.

Meiji Restoration

1867

n/a