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During the Muromachi period, the regional warlords, known as daimyō, gained a great deal of power, which, in turn, reduced the power of the shogun. The daimyō were able to gain this power as they had control over the samurai, who were an elite class of Japanese warriors.
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The Azuchi Momoyama period of feudal Japan lasted from around 1574 AD to 1600 AD. The Azuchi Momoyama period was a time of flamboyance and luxury. During this time, the building of many substantial castles and mansions replaced the traditional temple architecture. The period itself is actually named after two famous castles: Azuchi, which was built by Oda Nobunaga, and Momoyama, which was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
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Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in 1598 AD and a man named, Tokugawa Ieyasu, came to power. Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed as the shogun by the emperor and became the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan. This time was known as the Edo period, which lasted from 1600 AD to 1868 AD, was a characteristically peaceful time of great prosperity. It was also during the Tokugawa Shogunate that a strict class system was imposed, which largely cut Japanese society off from the rest of the world.