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Period: 794 to 1185
Heian Period
Japan broke away from China. Japanese art and culture began to flourish. The ruling of the Shogun began. -
Period: 1147 to 1199
Kamakura Period
In 1192, Minamoto no Yoritomo, was awarded shōgun. Yoritomo established the position as a hereditary system. While there had been shoguns before Yoshitomo, none had held more power or influence. So began the Kamakura Shogunate and the era of the shoguns in Japan, which would persist for the next 700 years. -
Period: 1180 to 1185
The Genpei War
The Genpei War, was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself as Shōgun in 1192, governing Japan as a military dictator from the eastern city of Kamakura. This was the beginning of a feudal state in Japan, with real power now in Kamakura. -
1221
Jokyo Disturbance
Japan's emperor Go-Toba launches a failed coup against the Kamakura Shogunate. -
Period: 1327 to 1576
Muromachi Period
The Muromachi period was marked by a great deal of political unrest, but was also a time of significant cultural growth, particularly under the influence of Zen Buddhism.
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. -
Period: 1460 to 1483
Ginkakuji Temple
Ginkakuji Temple (silver pavilion) is built in Heiankyo (Kyoto) by Ashikaga Yoshimasa. -
Period: 1574 to
Azuchi Momoyama period
The Azuchi Momoyama period was a time when society became unified under the daimyō Oda Nobunaga. 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. -
Period: to
Tokugawa (Edo) Period
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 and 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.