-
Jan 1, 1185
Minamoto clan seizes power.
Minamoto clan seizes
power in the emperor’s
name. Minamoto no
Yoritomo becomes
shogun, and establishes
his own capital city in
Kamakura. -
Jan 1, 1232
‘Goseibai Shikimoku’ legal code established.
After the jokyu disturbance, legal disputes over land increased so the third skikken, Hōjō Yasutoki, compiled a code of law in 1232 called the Goseibai Shikimoku. The Goseibai Shikimoku, also known as Joei Shikimoku, is a military code of law much more direct and clear than the imperial code which is based on Confucianism -
Nov 1, 1274
First Mongol Invasion
In November, an armada of nearly 900 vessels containing more than 40,000 troops was dispatched from Korea. The armada demolished Tsushima and Iki islands and arrived at Hakata Bay on November 18th. On the following day, the troops landed on the bay and fought the Japanese defence on land. The Japanese were no match for the Mongol's cavalry tactics and weaponry including their small explosive bombs, which the Japanese had never encountered before. The Japanese defence had no choice but to retreat -
Jan 1, 1281
Second Mongol Invasion
Kublai Khan was determined to smash Japan this time. He knew that his defeat seven years earlier had been simple bad luck, due more to the weather than to any extraordinary fighting prowess of the samurai.
With more forewarning of this second attack, Japan was able to muster 40,000 samurai and other fighting men. They assembled behind the defensive wall at Hakata Bay, their eyes trained to the west. -
Jan 1, 1336
Emperor Go-Daigo overthrows the Kamakura Government.
The Emperor had triggered the revolt he had plotted so long. During his first year of confinement there was sporadic fighting between his supporters and those of the shogunate, and in 1333 decisive events, marked by much treachery and violence, took place. The commander of some of the shogunate’s forces turned and attacked Kamakura instead of the shogunate’s enemies. Caught by surprise, Hōjō Takatoki and his supporters chose to take their own lives, thus bringing to an end the 150-year regime o -
Jan 1, 1348
Rivalry between Northern and Southern Emperors begins.
Two imperial courts existed in Japan for over 50 years: the Southern and Northern courts. They fought many battles against each other. The Northern court usually was in a more advantageous position; nevertheless, the South succeeded in capturing Kyoto several times for short time periods resulting in the destruction of the capital on a regular basis. The Southern court finally gave in in 1392, and the country became emperor-wise reunited again. -
Period: Jan 1, 1368 to Jan 1, 1381
Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
In1368, Yoshimitsu assumed an role in the imperial bureaucracy. In 1381 he became inner minister, later becoming minister of state. By the end of his reign, he had accomplished a complete reorganization of the civil government. Then in 1392, he ended an imperial division of Japan. Yoshimitsu also concluded a truce with the southern court, promising that the position of emperor would alternate between the two imperial lines if the imperial regalia would be returned to Kyōto. A promise not kept. -
Jan 1, 1392
Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
In1368, Yoshimitsu assumed an role in the imperial bureaucracy. In 1381 he became inner minister, later becoming minister of state. By the end of his reign, he had accomplished a complete reorganization of the civil government. Then in 1392, he ended an imperial division of Japan. Yoshimitsu also concluded a truce with the southern court, promising that the position of emperor would alternate between the two imperial lines if the imperial regalia would be returned to Kyōto. A promise not kept. -
Jan 1, 1400
Warring State Period
Most of the city of Kyoto was destroyed in the fighting and the power of the Ashikaga Bakufu ended. This first war ended in 1477 but the fighting started again and continued for more than a hundred years -
Jan 1, 1543
Firearms arrive in Japan
Blown off course during a storm, Portuguese traders shipwrecked near Tangeshima island off the southern coast of Japan. Intrigued by the Portuguese firearms, the local daimyo warlord bought two guns from the European sailors and commissioned his swordsmith to make copies. The daimyo then asked the Portuguese for shooting lessons. -
Period: to
The Tokugawa shogunate rules Japan.
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the Tokugawa bakufu and the Edo bakufu was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family.[2] This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was changed in 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled from Edo Castle from 1600 until 1868, when it was abolished during the Meiji Restoration.