Timeline of Key Events in Shogun Japan

By EllaB21
  • Introduction of Zen Buddhism
    700

    Introduction of Zen Buddhism

    Zen Buddhism is a school of Buddhism that emphasizes meditation (zazen) and direct, intuitive experience to achieve enlightenment, or seeing one's true nature.
  • Period: 794 to 1185

    Rise of the Samurai Class

    Samurai became the dominant warrior class, holding power and social prestige.
  • Minamoto no Yoritomo becomes the first shogun
    1191

    Minamoto no Yoritomo becomes the first shogun

    Minamoto no Yoritomo became the first shogun in 1192 after defeating his rivals in the Genpei War, establishing a new military government called the bakufu (shogunate) with his headquarters in Kamakura.
  • Period: 1274 to 1281

    The Mongol Invasions of Japan

    Mongol forces tried to invade Japan but were defeated, partly due to “divine winds.”
  • Ashikaga Shogunate begins
    1336

    Ashikaga Shogunate begins

    Ashikaga Takauji took power, marking a new shogunate after the fall of Kamakura rule.
  • Period: 1465 to 1477

    Onin War and the start of the Sengoku Period

    The Ōnin War (1467–1477) was a civil war that ignited the Sengoku period (Warring States period) by fatally weakening the central authority of the Ashikaga shogunate.
  • Arrival of Christian missionaries (Francis Xavier)
    1548

    Arrival of Christian missionaries (Francis Xavier)

    Christianity was introduced to Japan, leading to cultural exchange and later suppression.
  • Period: 1568 to 1581

    Oda Nobunaga unifies much of Japan

    Oda Nobunaga was a powerful feudal warlord who unified much of Japan in the late 16th century, laying the groundwork for the unification of the entire country by his successors.
  • Toyotomi Hideyoshi completes Japan’s unification

    Toyotomi Hideyoshi completes Japan’s unification

    Finished the unification process and implemented strict social rules.
  • Period: to

    Bushido code becomes central to samurai life

    The Bushido code became central to samurai life by providing a moral compass that governed their actions, emphasizing virtues like loyalty, honor, courage, and self-discipline.
  • Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes shogun (start of Edo period)

    Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes shogun (start of Edo period)

    Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun in 1603, establishing the Tokugawa Shogunate and beginning the Edo period, which ushered in over 250 years of relative peace and stability in Japan.
  • Period: to

    Sakoku – Japan’s isolation policy

    Japan closed itself off to foreign contact, banning Christianity and trade with most nations.
  • Period: to

    Opening of Japan (end of isolation)

    Western nations forced Japan to open trade, leading to the fall of the shogunate.