Unification of Japan.
by Nikita Simha
Tokugawa Ieyasu became the powerful lord of the whole country of Japan. He met with his vassals and defeated the armies of anti-Tokugawa coalition at the battle of Sekigahara.
At the turn of the seventeenth century, the unification of Japan was an extremely significant event. It brought an end to hundred years of warfare and to the constant military struggles among the feudal lords of daimyo
Three famous daimyo spearheaded the unification in the late sixteenth century. And then, after the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, one man took control of all of Japan. This was Tokugawa Ieyasu who became shogun in 1603.
The Tokugawa period is well known as a long era of peace. These 250 years were devoted to two themes: order and change.
The central thought in the minds of the Tokugawa rulers was to prevent the country from lapsing into the kind of conflict that had existed. There was more fighting in Japan during the sixteenth century than anywhere else in the world. And the rulers of the Tokugawa were determined that that would not happen again.After a long period of warfare and chaos, the Tokugawa placed primacy on political order, social order, and order in international relations. Tokugawa political order was exercised through a system of "centralized feudalism."Which means that you have feudal lords with their own domains, and yet, there is a centralized state that is, that has the shogun at the head. The shogun is the de facto ruler of the country, who rules at the order of the emperor, but in fact, rules the country. It is a hereditary, military rule, so that Tokugawa shoguns ruled the country from 1600, or 1603, to 1868.Tokugawa Ieyasu was able to gain control of the entire country. Once a daimyo himself, now he became shogun, ruling over the roughly 250 other daimyo across Japan. Thus the Tokugawa house centralized a system that was still feudal in shape. A very important part of Tokugawa centralized feudalism was known as the "alternate attendance system" or sankin kôtai.
At the turn of the seventeenth century, the unification of Japan was an extremely significant event. It brought an end to hundred years of warfare and to the constant military struggles among the feudal lords of daimyo
Three famous daimyo spearheaded the unification in the late sixteenth century. And then, after the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, one man took control of all of Japan. This was Tokugawa Ieyasu who became shogun in 1603.
The Tokugawa period is well known as a long era of peace. These 250 years were devoted to two themes: order and change.
The central thought in the minds of the Tokugawa rulers was to prevent the country from lapsing into the kind of conflict that had existed. There was more fighting in Japan during the sixteenth century than anywhere else in the world. And the rulers of the Tokugawa were determined that that would not happen again.After a long period of warfare and chaos, the Tokugawa placed primacy on political order, social order, and order in international relations. Tokugawa political order was exercised through a system of "centralized feudalism."Which means that you have feudal lords with their own domains, and yet, there is a centralized state that is, that has the shogun at the head. The shogun is the de facto ruler of the country, who rules at the order of the emperor, but in fact, rules the country. It is a hereditary, military rule, so that Tokugawa shoguns ruled the country from 1600, or 1603, to 1868.Tokugawa Ieyasu was able to gain control of the entire country. Once a daimyo himself, now he became shogun, ruling over the roughly 250 other daimyo across Japan. Thus the Tokugawa house centralized a system that was still feudal in shape. A very important part of Tokugawa centralized feudalism was known as the "alternate attendance system" or sankin kôtai.