Unification of Japan

Japan, 1568–1603.

After a century of civil war, three warlords reunified Japan. Huge castles, gold-leaf screens and the tea ceremony defined the period.

Seat of power: Osaka Castle

Rulers

Oda Nobunaga

Warlord, 1568–1582

Seized Kyoto in 1568 and broke rival warlords and armed Buddhist monasteries with massed musket troops. He promoted free markets and toll-free roads, and died in a betrayal at Honno-ji in 1582.

Portrait of Oda Nobunaga: 狩野宗秀 (Kanō Sōshū, 1551 - 1601), Public domain, file

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Imperial Regent, 1582–1598

Born a commoner, he completed unification by 1590. He surveyed all land for tax, ordered a 'sword hunt' to disarm peasants and fixed the class system. His invasions of Korea failed.

Portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Kanō Mitsunobu (狩野光信, 1565–1608), Public domain, file

Culture

Sen no Rikyu shapes the quiet wabi style of the tea ceremony.
Castles such as Himeji and Osaka rise as symbols of power.
Portuguese traders and Jesuit missionaries bring firearms, tobacco and Christianity.

Picture

Himeji Castle, completed in its present form in 1609.

Image: Nikos Kitsakis, CC BY-SA 4.0, file