AD 1333-1573 Muromachi

By the end of the 13th century AD the Kamakura shogunate lacked strong military alliances and had become vulnerable. In 1333 it was toppled by a coalition of forces under Emperor Go-Daigo and the warrior, Ashikaga Takauji (1305-58). In 1336, after a brief restoration of imperial rule, Takauji ousted Emperor Go-Daigo, installed another emperor, and assumed for himself the title of shogun.

Go-Daigo fled to Yoshino, south of Kyoto, and set up a rival court. This period of rival Southern and Northern Courts (Nanbokuchô) continued until 1392, when the southern emperor was persuaded to abdicate. The subsequent Muromachi period takes its name from the location of the Ashikaga headquarters on the outskirts of Kyoto. The Ashikaga too, however, were unable to achieve centralised control, and their alliances proved unstable. From 1467 to 1477 Kyoto was ravaged by the Ônin War, and a century of conflict among feuding warlords ensued.

Contact with China was resumed in the early 15th century, and this led to significant cultural developments. In particular, the patronage of Zen Buddhism by the military class caused its associated arts to flourish. The Ashikaga shoguns were enthusiastic collectors of Chinese objects, including ceramics, painting and metalwork. In social terms, improvements in agriculture and the growth of commerce led to the rise of a merchant class.