The Eastern and Western armies clash at Sekigahara

Ten battles that changed the course of Japanese history

Japan has experienced many battles in many forms over its long and varied history, from small personal skirmishes fought between political rivals and samurai clans to full-scale conflicts between groups of 100,000+, and even wars that lasted as long as a decade. Most had little to no impact on the country’s history and remain in the history books purely to give us a deeper insight…

Japanese history overview Pt. 4: The Muromachi era Pt. 1

Japanese history overview Pt. 4: The Muromachi era Pt. 1

Welcome to part four of this overview of Japanese history. This time, we’re looking at the Muromachi era. As always, if you haven’t read the previous parts, I recommend doing so. Otherwise, you might not know who Ashikaga Takauji is or how he succeeded in toppling the newly-reformed court and establishing Japan’s second shōgunate. I apologise for this article’s confusing name, but the Muromachi era…