Muromachi Japan Flashcards
The Rebellion of Go-Daigō
*Go-Daigō refused to abide by succession compromise worked out between two branches of imperial house
*Insisted on the restoration of direct imperial rule
*Launched a rebellion against the Kamakura shogunate in 1331
Shogunate = brought down cuz of imperial politics = 1259 = succession dispute between two branches = alternate = until 1317 = successor was twice in a row cuz other not candidate
Go daigo = 10 years = wanted to continue rulling and restore direct rule of imperial house = confu idea of moh = confu classics = end right to rule of old dynasty
South = new dynasty and actual charge = state where empeor would be main powerholders
Local advisors = appointing officials by merits = new taxes (temple areas, sake brewers) = shogunate still there and undermine his goal
1324 = planned to overthrow - attack on shogunate = backfired and arrested warriors = letter for authority from the emperor = buddd magic to curse shogunate
Didnt take him seriously = arrested followers and supported but left him alone = gd recognized that military people = powerful regional houses = component of military power = links with warriors in central japan cuz desatisfied by shogunate = resentment = finds support there
1331 = mobilized them = attack shogunate = forced to flew and captured and exiled to an island = excaped and other attack
Commander of large amry from the east = shogunate in the east (kanto) = appintements as shoto, marrical alliaances with hojo fam = had uneasy relationship = diff background of fams = hojo wasnt that important before rise of power and manipualte their way = ashitaka = ancestory = imperial branch families and lot of stature
Send to suppress rebellions = frustrated with shogunate =
Ashikaga Takauji and a New Political Order
*Ashikaga Takauji came from a prominent family of eastern warriors
*Resentment of Hōjō led him to side with Go-Daigō in 1333 while leading Kamakura army that was supposed to attack the emperor
*Had a falling out with Go-Daigō, leading to split between northern and southern court until 1392
No rewards for contributions = 1331 and new attack = didnt get public recognitions for their efforts = hojo fam = revealed own weakness = outside their own fam = have support from powerful fams = suggested that single most important authority instead of the hojo
Arrived = decided to offer emperor their support = control of capita kyoto = destroyed kamakura
New insitutions, ancient rituals = land ownership = only property rights would be legaly valide = not for warrior houses
At = no formal role = but top supporters did = semi-autonomous role = his own territory was getting attacked and emperor refused to protect = so left kyoto and in charge of eastern japan = cant have it for gd = intense war = ahitaga forces had upper hand = stronger military positions
Gd = forced to flee to hoshino = new imperial court (southern) = and otehr northern court
For 60 years = political settlement by gd descendants = agree to come to them with ashitaga fam and create new order of alternating succession
North court = at as shogun = moved to kyoto = offices to muromashi (neighborhood)
The Muromachi Shogunate (1336-1573)
*Relied on commercial revenue collected mostly in Kyoto, rather than land tax/rents
*Limited direct authority outside Kyoto; relied on alliances with regional warlords, lost all authority outside Kyoto after mid-15th century
*Shugo (provincial military governors) and jitō (land stewards on estates) developed growing authority
*Conflict between Ashikaga shoguns and shugo led to a war (1467-1477) that did massive damage to Kyoto and put an end to central authority
Strong position =
House = land holding and developped new sources of revenue = taxes on commerce = replace reliance on land taxes in the past
Commerce = flew from kyoto = cultural and commercial center of japan = take taxes, especially sake brewers and beverages = new palaces = show their authority and patronizing big institutions
And dilomatic relations with china
Jurisdiction = limited to kyoto and surrounding area = small fraction of japan = maintain national progemony by shifting alliances from war lords = derived power from local landholding = relatively prosperous shogunate in kyoto, and not with lots of authority outside
Not very succesful = forced more and more autonomy = civil and military roles = (regional leaders) shito and appoint right to their jito = apply taxes themselves
Shigo - grant public land and low taxes
Try to prevent them = but less to restory power of the central isntead of applementing local power
Real trouble = assossination of shugun = bypassing deputy shogun and 5 something= opposition = threaten to burn down if not change his way = blame passed on daughters and wifes
Other succession dispute in the shogunate itself = two fam had massive armies for their successors and war for 11 years = noone had victory and kyoto damaged = weakened political power of sohgun, even struggling in kyoto itself
The Warring States Period (Sengoku)
*Series of warlords became puppet masters for the shoguns – notably Hosokawa family and Miyoshi family
*Regional warlords, known as daimyō, emerged both from among the shugo and from their subordinates
*The most powerful daimyō issued their own legal codes, exercised complete authority over their domains
*Ikkō sect represented one form of commoner participation in the violence of the era
New order from all this major fighting = nobody came on top, no effective central power = warlords made own laws = start of the warring states periods
//china = central authority = no power on official power in charge = regional leaders and control for influence
Imperial court = shogunate and imperial power were very weakended = cant collect income = not inforcement of power =
New shoguns = but no power (died in battle, deseated and exiled, puppet…) = lot of chaos
Shoguns = have no pwoer but they still showed up = internal struggles (puppet, assissinations in families) = intence instability = nobody can exercice clear central authority
Why fight for shogunate = financial rewards, especially cuz kyoto =
New provincial power holders would rise = and seek appointement by shogunate
Introfuction of guns = techonology spreading =
Daimyo = appointed or new power
Mor epowerful = land surveys, control revenues, trasnfert vassals, take away their bans = central authorut in their own domains
Required to supply military service, new legal codes, total jurisdiction in their area = only 8 law codes survived (/138)
Not all
Ordinary people = tax payers for landholders, payed = depended = would demand tax relief, village support = land disputes, win loyalty
Fighting on their own behafe = ikko = buddhism = uprising of the realm over heaven = shogunate = recruited other sect to counterattack = but ikko had a lot of power too
Economic Growth and the Market Economy
*Introduction of champa rice in 12th century and new irrigation techniques in 14th century led to massive increases in production
*Spread of the use of money, with reliance on Chinese coins
*Markets sprung up, guilds (za) developed
*Bills of exchange allowed large transactions to occur at a distance
Depsite instability = massive pop (doubled) cuz increase in agri prod = champa rice from china = more rapid, resisted droughts, irrigation techniques = wet rice agri, apply and drain water = earlier eras = natural water = now artificial ponds
Draft animals more common
Estates = more than one crop per year = and variety = other grains = surplus that sold
Money= copper cash in nara period but not by common people = but ceased to be used = use goods instead = markets mediated by elites with taxes =
Change in 12th = money = foreign coins = chinese merchands = bring them into eco = tried to be banned in imperial power = unsuccesful = primarely exchange = used for purchases and even taxes
Some merchants = associations in salls of particular goods = za = affiliated with powerful temple or aris = new groups, conflict with old ones
New force of commerce = bill of echanges = temples, rural state ministers, lighter and easily hidden = used by large instituions only = helped for exchanges = smooth movement of goods and money
Money (Chinese Cash) and Trade
*Trade missions to Ming used to maintain access to Chinese coins
*Coins became dominant medium of exchange, helping lead to boom in commercial economy
*Riots over debt resulting from increased moneylending
*Daimyō pursued independent economic policies: international trade, facilitation of domestic commerce, restrictions on exports of key goods, promotion of expanded mining
After transitions = new formal relations with china (to keep money and coins) = did not make own coins = reliance on commercial taxes
Official missions to ming dynasty = title of king of japan by shogun = asserting power with diplomatic relations = involved also trades and gifts = lot of chinese coins = largest importer of chinese cash
Mid = largest exchange mean = pay for everything, big change
Increased money = boom in commercial eco and support pop
Also conflicts = spread of money landing = rioting to protest to cancel debts = attacked into money landings = another source of chaos
Daimyo = new eco policies = sponsor boats, trade wth span and portu and evem convert to get guns = domains = maximine control of ressources and commerce = take away guilds = weaken daimyos =
Mining techniques = lots of minerals (silver)
Reunifie japan =
Discussion: Tomomura, “Gender Relations in the Age of Violence”
1.How did women’s land rights change in Japan over the course of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods?
2.How were families structured in the Warring States period? Do you notice any changes from the Heian period?
3.What kind of roles did women play in the imperial court in this era? How did this compare to the Heian period?
4.What professional activities did commoner women engage in? How did these change over time?
5.Overall, how would you describe the status of women in 16th century Japan as compared to early 11th century Japan (the period when the Tale of Genji was written)? What explains these changes?
1- lose right to inherit titles, books stop writing books, court women empoverished and marginalized even stopped getting wifes, exclude out of any prominent role in court, autonomous professions (entertainement, control by men), involved in commercial roles = laws and exclude women from activities and taboos, some degree of separate of male power
Lose ability to inherit land
Major diminishution in status of women
