19th Century Mongols

By the end of the twelfth century, as rivalries among the noble families led to almost constant civil war, centralizing forces again asserted themselves. A powerful noble from a warrior clan named Minamoto Yoritomo defeated several rivals and set up his power base on the Kamakura. To strengthen the state, he created a more centralized government under a powerful military leader known as the shogun. The shogun attempted to increase the powers of the central government while reducing rival aristocratic clans to vassals’ status. The shogunate system served as the political system in Japan until the second half of the nineteenth century. The system worked effectively, and it was fortunate that it did, because during the next century, Japan faced the most serious challenge it had confronted yet. The Mongols were now attempting to assert their hegemony throughout all of Asia. In 1226, Emperor Khubilai Khan demanded tribute from Japan. When the Japanese refused, he invaded with an army of more than 30,000 troops. Bad weather and difficult conditions forced a retreat, but the Mongols tried again in 1281. The Japanese we able to contain them for two months until the entire Mongol fleet was destroyed by a massive typhoon. …show more content…
A new shogun, supplied by the Ashikaga family, arose in Kyoto and attempted to continue the shogunate system, but the Ashikaga we unable to restore the centralized power of their predecessors. With the centralized government reduced, the power of the local landed aristocracy increased to an unprecedented degree. By the end of the fifteenth century, Japan was again close to anarchy. A disastrous civil conflict known as the Onin War led to the virtual destruction of the capital city of Kyoto and the disintegration of the