Muromachi period

Constantly referred to as the Warring states period, the Sengoku era (1467- 1593) was a period of numerous civil wars and endless political-military battles. Since the Onin War in 1467, a war between two powerful clans (Hosokawa and Yamana), Japan had hence been divided into warring states. This period in history had marked the shoguns' decline in power, both militarily and politically, as well as the rise in "influential feudal lords" called Daimyos, who took advantage of the political…

Brandon Wiggins English III Mrs. Briscoe 12 April 2017 Samurai Samurai were fierce warriors who were known to the Japanese history from shogun to ronin. shogun meaning master, ronin meaning samurai without a master. loosely translated it means "masterless samurai". samurai were the cops of their time after they were told to live in castles of the village. They were the cops of their time because they were the only ones who could carry swords in…

book that centers around material culture in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century Japan, covering the changes and continuities from medieval society to the early modern era through looking into famous objects that essentially shape the period. Illustrated with colorful pictures of objects, including potteries, swords and paintings, instead of utilizing only textual representation, Pitelka emphasizes on the importance of material culture as actors in the historical context, and its…

ecosystems are fighting for dominance and authority, but more specifically the predicament between the humans trying to obtain beneficial resources from the forests for industrialization purposes. I will get into more of that later. Set during the Muromachi period, in an unsympathetic world inhabited by the gods who lived amongst the forests and the demons, who are constantly opposing the regulations made by the gods. The film opens to an unseemingly dark and mysterious forest, occupied by a…

During the fifteenth century, the Muromachi culture arose in Japan, which was influenced by Zen Buddhism. The shoguns supported Zen Buddhism where it was associated with the school of Buddhism that dealt with meditation and mind-to-mind transmission of truth. Zen continued to flourish and influence the Japanese culture. The idea of Zen focused on the simplicity side of things and that idea permeated through the arts such as Nō theatre. The Ashikaga shoguns were patrons of the Nō theatre. This…

A Comparison of Japanese and European Feudalism Feudalism is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “the system of political organization prevailing in Europe from the 9th to about the 15th centuries having as its basis the relation of lord to vassal with all land held in fee and as chief characteristics homage, the service of tenants under arms and in court, wardship, and forfeiture.” Feudalism dictated much of the Medieval era in Europe, but lasted much longer, and more successful, in Japan,…

Tokugawa shogunate, following the warring period of Japan, became the last era of samurai’s ruling and the final feudal military government. During this period, the statues of different class and groups began to slightly change, and also, the roles of samurais were different from the earlier periods including late Heian period, Kamaruka and Muromachi eras. In the Tale of Heike, the samurais emphasized the bravery and loyalty of samurais, showing us that samurais played important roles at that…

the sarugaku and the dengaku, merged, and Noh theater blossomed. Saragaku offered a choreographic element, and the dengaku brought an element of the dramatic. A very popular Noh playwright Zeami, brought the art form to popularity during the Muromachi Period (1300-1550).(Brazell) Noh is a unique art form structured around music and dance. The name is derived from nō, which means “talent” or “skill”. It is unlike the Western…

Princess Mononoke was an anime film produced in 1997 by Hayao Miyazaki. The movie is set in the late Muromachi Period around 1336 to 1573 in Japan. In modern day, there are many issues over nature and how humans affect it. In Princess Mononoke, these issues have turned into recurrent themes such as humanity, nature, and the effect of humans on nature. These themes are evident throughout characters and images presented in the movie. In this film all of the characters are very complex, like…

Globalization has changed and shaped how we perceive the world for the past centuries. With the emerging trends of technological advancement, humans nowadays live in much more convenient lives as a results of benefitting from it. From the ability to order foods online, call an Uber through smartphones to communication face-to-face from the other side of the world, everything is within reach and thus implement our digital-active lifestyle. However, with great power comes great responsibilities,…