Civil War Period

The Downfall of the Odawara Hojo

After the War of Onin (1467 to 1477), warlords fought against each other over supremacy in various parts of Japan. In 1573, the 15th shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki was expelled from Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga, putting an end to the Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate, which lasted 240 years. Oda Nobunaga, however, was assassinated ruling only 10 years, and the dream of uniting the nation was inherited by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. When he ordered all the warlords to follow him after subjugating Kyushu, the Hojo, the greatest lord of the Kanto region, didn’t obey. Hideyoshi commanded that the Hojo should be subdued and led the army to lay siege to Odawara Castle in 1590. It is said that Hideyoshi gave *Seisatsu to Ryozen-ji Temple and Oyama-dera Temple. The castle was besieged for three months. The fifth lord Hojo Ujinao surrendered at last after a long discussion with his retainers on the strategy.

The land owned by the Hojo was awarded to Tokugawa Ieyasu as an acknowledgment of his achievements in the war. Ieyasu had to try hard to build his base in the unfamiliar land.

*Seisatsu: a notice board stating that the soldiers should strictly be prohibited from doing any harm or damage to the temple so that the security of the temple could be guaranteed.

 

 

Next⇒Edo Period

• Geogaraphical Features of Isehara
• Paleolithic Period
• Jomon Period
• Yayoi Period
• Kofun (Tumulus）Period
• Nara Period
• Heian Period
• Kamakura Period
• Muromachi Period
• Civil War Period
• Edo Period
• Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Periods

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