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The Ashikaga shoguns, Zen arts and the Ōnin War that opened Japan's age of warring states.

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Muromachi Period · 1336–1573 AD
室町 · The Ashikaga Shoguns

The Muromachi Period

From the Ashikaga shoguns and their Golden and Silver Pavilions, through the refined Zen culture of gardens, tea and Noh theatre, to the ruinous Ōnin War that broke the shogunate and plunged Japan into a century of warring states — the age when the first Europeans landed with guns and the Christian faith. Slide across an era of dazzling art and endless war, in which high culture and chaos advanced together.

1336 AD
The Ashikaga Shogunate
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1336 AD

The Ashikaga Shogunate
  • Political

    Takauji and the divided courts

    Ashikaga Takauji, founder of the Muromachi shogunate
    Via Wikimedia Commons

    Ashikaga Takauji sets up a new shogun in Kyoto, while the exiled Go-Daigo maintains a rival southern court.

7 milestones

Meanwhile

Around 1336 AD

Full Chronicle

The Muromachi Period

From the Ashikaga shoguns and their Golden and Silver Pavilions, through the refined Zen culture of gardens, tea and Noh theatre, to the ruinous Ōnin War that broke the shogunate and plunged Japan into a century of warring states — the age when the first Europeans landed with guns and the Christian faith. Slide across an era of dazzling art and endless war, in which high culture and chaos advanced together.

  1. The Ashikaga Shogunate

    • Takauji and the divided courts

      Ashikaga Takauji sets up a new shogun in Kyoto, while the exiled Go-Daigo maintains a rival southern court.

  2. The Golden Pavilion

    • Yoshimitsu and the Kinkaku-ji

      The shogun Yoshimitsu, having reunited the courts, builds the gold-leafed Kinkaku-ji and patronizes a brilliant culture.

  3. The Way of Noh

    • Zeami and the Noh theatre

      Under Yoshimitsu's patronage, the actor Zeami perfects Noh, Japan's austere and haunting classical drama.

  4. The Ōnin War

    • The Ōnin War shatters Kyoto

      A dispute over the shogunal succession erupts into a war that burns Kyoto and destroys central authority.

  5. The Europeans Arrive

    • Firearms reach Japan

      Portuguese traders shipwrecked on Tanegashima introduce the matchlock gun, soon copied across warring Japan.

  6. The Christian Century

    • Francis Xavier and Christianity

      The Jesuit Francis Xavier lands at Kagoshima, beginning Catholic missions that win many thousands of converts.

  7. The End of the Ashikaga

    • Nobunaga ends the shogunate

      The warlord Oda Nobunaga drives the last Ashikaga shogun from Kyoto, ending the dynasty and opening the path to reunification.