#1573

Two-Hand Sword, German, 1573

Royal Margarine Cookie from Cookie Run Kingdom

"mmmmmy god are you free for dinner sir"

#1573

Japanese Castles

Fortifications of one kind or another had been used in Japan since ancient times, but in the period from 1576 until 1639, a new and distinctive style of castle was constructed. Rather than being used for fighting, these were impressive structures intended to enhance the power and prestige of the person that built them. The most famous surviving example of this style of architecture is Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture.

The Warring States Period

The period from the beginning of the Onin War in 1467 until the collapse of the Muromachi bakufu (military government) in 1573 is known as the Sengoku period (Warring States period). As the name suggests, it was a time of civil war. As central authority collapsed, powerful warrior families fought each other for land and power. In Japanese, these are referred to as sengoku daimyo.

As time progressed, the number of sengoku daimyo gradually declined as the more successful ones destroyed the weaker ones. In order for a daimyo to be successful, it was necessary not only to have a good army but also to have a well-organised administrative system that could successfully exploit both the human and natural resources under their control. In the 1560s, Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) emerged as the strongest daimyo in Japan, and in 1573 he entered Heiankyo (Kyoto) and overthrew the bakufu of the Muromachi period.