Changes in the Ashikaga Shogunate

Changes for the Samurai in the Ashikaga Period

Between 1336 and 1573, the Ashikaga Shogunate ruled Japan. However, it was not a strong central governing force, and in fact, the Ashikaga Shogunate witnessed the rise of powerful daimyo all around the country. These regional lords reigned over their domains with very little interference or influence from the shogun in Kyoto. 

​

​decentralisation:

Multiple Choice

Who became more powerful during the Ashikaga Shogunate?

• The Emperor

• The Shogun

• Daimyo

• Samurai Warriors

Growth of Culture
The first century of Ashikaga rule is distinguished by a flowering of culture and the arts, including Noh drama, as well as the popularisation of Zen Buddhism.

Changes for the Samurai

The Ashikaga shoguns were weak. The clan did not have a large home domain of its own, so it lacked the wealth and power of the Kamakura or the later Tokugawa shoguns. The lasting influence of the Ashikaga era is in the arts and culture of Japan. 

During this period, the samurai class enthusiastically embraced Zen Buddhism, which had been imported from China as early as the seventh century. The military elites developed an entire aesthetic based on Zen ideas about beauty, nature, simplicity, and utility. Arts including the tea ceremony, painting, garden design, architecture and interior design, floral arranging, poetry, and Noh theater all developed along Zen lines.

Multiple Choice

Noh drama is classical Japanese theatre which involves slow movements and masked actors

• True

• False

Dropdown

Zen ​

Select answer

arrived in Japan from ​

Select answer

as early as the ​

Select answer

century. The samurai based their image on Zen ideas such as beauty, ​

Select answer

, simplicity, and utility.

Samurai status became more fluid, with some non-samurai able to rise through the ranks due to their military skill. This allowed for upward social mobility within the samurai class.

Drag and Drop

During this period, the Samurai were able to move more easily up the ​

Placeholder

structure if they did well in ​

Placeholder

and showed ​

Placeholder

. It became more of a ​

Placeholder

based system.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

social

battle

skill

merit

hierarchical

economic

theatre

education

Reorder

Put the changes for the Samurai in order

• They were controlled by their daimyo and didn't have a lot of power

• They were more independent and became powerful daimyo

• The power of the shogun weakened and the daimyo had more power

1

2

3

• 1
• 2
• 3

​Ōnin War, (May 1467–77)

The Onin War marked the end of centralised authority of the Shogun. The war was between two samurai families close to the Ashikaga Shogun. There was a dispute about the succession of the next Shogun. When the fighting began, Kyoto was destroyed and the power of the Shogun significantly weakened. Other daimyo saw the opportunity to take more power and this led to the Warring States Period (Sengoku). Feudal loyalties broke down and lack of central control led to fighting between hundreds of daimyo. Eventually, three powerful daimyo: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu gradually unified Japan.

Multiple Select

What were the causes of the Onin War? (More than one correct answer)

• The Mongol invasion had caused tensions between the daimyo

• Two Samurai families disputed the succession of the Shogun

• The Samurai couldn't agree on how to follow the Bushido Code

• The power of the Shogun was weakening and the daimyo were getting stronger

Multiple Choice

When did the Onin War take place?

• 1467 to 1477

• 1345 to 1378

• 1578 to 1598

• 1234 to 1276

Open Ended

What were the main changes that happened during the Ashikaga Shogunate?

Think of three