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Sengoku & Azuchi-Momoyama
1467 – 1603. Warlords, guns, castles and three men who united Japan.
1467 – 1590s
The Warring States: When Everyone Wanted to Be Boss
Why Japan fell apart after the Ōnin War, and how daimyō turned castle towns into mini-countries.
1543 – 1630s
Guns, Missionaries and Funny-Looking Ships
The Portuguese arrive with muskets and Christianity, and Japan changes the rules of war.
1534 – 1582
Oda Nobunaga: The Warlord Who Broke the Rules
From a surprise win at Okehazama to a burning temple, the life of Japan's most dramatic warlord.
1537 – 1598
Toyotomi Hideyoshi: From Sandal-Bearer to Ruler of Japan
The farmer's son who united Japan, built Osaka Castle, hunted swords and threw the biggest cherry-blossom party ever.
1600
Sekigahara: The Battle That Decided Everything
One misty morning in 1600 decided who would rule Japan for the next 260 years.
c. 1550 – 1615 (peak)
Castles 101: How to Read a Japanese Castle (and Where to Find the Real Ones)
Stone walls, moats, secret gates and a tour of Japan's twelve surviving original keeps.