INTRODUCTION

 

    Before the famous Edo Period that eventually progressed into the modern day Japan as we know it today, there was a long drawn-out war spanning the entire island. This war was known as the Warring States Period of Japan (or Sengoku Jidai in Japanese). During this period, clans of samurai warriors battled each other for supremacy, honor and power. It was a tumultuous time marked by social upheaval, political imbalance and almost constant wars and bloody battles. All of this came to an end when the Tokugawa Shogunate unified Japan, forming the Edo Period.

 

    Although the Emperor of Japan held the highest commanding power in Feudal Japan during the period, the true ruling power was delegated to the grand general of the samurai, called the Shogun. However, as the power of the local lords, the Daimyos, grew increasingly, the military power of the Shogun declined, eventually falling into complete destruction. Ever since the end of the Onin War, wars have been occurring across the country, as Daimyos fought each other to gain lands and military prowess.

 

    The period progresses towards unification with the stellar efforts of three legendary warlords, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.