The Sengoku Period

Before the Sengoku Period, there was the Onin War. The Onin War was the a ten to eleven year long civil war between the Hosakawa and Yamana clans. At an unexpected turn of events, the Hosakawa found themselves controlling the Ashikaga Shogunate (the clan that handled the title of Shogun and controlling the capital of Japan, Kyoto). The Sengoku Period or sometimes referred to as the "Warring States" period was a time of chaos and discord in Japanese history. The entire country of Japan at that time was divided into provinces, controlled by clans and led by a single Daimyo.


Some famous clans at that time are as follows. The Oda clan, masters of "ashigaru" or foot soldiers. The clan's central outpost was located in Owari, in the Tokaido region. The first daimyo in the Oda clan's history was Nobuhide Oda. He would later be the father of Nobunaga Oda, a man who will play a great part in the Sengoku Period. Next is the Takeda clan, headed by none other than Shingen Takeda. Shingen was also known as the Tiger of Kai. His most prestigious, lightning paced cavalry rode Shingen and his clan to go down in history. The Uesugi Clan, led by the legendary Dragon of Echigo, Kenshin Uesugi. The long time rival of the Takeda, their battles were recorded as one of the the greatest ever to be fought. The Uesugi were the masters of faithful prayer. Those same faithful prayers made them become a force to be reckoned with. The Tokugawa clan, formely the Matsudaira and vassals of the Imagawa Clan. They were camped at the Mikawa province, dangerously facing the castle of Owari. They were led by a man with a famous name, Ieyasu Tokugawa. The patience of Ieyasu made him one of the very last men standing, and made him a super power yet to be dealt with.

This era lasted for more than a hundred years. A hundred plus years of bloodshed and chaos to Japan. As many different clans clash to fight for the name of Shogun, no man woman of child is safe from harm. At the very end, one man is left standing, one man uniting Japan, and one man to control it all.