ABSTRACT
Japan's medieval period as the approximately four hundred years from the late twelfth to late sixteenth centuries. As the term is commonly employed, the "medieval era" embraces at least seven overlapping subdivisions: the Kamakura age of 1180-1333; the Kenmu period of 1333-1336, or 1336-1339; the Muromachi or Ashikaga period of 1336-1573; the Northern and Southern Courts era of 1336-1392. Other subdivisions are the Onin period of 1467-1477; the Warring States period of 1477-1573; and the Azuchi-Momoyama era of 1573-1598. Two main and complementary components informed the discovery of the Japanese medieval. The first was the realization that the concept of feudalism could readily be applied to Japanese history. The second component informing the discovery of the Japanese medieval was that turning points that might delineate a distinct period and distinguish it from what preceded and what succeeded it were also readily identifiable. The extent of military violence was different in the early medieval than in the late medieval.
