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This period started with the capital being moved and concluded with the Genpei war.
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In 794 the Emperor Kammu moved the imperial capital from Nara to Heian-kyo, now known as Kyoto. This signified the beginning of the Heian period.
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The Genpei War was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late-Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, governing Japan as a military dictator.
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In 1192, Minamoto no Yoritomo was awarded the highest military rank in Japan, Sei-i Taishōgun. Yoritomo established the position as a hereditary system, passing the title on to his elder son Yoriie and then his younger son after that. Yoshitomo, however, with his new title and military government based in Kamakura, held military and administrative control of the country.
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The Muromachi period of feudal Japan was under the rule of the Muromachi shogunate. This period in Japan’s history was marked by a great deal of political unrest, but was also a time of significant cultural growth, particularly under the influence of Zen Buddhism. During the Muromachi period, the regional warlords, known as daimyō, gained a great deal of power, which, in turn, reduced the power of the shogun. This is also known as the Ashikaga Shogunate.
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The Azuchi Momoyama period of feudal Japan t was a time when society became unified under the daimyō Oda Nobunaga. It was Nobunaga, along with his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, that was responsible for unifying all provinces in Japan under the control of the central government. The Azuchi Momoyama period was a time of flamboyance and luxury. During this time, the building of many substantial castles and mansions replaced the traditional temple architecture.
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Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed as the shogun by the emperor and became the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan. This time was known as the Edo period, it was a characteristically peaceful time of great prosperity. It was also during the Tokugawa Shogunate that a strict class system was imposed, which largely cut Japanese society off from the rest of the world.