Timeline of Key Events in Shogun Japan (1185–1868)

By ZacSt
  • 1853 BCE

    Opening of Japan (end of isolation)

    Western nations forced Japan to open trade, leading to the fall of the shogunate.
  • 1639 BCE

    Sakoku – Japan’s isolation policy

    Japan closed itself off to foreign contact, banning Christianity and trade with most nations.
  • 1603 BCE

    Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes shogun (start of Edo period)

    Began the Tokugawa Shogunate, a time of peace, order, and isolation.
  • 1603 BCE

    Bushido code becomes central to samurai life

    The samurai code of honour and loyalty guided behaviour and social expectations.
  • 1590 BCE

    Toyotomi Hideyoshi completes Japan’s unification

    Finished the unification process and implemented strict social rules
  • 1568 BCE

    Oda Nobunaga unifies much of Japan

    Powerful warlord who began Japan’s unification using advanced military tactics.
  • 1549 BCE

    Arrival of Christian missionaries (Francis Xavier)

    Christianity was introduced to Japan, leading to cultural exchange and later suppression.
  • 1467 BCE

    Onin War and the start of the Sengoku Period

    A civil war between powerful daimyo that plunged Japan into chaos for over 100 years.
  • 1338 BCE

    Ashikaga Shogunate begins

    Ashikaga Takauji took power, marking a new shogunate after the fall of Kamakura rule.
  • 1274 BCE

    The Mongol Invasions of Japan

    Mongol forces tried to invade Japan but were defeated, partly due to “divine winds.”
  • 1186 BCE

    Minamoto no Yoritomo becomes the first shogun

    Established Japan’s first military government and began the shogunate system.
  • 1185 BCE

    Introduction of Zen Buddhism

    A new branch of Buddhism that influenced the samurai’s focus on discipline and meditation
  • 794 BCE

    Rise of the Samurai Class

    Samurai became the dominant warrior class, holding power and social prestige.