Sengoku Jidai: Age of Warring States

The origins of the Sengoku period can be traced to the gradual weakening of Ashikaga authority that had characterized the later Muromachi period, as the shogunate's ability to control the powerful shugo daimyo who governed the provinces steadily eroded throughout the 15th century. The Ashikaga shoguns had never achieved the same level of centralized control as their Kamakura predecessors, relying instead on a complex system of alliances and compromises with regional powerholders who maintained significant autonomy within their domains. This decentralized structure proved increasingly unstable as economic changes, social tensions, and succession disputes created opportunities for ambitious lords to challenge central authority and expand their own power at the expense of their neighbors.