Timeline of Feudal Japan

 

 

 

 

Religious Events

 

 

Date

 

Political Events

 

 

 

660BCE

 

Jimmu becomes the first Japanese emperor

Emperor Jimmu

Birth of Gautama Siddhartha / Gautama Buddha

circa

563BCE

 

 

 

 

Gautama Siddhartha's enlightenment and transformation to Gautama Buddha

circa

527BCE

 

 

 

 

Death of Gautama Buddha

circa

484BCE

 

 

 

 

1st Buddhist presence in China

65BCE

 

 

 

 

Buddhism introduced to Korea from China

372

 

 

 

 

Master Huiyuan begins the Pure Land Buddhism by establishing the White Lotus Society in China

402

 

 

 

Zen Missionary Bodhidharma travels from India to China

480

 

 

 

 

Buddhism introduced into Japan by Prince Shotoku

538

 

 

 

 

Prince Shotoku constructs Shitenno-ji Temple

593

 

 

 

Prince Shotoku constructs Horyu-ji Temple

607

 

 

 

 

Emperor Kotoku replaces Shinto with Buddhism as the official state religion

645

 

 

 


End of Early Period


/

 
Beginning of Nara Period

 

 

710

 

Imperial capital established at Nara

Publication of the Japanese Shinto creation myth in the Kojiki, “Records of Ancient Matters”

712

 

 

 

 

Master Roben introduces Chinese Huayan Buddhism to Japan where it became known as Kegon Buddhism

 

730

 

 

 

 

 

794

 

Kyoto becomes the new Imperial capital

 


End of Nara Period


/

 
Beginning of Heian Period

Master Saicho introduces Chinese TienTai Buddhism to Japan where it becam know as Tendai Buddhism

805

 

 

 

 

Master Kukai founds monastery at Mount Koya as a center for Shigon Buddhism.

819

 

 

Death of Lin-Chi (Rinzai in Japanese), the founder of the Rinzai sect of Ch'an Buddhism (Zen in Japanese).

867

 

 

 

 

 

1185

 

Minamoto Yoritomo defeats the Tiara clan in the Gempei War

 


End of Heian Period


/

 
Beginning of Karmakura Period

 

 

1192

Minamoto Yoritomo is appointed Shogun, Kamakura becomes the political capital

 

Zen Master Eisai, of the Rinzai sect establishes the first Japanese Zen temple at Shofukuji.

1195

 

 

 

 

Death of Eisai, the founder of the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism.

 

1253

 

 

 

Nichiren Shonin establishes the Nichiren School of Buddhism.

 

1253

 

 

 

 

 

1274

 

Mongols attempt 1st invasion of Japan

 

 

1281

 

Mongols attempt 2nd invasion of Japan

 

 

 

 

1333

 

Emperor Go-Daigo restores imperial civil authority

 

 


End of Karmakura Period


/

 
Beginning of Muromachi Period

 

 

1336

 

Ashikaga Takauji becomes Shogun and takes over civil authority

 

 

The first Christian (Jesuit) missionaries arrive

 

1542

 

the first Portuguese traders arrive

 

 

 

 

1543

 

Portuguese introduce firearms

 

Saint Francis Xavier arrives in Japan

 

1549

 

 

 

 

Oda Nobunaga permits Christian missionary work

 

1568

 

Oda Nobunaga seizes civil authority

 

Oda Nobunaga attacks and destroys the great Tendai monastery of Enryakuji along with its warrior monk occupants.

 

1571

 

 

 

 


End of Muromachi Period


/

 
Beginning of Azuchi-Momoyama Period

 

The last great Buddhist fortress-monastery in Osaka surrenders to Oda Nobunaga 

 

1580

 

 

 

 

Christian daimyo sends samurai envoy to Vatican

 

1582

 

General Akechi murdered Shogun Oda Nobunaga. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a general fighting for Nobunaga, reacted very quickly, defeated Akechi, and took over control of the country

 

 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi prohibited Christianity and expelled Jesuit missionaries from Japan as potentially seditious.

 

1587

 

 

 

 

 

1588

 

Hideyoshi's "Sword Hunt" edict confiscates weapons from farmers and monks

 

 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi orders Tea Master, Sen no Rikyu to commit ritual suicide.

 

1591

 

 

 

 

 

1592

 

Hideyoshi's army invades Korea

 

 

The Martyrs

First official persecution of Christians in Japan

 

1597

 

 

 

 

 

1598

 

Hideyoshi dies. Japanese army retreats from Korea.

 

 

 

 

1600

 

Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats the Hideyori loyalists and secures full political control of Japan

 

 


End of Azuchi-Momoyama Period


/

 
Beginning of Edo Period

 

 

1603

 

Ieyasu is appointed shogun and establishes the Tokugawa government in Edo (Tokyo).

 

 

 

 

1613

 

Tokugawa Ieyasu orders restrictions on the activities of the nobility, essentially limiting that class to ceremonial and aesthetic pursuits

 

 

 

 

1614

 

Tokugawa Ieyasu expels Christian missionaries and outlaws Christianity

 

 

 

 

1638

 

Portuguese traders banned from Japan.

 

 

 

 

1641

 

Dutch traders restricted to Deshima.

 

 

 

Chinese Zen missionary Ingen, arrives in Nagasaki and founds the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism.

 

1654

 

 

 

 

 

1663

 

Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu forbids foreign travel and Japan is almost completely isolated

 

 

 

1701

 

Forty-seven Ronin Incident

 

 

 

 

1720

 

Relaxation of the ban on importation of foreign books

 

 

 

 

1853

 

Commodore Perry and US Navy enter Uraga Bay

 

 

 

1854

 

2nd visit by Commodore Perry and US Navy

 

 

 

 

1860

 

Japanese embassy established in US

 

 

 


End of Edo Period


/

 
Beginning of Meiji Period

 

 

1868

 

Fall of The Togugawa Shogunate and restoration of imperial power

 

 

 

Japanese Buddhism experiences a decline as Shinto regains its status of official state religion under emperor Meiji

 

1869

 

Emperor Meiji consolidates the political and imperial capitol Yedo (Tokyo)

 

 

 

1873

 

The Japanese national government forms a conscript army

 

 

 

 

1876

 

Emperor Meiji forbids the wearing of swords and ends the special privileges of the Samurai class

 

 

 

 

1877

 

Satsuma Rebellion: Last armed insurrection by samurai is repressed

 

 


 

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