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The period known as the Muromachi period (1336-1573) in Japan, led by the Ashikaga Shogunate, was one of great popular unrest. Powerful uprisings and battles were common in this era causing the warrior and fighting to become the focus of life and the determinate of ones survival, class, and position in society. Daimyos created armies and attempted to fight for land to gain more power. Armies grew larger and war technology advanced and the hunger for wealth and power increased. In order to deal with new war technology the Japanese began to build castles. These castles are known to represent one of the best and noteworthy types of architecture in Japan. They had “moats filled with blue placid water lined by massive stone walls, and towering high above them all, lofty structures marked by white walls” (Orui, pg. 9). Castles were home to daimyo’s and warriors, acting as the center of power and defense of a particular region of the nation. The wealthier a daimyo was, the bigger his castle was, and thus there was a better chance of defeating the “enemy”. During the end of this period, a man by the name of Oda Nobunaga was a key factor to the unification of Japan. Oda Nobunaga was a fearless and audacious warrior: “Ruthlessly taking over his neighbors he controlled the majority of his province” (www.Japan-Guide.com). His surprise attacks and defeats created many allies for him and paved the way to take the capital, Kyoto in 1565. After Oda Nobunaga charged the capital and took control of it, he became the most powerful man in Japan. His mission now became to unify the country during the period of unification known as the Momoyama Period (approx. 1568-1615). Certain Buddhist sects were not very favorable about Nobunaga’s idea of unification, especially the Tendai and Ikko sects (Chang, pg 2). After 10 years of fighting, in 1580 Oda finally defeated the Ikko sect and achieved the surrender of the fortress monastery of Hongan-ji at Osaka, “the most important political and military center of the Ikko” (Chang, pg 2), which is an important concept to keep in mind about the construction of Osaka Castle..
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