Sengoku period The or the Warring States Period in Japan ese history was a time of social upheaval , political intrigue , and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century . Its name is a reference to the Warring States period in ancient China , and it is sometimes called by that name in English . The Sengoku period in Japan would eventually lead to the unification of political power under the Tokugawa shogunate . Although the Ashikaga shogunate had retained the structure of the Kamakura " bakufu " and instituted a warrior government based on the same social economic rights and obligations established by the Hōjō with the " Jōei " Code in 1232 , it failed to win the loyalty of many daimyo , especially those whose domains were far from Kyoto . As trade with China grew , the economy developed , and the use of money became widespread as markets and commercial cities appeared . This , combined with developments in agriculture and small - scale trading , led to the desire for greater local autonomy throughout all levels of the social hierarchy . As early as the beginning of the 15th century , the suffering caused by earthquakes and famines often served to trigger armed uprisings by farmers weary of debt and taxes . The Ōnin War ( 1467 – 1477 ) , a conflict rooted in economic distress and brought on by a dispute over shogunal succession , is generally regarded as the onset of the Sengoku period . The " eastern " army of the Hosokawa family and its allies clashed with the " western " army of the Yamana . Fighting in and around Kyoto lasted for nearly 11 years , leaving the city almost completely destroyed . The conflict in Kyoto then spread to outlying provinces . The period culminated with a series of three warlords , Oda Nobunaga , Toyotomi Hideyoshi , and Tokugawa Ieyasu , who gradually unified Japan . After Tokugawa Ieyasu ' s final victory at the siege of Osaka in 1615 , Japan settled down into several centuries of peace under the Tokugawa Shogunate . " Gekokujō " . The upheaval resulted in the further weakening of central authority , and throughout Japan regional lords , or " daimyo " , rose to fill the vacuum . In the course of this power shift , well established clans such as the Takeda and the Imagawa , who had ruled under the authority of both the Kamakura and Muromachi " bakufu " , were able to expand their spheres of influence . There were many , however , whose positions eroded and were eventually usurped by more capable underlings . This phenomenon of social meritocracy , in which capable subordinates rejected the status quo and forcefully overthrew an emaciated aristocracy , became known as , which literally means " low conquers high . " One of the earliest instances of this phenomenon was Hōjō Sōun , who rose from relatively humble origins and eventually seized power in Izu province in 1493 . Building on the accomplishments of Sōun , the Late Hōjō clan remained a major power in the Kantō region until its subjugation by Toyotomi Hideyoshi late in the Sengoku period . Other notable examples include the supplanting of the Hosokawa clan by the Miyoshi , the Toki by the Saito , the Shiba clan by the Oda clan , which was in turn replaced by its underling , Toyotomi Hideyoshi , a son of a peasant with no family name . Well organized religious groups also gained political power at this time by uniting farmers in resistance and rebellion against the rule of the daimyo . The monks of the Buddhist True Pure Land sect formed numerous " Ikkō - ikki " , the most successful of which , in Kaga Province , remained independent for nearly 100 years . Unification . After nearly a century and a half of political instability and warfare , Japan was on the verge of unification by Oda Nobunaga , who had emerged from obscurity in the province of Owari ( present - day Aichi Prefecture ) to dominate central Japan , when in 1582 Oda himself fell as victim to the treachery of one of his own generals , Akechi Mitsuhide . This in turn provided Toyotomi Hideyoshi , who had risen through the ranks from " ashigaru " ( footsoldier ) to become one of Oda ' s most trusted generals , with the opportunity to establish himself as Oda ' s successor . Toyotomi eventually consolidated his control over the remaining " daimyo " and , although he was ineligible for the title of " Seii Taishogun " because of his common birth , ruled as " Kampaku " . During his short reign as Kampaku , Toyotomi attempted two invasions of Korea . The first spanning from 1592 - 1593 was only partially successful , and the second beginning in 1594 enjoyed much success until Toyotomi ' s call for retreat from Korea on his deathbed in 1598 . When , in 1598 , Toyotomi died without leaving a capable successor , the country was once again thrust into political turmoil , and this time it was Tokugawa Ieyasu who took advantage of the opportunity . Toyotomi had on his deathbed appointed a group of the most powerful lords in Japan — Tokugawa , Maeda , Ukita , Uesugi , Mōri — to govern as the Council of Five Regents until his infant son , Hideyori , came of age . An uneasy peace lasted until the death of Maeda Toshiie in 1599 . Thereafter , Ishida Mitsunari accused Tokugawa of disloyalty to the Toyotomi name . This precipitated a crisis that led to the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 , a battle occurring simultaneously with the " Siege of Ueda " , with the land of Japan divided east , where Tokugawa laid in wait , and west , where Ishida ' s forces operated . Generally regarded as the last major conflict of the Sengoku period , Tokugawa ' s victory at Sekigahara effectively marked the end of the Toyotomi reign , the last remnants of which were finally destroyed in the Siege of Osaka in 1615 . Tokugawa Ieyasu received the title " Seii Taishogun " in 1603 , and abdicated in favour of his son Tokugawa Hidetada in 1605 ( while retaining real control himself ) , to emphasize the family ' s hereditary hold on the post ; he thereby established Japan ' s final shogunate , which lasted until the Meiji Restoration in 1868 . The contrasting personalities of the three leaders who contributed the most to Japan ' s final unification — Oda , Toyotomi , and Tokugawa — are encapsulated in a series of three well known " senryū " : Notable people . Daimyo . Oda , known for his ruthlessness , is the subject of the first ; Toyotomi , known for his resourcefulness , is the subject of the second ; and Tokugawa , known for his perseverance , is the subject of the third verse . Other notable daimyo include : Popular culture . The Sengoku period has been used as the setting for a myriad of books , films , anime , and video games . It also bears some parallels with the American westerns ; Akira Kurosawa ' s " Seven Samurai " , for example , was remade in a western setting as " The Magnificent Seven " . The anime and manga series " InuYasha " is set in this period despite some moments that were set in the modern era . The computer games " " and " " are set during the Sengoku period . The game allows for you to choose between several clans vying for the Shogun ' s seat of power . Amongst these are the famous clans Tokugawa , Oda , Hojo and Takeda .