Internal Conflict

By the early 1200's, Japan's political situation had become highly unstable. The imperial government's influence was limited and declining. Private estate owners were struggling to retain control over their lands as the shogun's ambitious supporters expanded their influence.

The next 200 years brought waves of conflict and change. First, the Minamoto family lost its influence to members of the Hojo family, who ruled as agents in the name of the Minamoto shoguns. Then the military government in Kamakura fell to the superior force of another clan, the Ashikaga. The Ashikaga established a new military government in Kyoto in the 1330's. Gradually, the clan lost control of the nobles under its command. By the 1460's, Japan had no effective central political authority.