Ōnin War

The Ōnin War was a Japanese civil war fought mainly in Kyoto from 1467 to 1477. A dispute over succession within the Ashikaga shogunate helped trigger it, and its devastation weakened shogunal authority and opened the way to the Sengoku period.

Ashikaga Yoshimasa: The eighth Ashikaga shogun, whose succession arrangements helped precipitate the Ōnin War. His indecision over his heir and brother left rival factions competing for succession.
Ashikaga Shogunate: The military government that ruled Japan under the Ashikaga family from 1336 to 1573. Its weakening authority made the shogunal succession a contest with consequences beyond the capital.
Sengoku period: A period of Japanese history marked by prolonged warfare among rival daimyo, conventionally dated from the late fifteenth to late sixteenth century. The war's aftermath helped create the fragmented political order associated with this period.
Hana-no-Gosho: The Ashikaga shoguns' Kyoto residence, also known as the Muromachi palace. Its location within the capital's contested districts placed shogunal rule amid the fighting.
Ashikaga Yoshimi: A younger brother of Ashikaga Yoshimasa who became a claimant to the shogunate. Hosokawa Katsumoto backed him against the heir supported by Yamana Sōzen.
Ashikaga Yoshimasa's succession: The disputed transfer of authority from Ashikaga Yoshimasa to either his brother Yoshimi or his son Yoshihisa. The unresolved succession supplied the immediate pretext for factional mobilization.
Kyoto: A Japanese city that served as the imperial capital for much of the country's premodern history. Years of combat and destruction in the capital revealed the war's cost to urban life.
Kamigyo: The northern part of Kyoto's historic urban area, traditionally associated with the imperial court and aristocratic residences. It became a major zone of fighting and destruction during the war.
Ashikaga Yoshihisa: The son of Ashikaga Yoshimasa who became the ninth Ashikaga shogun. Yamana Sōzen supported his claim, making him the rival claimant to Yoshimi.
Hosokawa clan: A Japanese warrior family that held major offices and territories under the Ashikaga shogunate. The clan's rivalry with the Yamana helped turn succession claims into a military conflict.

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