The last man standing: causes of daimyo survival in sixteenth century Japan

Abstract

The Warring States period is often characterized as random and chaotic - an incomprehensible series of battles from which a victor finally emerged. While there was a degree of unpredictability in Warring States conflict, this thesis argues that the period followed a fundamentally comprehensible course. Emphasizing the chaos of battle obscures underlying factors which set the course of Warring States conflict, politics, and economics. By systematically examining geographic, political, economic, and military factors it can be shown that the Warring States period proceeded more logically than has been assumed. This research identifies patterns in Warring States Japan and seeks to answer the question, "why did some daimyo survive while others did not" I argue that survival during the Warring States period was more heavily influenced by geographic and political factors than by military and economic factors. Though touted as powerful warlords who controlled their own destiny, in reality, factors largely beyond the daimyo's control were most responsible for his survival or e1imination.