Sekigahara, the battle of the Samurai

The shape of Japan’s internal politics and the country’s response to external influences for centuries can be traced back to the choices of two warlords and a decisive battle. What was the Edo Period and how did it mold Japanese society?

• 1597, a Japanese general, barely 15 years old, is humiliated by a military defeat. His name is Hideaki.

• October 21 1600, in the heat of battle, General Ieyasu orders his archers to shoot upon an indecisive ally.

• 3 years later, Ieyasu becomes Shogun, the uncontested leader of the entire Japanese people.

These 3, intimately connected events will lead to a united Japan and two hundred and fifty years of civil peace.