Also known as: Ashikaga-jidai

The period of Japanese history stretching from approximately 1336 to 1573 when the Muromachi/Ashikaga Shogun ruled Japan. The first part of the era, from 1336 to 1392, were the Nanboku-chou, or Northern and Southern Court Period, while the second part was the Sengoku Period. The era started when Ashikaga Takauji deposed Emperor Go-Daigo, forming the shogun's court in the north and the emperor's new court in the south. Succession rivalry in the Ashikaga family resulted in the Ounin no Ran, leading to the rise to power of local warlords and the chaos of the Sengoku. The era ended when Oda Nobunaga drove the last Ashikaga Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, out of Kyoto.