Home Region: Northeast Asia (East Asia)

Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama

1568 CE 1603 CE

D G SC WF R CC

EQ 2020 jp_azuchi_momoyama / JpAzMom

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

[continuity; Japan - Sengoku Jidai] [continuity] Update here

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

1603 CE 1868 CE Tokugawa Shogunate (jp_tokugawa_shogunate) [continuity]

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General Description

The Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1603 CE), also known as the Shokuho period, is named for the castles built by the warrior rulers Oda Nobunaga (Azuchi) and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Momoyama). ^[1] The Azuchi-Momoyama period marked the beginning of a process of national unification after the disorder of the Warring States period. ^[2] The period starts with the rise to power of the military commander and regional lord Oda Nobunaga. With his defeat of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he set about bringing the lesser daimyō (lords) under the control of a single military command. ^[3] ^[1] In 1568 Nobunaga marched on, and occupied, the imperial capital of Kyoto, gaining effective control of the government. ^[1]
After the death of Nobunaga in 1582, his general Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued this process, gaining control of most of Japan by 1590 CE. In an attempt to expand Japan’s territory overseas, Hideyoshi led two unsuccessful invasions of Korea in 1592 and 1597. ^[1] Hideyoshi’s death in 1598, leaving a council of lords in charge until his young son came of age, sparked off a succession struggle. The general Tokugawa Ieyasu, a former ally of Oda Nobunaga, emerged victorious from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, cementing his power. After his victory, he was appointed shogun in 1603, founding the Tokugawa Shogunate which would dominate Japan for the next 200 years. ^[4]
Population and political organization
While the generals Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu consolidated power into a military confederation, the emperor remained the nominal head of state throughout the period. ^[5] Although the older social order remained largely intact, with peasants subservient to feudal lords, Oda Nobunaga’s policy of annexing lands and awarding them to his loyal retainers reshaped the power relations between lords and enabled the consolidation of his own power. ^[3] Toyotomi Hideyoshi was instrumental in creating a strict and finely graded social hierarchy of warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants, a structure that would be institutionalized in the succeeding Tokugawa period. ^[2]
Population estimates for the area under Azuchi-Momoyama control range from roughly 17 million in 1500 CE to 22 million in 1600 CE. ^[6] The imperial capital, Kyoto, remained the largest settlement with approximately 300,000 inhabitants. ^[7]

[1]: (Deal 2005, 11) William E. Deal. 2005. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[2]: (Deal 2005, 12) William E. Deal. 2005. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[3]: (Hall 2008, 1) John Whitney Hall. 2008. ’Introduction’, in The Cambridge History of Japan, Vol. 4: Early Modern Japan, edited by Kozo Yamamura, 1-39. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[4]: (Deal 2005, 12, 17) William E. Deal. 2005. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[5]: (Deal 2005, 3) William E. Deal. 2005. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[6]: (McEvedy and Jones 1978, 181) Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones. 1978. Atlas of World Population History. London: Penguin Books.

[7]: (Chandler 1987) Tertius Chandler. 1987. Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

3 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Suprapolity Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

2 Polity Succession

2 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Population of the Largest Settlement

1 Polity Territory

2 Polity Population

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

1 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

Law

1 Professional Lawyer

1 Judge

1 Formal Legal Code

1 Court

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Food Storage Site

1 Drinking Water Supply System

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

1 Canal

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

1 Mines or Quarry

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Non Phonetic Writing

1 Mnemonic Device

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Practical Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Token

1 Precious Metal

1 Paper Currency

2 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

1 Article

Information / Postal System

1 Postal Station

1 General Postal Service

1 Courier

Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

1 Wooden Palisade

1 Stone Walls Non Mortared

1 Stone Walls Mortared

1 Settlements in a Defensive Position

1 Modern Fortification

1 Moat

1 Fortified Camp

1 Earth Rampart

1 Ditch

1 Complex Fortification

1 Long Wall

Military use of Metals

1 Steel

1 Iron

1 Copper

1 Bronze

Projectiles

1 Tension Siege Engine

1 Sling Siege Engine

1 Sling

1 Self Bow

1 Javelin

1 Handheld Firearm

1 Gunpowder Siege Artillery

1 Crossbow

1 Composite Bow

1 Atlatl

Handheld weapons

1 War Club

1 Sword

1 Spear

1 Polearm

1 Dagger

1 Battle Axe

Animals used in warfare

1 Horse

1 Elephant

1 Donkey

1 Dog

1 Camel

Armor

1 Wood Bark Etc

1 Shield

1 Scaled Armor

1 Plate Armor

1 Limb Protection

1 Leather Cloth

1 Laminar Armor

1 Helmet

1 Chainmail

1 Breastplate

Naval technology

1 Specialized Military Vessel

1 Small Vessels Canoes Etc

1 Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases

1 Crisis Consequence

Power Transitions

3 Power Transition

Instability Events

8 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama) was in:
(1568 CE 1602 CE)	Kansai

Home NGA: Kansai

General Variables

Identity and Location Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	53 S	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Original Name	Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Capital	Kyoto	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Alternative Name	Shokuho Period	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Alternative Name	Momoyama Period	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Alternative Name	Unification Period	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Temporal Bounds Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Duration	[1568 CE ➜ 1603 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	none	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Supracultural Entity	Japanese	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Tokugawa Shogunate	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Succeeding Entity 1603 CE 1868 CE	Tokugawa Shogunate (jp_tokugawa_shogunate) [continuity]
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Preceding Entity	continuity; Japan - Sengoku Jidai [continuity] Update here
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Degree of Centralization	loose	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Degree of Centralization	quasi-polity	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Language Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Japonic	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Language	Middle Japanese	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Religion Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	300,000 people	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Polity Territory	295,000 km²	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Polity Population	17,000,000 people	1568 CE 1600 CE
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Polity Population	22,000,000 people	1600 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	5	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Religious Level	[2 to 3]	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Military Level	5	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Administrative Level	[4 to 6]	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Professions Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Law Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Judge	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Court	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Irrigation System	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Port	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Canal	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Bridge	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Information / Writing System Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Script	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Unknown	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Practical Literature	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Philosophy	Absent Inferred	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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History	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Fiction	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Calendar	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Information / Money Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Unknown	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Precious Metal	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Absent	1568 CE 1587 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	1588 CE 1603 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Article	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Information / Postal System Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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General Postal Service	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Courier	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Information / Measurement System Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Absent	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Modern Fortification	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moat	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Fortified Camp	Absent Inferred	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Ditch	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Complex Fortification	Present Inferred	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Long Wall	unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Military use of Metals Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Iron	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Copper	Present Inferred	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Bronze	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Projectiles Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Sling	Absent	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Self Bow	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Javelin	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Crossbow	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Composite Bow	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Atlatl	Absent Inferred	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Handheld weapons Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Present Inferred	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Sword	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Spear	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Polearm	Absent	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Dagger	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Battle Axe	Present Inferred	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Animals used in warfare Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Elephant	Absent	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Donkey	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Dog	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Camel	Absent	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Armor Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Shield	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Scaled Armor	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Plate Armor	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Limb Protection	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Laminar Armor	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Helmet	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Chainmail	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Breastplate	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Naval technology Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Unknown Suspected	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Absent	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Present	1568 CE 1603 CE
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Human Sacrifice Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama (jp_azuchi_momoyama)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More