Miyamoto Musashi was born in 1584, in a Japan struggling to recover from more than four centuries of internal conflict. The traditional rule of emperors had been overthrown by the 12th century, and although each successive emperor remained the figurehead of Japan, his powers were greatly reduced. Since then, Japan has experienced an almost continuous civil war between provincial lords, warrior monks, and bandits, all fighting for land and power. In the 15th and 16th centuries, lords, called daimyo, built huge stone castles for protection and their lords and castle towns outside the walls began to grow. These wars naturally limited the growth of trade and impoverished the entire country. However, in 1573, a man, Oda Nobunga, came to prominence in Japan. He became Shogun, or military dictator, and for nine years managed to take control of almost the entire country. When Nobunga was assassinated in 1582, a commoner took over the government. Toyotomi Hideyoshi continues the work of unifying Japan begun by Nobunaga, ruthlessly eliminating all traces of insurrection. He reignited the old divide between Japan's warriors - the samurai - and the commoners by introducing restrictions on the wearing of swords. "Hideyoshi's Sword Hunt", as it was called, meant that only samurai were allowed to carry two swords, the short one that everyone could carry and the long one that distinguished the samurai from the rest of the population. Although Hideyoshi did much to settle Japan and increase trade with the outside world, at the time of his death in 1598, internal unrest had not yet been completely eliminated. The true isolation and unification of Japan began with the inauguration of the great Tokugawa reign. In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu, a former associate of Hideyoshi and Nobunaga, officially became Shogun of Japan, after defeating Hideyoshi's son Hideyori at the Battle of Seki ga Hara. Ieyasu established his government in Edo, now Tokyo, where he had enormous power. castle. It was a stable and peaceful government that began a period in Japanese history that lasted until the Imperial Restoration of 1868, for although Ieyasu himself died in 1616, members of his family succeeded one another and the title of Shogun became practically hereditary for the Tokugawa. .Ieyasu was determined to ensure his and his family's dictatorship. To this end, he pretended to support the Kyoto Emperor, who remained the titular leader of Japan, while reducing his duties and involvement in government..