Information Revolution

Because the term ÔSengokuÕ means warring states, people are apt to think of it as a time of incessant fighting and violence. But there is much more to be said. Of course, the wars were real enough, with its sudden rise, and then cutting off, of heroes and common people, but this was also the age when the tea ceremony came into being, and noh theatre emerged, and there was also kabuki dancing. Painting was of a high level, mostly taking the form of lavish golden interiors. Costume too centred around the kosode, and the notion of fashion became important to peopleÕs lives. In the economic sphere, the removal of local tax stations, which had impeded movement of goods, allowed for increased circulation, and most of the restrictive guilds were abolished. ÔFree marketsÕ (rakuichi) were established. There was a general move from a closed to an open market model. Massive building was undertaken to construct castles, and then to order the cities that sprang up around them. This was a stimulus to carpentry.
In short, Sengoku was an open and an international age. It can be thought of as a time of expanding knowledge, and it displays many of the feature we would associate with an Ôinformation revolutionÕ.
The growth of cities and the improvement of transport were the bases for change. They account for how information was gathered and diffused. Denser populations within the castle towns, and the constant coming and going of traders from surrounding regions, accounted for the rise of money, with which goods and information might be purchased. Transport infrastructure was built and maintained, and networks extended out over land and water, bringing and collecting information.
The role of the Portuguese fathers, and the merchants who came with them, was crucial too. They introduced European practices in economics and technology, which we can think of as aspects of information. And it was not only Europe: China and the Korean peninsular were linked in, and indeed much of South East Asia, with goods coming and going. From the twin categories of technology and information we can construct a notion for this period of the information revolution. The daimyo states were semi-autonomous, and thought had to be given to their defence but also to their connections with the surrounding states. The economies were not separate but formed a web. Local cities concentrated resources for development - retainers, merchants and artisans. Roads were made to pass through the cities, and rivers and other obstacles were bridged. In the East a post-horse system was set up, and in the West there were ferries. The old mediaeval structure was thoroughly overhauled. Under Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, the largest cities yet known came into being, at Azuchi and then even more at Osaka. These were only possible with the new unification of the states. The cities were hubs for information exchange. Kyoto, where the court resided, was extensively remodel by Hideyoshi, and expanded it, and revived it as a central political capital. Many daimyo constructed Ôlittle KyotosÕ as the capitals of their own states. Kyoto was a symbol of authority, but also a centre for information.
International trade flourished with markets like this available. Semi-piratical traders had plied between the Continent and Japan since Kamakura times, and they brought goods from Korean and Ming China. But now there were the much larger Portuguese ships, coming in the wake of Christian missionaries. The shock must have been palpable. Nobunaga and the daimyo were excited and interested in the outside world, and notable were the Western daimyo from Kyushu, who welcomed ships into their ports, for profit and enlightenment. Hirado, Yakose and Nagasaki became major entrepots, to be later joined by Sakai and Hakata as the top trading cities.
The role of imported guns cannot be omitted. They were replicated soon after the first imports, and spread throughout Japan. This took warfare into a new era. Also of significance was the introduction of Chinese systems of metal refining. Japan was very rich in silver, which was the chief trading good, and the reason for so many foreign ships arriving. The Portuguese acted as middlemen, stimulating a general Asian trade, with Japanese silver.
The Christians open seminaries in various parts of the country, expounding many new theories and ideas. Many people were converted, including several daimyo. Three Christian daimyo - Arima, Otomo and Omura - joined forces and sent an embassy to Rome, where they encountered at first hand Renaissance culture, and returned to Japan with that symbol of new information circulation - a printing press.
So, there is very much more to the Sengoku Period than just war. It was a time of intellectual and technological ferment, coming from both within the Japanese states and from abroad. Great vessels plied the seas, making this one of the prime transitional moments in history.