The Kamakura, Muromachi, and Azuchi Momoyama periods were the three major periods of feudal Japan’s history. The daimyo were in constant competition with each other for land and power, and the samurai were often caught in the middle of these conflicts. The relationship between the emperor and the shogun was a contentious one, and the shogun often acted independently of the emperor. The daimyo were powerful landowners, and the samurai were their warrior retainers. The emperor was at the top of the hierarchy, followed by the shogun, who was the supreme military leader. The feudal system in Japan was organized around a complex set of relationships between the emperor, the shogun, the daimyo, and the samurai.
