- The unification of Japan in the late 1500s led to the establishmentof a military government led by a shogun, which brought nearly 300years of peace and stability to the nation (the Pax Tokugawa).- Their policies promoted isolation and regulated contact with foreigners.- Shoguns (supreme military rulers) sought to centralize their authority and maintain stability.- In prior periods, a decentralized feudal structure had allowed for the daimyo (landowning families) to gain power and rule independent of the emperor; shoguns centralized authority and thus took power away from the daimyo.- Daimyo estates were broken up, and attendance at the imperial court in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) was required; daimyo needed the permission of the shogun to marry and even to repair their castles. Such efforts were reflective of a trend in this time period to consolidate and centralize authority.- Salaried samurai were an elite class of warriors loyal to the shogun and played a role in enforcing the policies of the shogun.

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