Final answer:
During Japan's feudal period, powerful samurai styled as daimyos battled for territories to increase their power and formed armies. These samurai were influential warriors who played a significant role in the country's military and political spheres. The shogun, with the aid of samurai and daimyo, was the true ruler during this tumultuous time.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the feudal period in Japan, there were frequent battles between powerful samurai who began to style themselves daimyos. They fought to bring territories under their control and gain more power. These daimyos organized armies to fight for them. The samurai were not just warriors; they were also patrons of the arts and certain cultural practices. The daimyo, as lords during the 1500s, were constantly at conflict, demonstrating the feudal nature of Japanese society during that period.
In the mid- to late-Heian period, due to a weakening imperial system, regional families armed themselves, effectively becoming the samurai who defended and advanced their private interests. Eventually, they emerged as a force capable of imposing stability and wielding significant military and political influence.
The shogun, a military commander, governed Japan with the help of these samurai and their daimyo. The period of the Ashikaga shoguns, specifically the 1450-1600 period, which covers both the Muromachi and Momoyama periods, is notable for its internal strife and constant warfare among daimyo.