The Japans (balanized Japan PoD?)

How far back would one have to go, and what would be a good point of departure from the historical timeline, in order for Japan not to be a unified country, but instead several independent ones?
 
Not far at all, since for a size able period it was a unified state in name only. Have something like a decimation of the Imperial family (perhaps by a movement like the Ikko-Ikki) and the Clans could drop the pretenses of being united at all.

Although the chances of it being united by some charismatic warlord or a foreign empire get progressively higher as we approach the nineteenth century.
 
THe SEngoku period is another great time for a POD. If you butterfly away Oda Nobunaga then Japan could remain divided well into the 1800's. By then the western powers will be there and picking sides. You'd be looking at a big proxy war.
 
THe SEngoku period is another great time for a POD. If you butterfly away Oda Nobunaga then Japan could remain divided well into the 1800's. By then the western powers will be there and picking sides. You'd be looking at a big proxy war.

A very good point, although there is a likelyhood that Japan will remain "united" under the empire despite the lack of a reigning Shogun or Regent, which may or may not be an issue for the OP.
 
Do you mean a Japan that can still be considered politically and culturally Japanese, but divided into different units in a Balkanized fashion? Or do you mean several different countries in Japan the way there are several different countries in Europe? The latter would require a point of divergence probably in 500 CE at latest.
 
A very good point, although there is a likelyhood that Japan will remain "united" under the empire despite the lack of a reigning Shogun or Regent, which may or may not be an issue for the OP.
That could be "remedied" by having the empire split by local warlords using rival pretenders for the imperial throne as puppets. Don't know whether that really would be worth the bother, though, with the Emperor being such a politically weak figure during that period.
 
Even if you butterfly Oda away there are still a number of Warlords who had the talent and resources to unify Japan during the Sengoku period. Takeda springs to mind, as does Uesugi.
 
Even if you butterfly Oda away there are still a number of Warlords who had the talent and resources to unify Japan during the Sengoku period. Takeda springs to mind, as does Uesugi.

Even a radical group like the Ikko or a Catholic daimyo supported by the Iberians isn't out of the question as far as unification goes. There is always a strong chance for SOMEONE to unite the realm. Especially during the Ran no Jidai.
 
there's also the possibility to have a republic of japan and a peoples republic of japan exist next to each other if ww2 turns really ugly in far east.

but that would be after 1900.
 

scholar

Banned
How far back would one have to go, and what would be a good point of departure from the historical timeline, in order for Japan not to be a unified country, but instead several independent ones?
The idea of being Japanese was not something to be quelched easily, Japan holds the oldest surviving Dynasty in existence and were revered as virtual Gods. You could not oppose the Emperor until well after the Europeans arrived if you wished to survive very long.

That said it is more than possible for dozens, even hundreds, of little statelets to form during any time from the Onin War to the Meiji. After that? Virtually None without foreign intervention. Its the getting over the Emperor part that's going to be difficult. Maybe a demi-commonwealth? Daimyo and Shugo become independent hereditary kingdoms that still bow down symbolically to the Emperor?
 
The problem with using the Takeda is a matter of when, If we have a situatiion where Nobunaga dies at Okehazama their's not much Shingen can do when Yoshimoto Imagawa is his brother, and his son's father in law. Even if Shingen did decide to breake the alliance with Imagawa he would have to worry about the Hojo who is allied with both taking a side, not to mention the Uesugi may join in.

A good POD could be Nobunaga dying at Okehazama if at least everything goes OTL for the Chosokabe and Shimazu save no power getting strong enough to stop we Could have a Japan with the Shimazu and Chosokabe holding Kyushu and Shikoku respectively. As for Honshu we could a bunch of regional powers in the area, but the question would be how to make not become too strong.
 
You could have two states after a Soviet Invasion of Japan in W.W.2, Norht Japan, and South Japan, you could also have North Tokyo as a West Berlin annalogue.
 
I was also wondering what a good PoD would be to have three Japanese states: a Satsuma Republic, a Choshu Republic and an Ezo Republic. Could it be just after the Meiji Restoration?
 
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