Although these two military adventurers did not succeed in establishing new dynasties of shoguns, they stand at a crucial moment in Japanese history. Their successes paved the way for the relative tranquility of the Tokugawa era.

1. Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) (r. 1568–1582)
2. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–1598) (r. 1582–1598)

Even though westerners mistook them as shoguns, they were not actually shoguns at all.

See also

• shogun
• bakufu
• cloistered rule
• history of Japan
• lists of incumbents