The shape of Japan's internal politics and the country's response to external influences for centuries can be traced back to the choices of two warlords and a decisive battle. What was the Edo Period and how did it mold Japanese society? • 1597, a Japanese general, barely 15 years old, is humiliated by a military defeat. His name is Hideaki. • October 21 1600, in the heat of battle, General Ieyasu orders his archers to shoot upon an indecisive ally. • 3 years later, Ieyasu becomes Shogun, the uncontested leader of the entire Japanese people. These 3, intimately connected events will lead to a united Japan and two hundred and fifty years of civil peace.