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Hello and welcome to the history of Japan podcast, episode 275, The House of Cards, Part 3. This week, I want to move us away from court politics for a bit.

These are, of course, critically important to understanding the Ashkaga era, but they aren't all that's

happening during this time.

So today we will turn our attention to three areas of Muromachi society, religion, art,

and the economy, in an effort to explain what is probably on its face the strangest thing

about this whole period.

You see, despite all of the war,

it's also a period of remarkable social flourishing. So first, religion, and this is where

...