The Ōnin War erupted in Japan in 1467 due to a bitter succession dispute within the Ashikaga shogunate, drawing rival regional warlords (daimyo) into a catastrophic decade-long conflict. The capital city of Kyoto was almost entirely incinerated, thoroughly destroying imperial palaces, ancient temples, and vast aristocratic libraries. This devastating war shattered the central authority of the shogunate and initiated the Sengoku period, or the Age of Warring States, which brought over a century of continuous civil warfare and profound social restructuring across Japan.

The total physical destruction of Kyoto forced noble courtiers, Zen monks, and classical poets to flee into remote provincial regions, inadvertently spreading high courtly culture and literacy throughout Japan. Amidst the horrific ruins of the capital, the collaborative poetic form known as Renga (linked-verse) flourished as a vital communal escape, led by masters like Sōgi. This tragic era shifted Japanese aesthetics toward Wabi-sabi—the poignant appreciation of transience and imperfection.