The 16th century saw the rise of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who were instrumental in unifying Japan under a centralized government.

The Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a famous example of Japanese Buddhist architecture.

The earliest known Japanese animation was produced in 1907, and the first feature-length anime film was released in 1945.