Azores War (No America)

Following Columbus' original arrival in Japan, the Shogun was worried by these new lands to the west.

Then, the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane organized his troops in Kyoto, prepared to travel to Europe and "make the white men response for their invasion to the motherland". In January 1495, the fleet arrived in the Azores. The Shogun was hopeful that he would be the first Japanese to conquer land in Europe, which would give him the recognition he was looking for, and no one would defy the Shogunate again.

Before February, the Japanese conquered Corvo, and at the end of that month, they controlled the archipelago from Flored to Terceira. The governor sent a letter from São Miguel, urging on the King to send re-inforcements. The letter arrived Lisbon at the middle of March, while the Japanese were besieging the last resistance on the island of Santa Maria; specifically, the port of Plata Hermosa.

The King of Portugal, by this time John II of Avis, ordered to recover the Azores from the Ashikagas as soon as possible. At the end of April, the troops set sail from Setubal, at the command of James, 4th Duke of Braganza. They landed a week later, taking Vila do Porto and forcing the Japanese to retreat and refuge themselves from the Portuguese offensive.

In Japan, Hosokawa Masamoto, deputy of the Shogun, proclaimed Ashikaga Yoshizumi as his puppet Shogun. The loyalist Hatakeyma Masanaga attempted to stop the coup d'état, but he was betrayed by a faction of his own clan. With enemies everywhere, Yoshitane returned home with most of his army, leaving a part on Azores to fight Braganza's armies.

Knowing the news of the land of the Rising Sun, through spies and prisoners, James thought that it might be a good idea try to ally with the enemies of Yoshitane. He was busy commanding the campaign to recover the archipelago, so he sent his brother Denis. Denis arrived the coasts of Japan in July. He was received by the Tenno Tsuchimikado II. While Masamoto was fighting a rebellion in Yamashiro province, Denis decided to sign an alliance with the Tenno, and then he went to Yamashiro to help the deputy.

At the beginning of 1494, the archipelago of Azores was Portuguese from Santa Maria to Faial (the King wasn't really friend of the Duke of Braganza, so he left him with the troops he already had, and the campaign was long and expensive, but the Duke got popularity and wealth with it, eventually).

Masamoto's faction controlled the half of Japan, with the help of Denis, and the only supporter of Yoshitane was the king of Ryukyu, Shō Shin.

In 1495, both, the king Ferdinand II of Aragon and the Queen Elizabeth I of Castile heard the news about what was happening in Japan, and claimed the wealth stolen from Columbus. Also, John II died, and a relative of him, Manuel I, became king. He was related to the House of Braganza, so he sent some help to the campaign of both James and Denis.

Denis was named Duke of Azores, while Masamote was proclaimed supreme overlord of Japan, banishing Yoshitane of China, under the protection of the Emperor Hongzhi.