ikki, peasant uprisings in Japan beginning in the Kamakura period (1192–1333) and continuing through the Tokugawa (Edo) period (1603–1867). Though the welfare of the city dweller improved during Tokugawa times, the welfare of poor peasants worsened: excessive taxation and rising numbers of famines drove them first to peaceful and then to violent demonstrations. They sometimes received redress for particular hardships, but their spokesmen would forfeit their lives for their audacity.