They took more than 1000 years to establish japan(samurai war
period)
Where are you coming from? 
It's just a matter of the rise and fall of empires, just like China
and anywhere else in the world in those days.
The two eras you are comparing with are quite different too.
If you want to look at it, try looking at Japan's industrial boom
period. They took a mere fifty years to transform themselves from a
backward country to a superpower that terrorised the entire Asia
and even the Western armies.
