Japanese History Digest

The Kamakura Period

The Establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate

In 1180, Prince Mochihito, son of Emperor Goshirakawa, dissatisfied with the Taira clan's autocracy, raised an army to overthrow the Taira clan (by order of Prince Mochihito), along with Minamoto no Yorimasa, a military aristocrat serving the Imperial Court. The uprising was soon discovered and ended in failure, but this triggered the rise of Minamoto no Yoritomo in Izu and Kiso no Yoshinaka in Shinano, spreading the Genpei War across the country.

Subsequently, Minamoto no Yoritomo rallied samurai from the eastern provinces who were dissatisfied with the Taira government, established his own ruling system based in Kamakura, and solidified the foundation of the shogunate. Following the death of Taira no Kiyomori in 1181, the Taira clan's power gradually declined, and they were annihilated in the Battle of Dannoura in 1185. Furthermore, in 1189, Yoritomo annihilated the Oshu Fujiwara clan, which had protected Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and extended his influence from eastern to western Japan, establishing military superiority nationwide.

In 1192, after the death of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed Seii Taishogun, and the Kamakura shogunate is said to have been established in both name and reality. However, in recent years, the general consensus is that the shogunate was effectively established when the Imperial Court granted the right to appoint shugo and jito in 1185.

 

Politics of the Kamakura Shogunate

The Kamakura Shogunate established a political system based on a vassal relationship between the Shogun and his vassals. Based on his authority granted by the Imperial Court, the Shogun appointed his vassals to positions such as Shugo (military constable) and Jito (local lord), granting them "on" (favor) to recognize and guarantee their control over their territories. In return, the Gokenin performed "hōko" (services) in wartime, including military service and guarding the Imperial Court and the Shogunate, such as serving as Kyoto Daibanyaku (Kamakura guards) and Kamakura Banyaku (Kamakura guards). Thus, the Shogun and Gokenin were bound by a mutual relationship of "on" and "hōko."

To support this vassal relationship, the Kamakura Shogunate established various political institutions. In 1180, the Samurai-dokoro (Samurai Office) was established to oversee the control of the Gokenin and military and police affairs, along with the Komonsho (Kumonsho) to oversee government affairs and finances. The Komonsho was later renamed the Mandokoro and became the Shogunate's central administrative institution. Furthermore, in 1184, the shogunate's judicial system was established with the establishment of the Monjusho, which handled trials and lawsuits relating to manors and public lands. With the establishment of these institutions, the Kamakura shogunate established its political and administrative system as a military government.

 

The Rule of the Shikken (Regent Government)

After Minamoto no Yoritomo's death in 1199, a conflict over leadership arose among the shogunate's leading vassals, and the Hojo clan eventually came to seize real power. Hojo Tokimasa, father of Yoritomo's wife, Hojo Masako, held a powerful position within the shogunate. In 1203, he deposed the second shogun, Minamoto no Yoriie, and installed Minamoto no Sanetomo as the third shogun. As the first regent, Tokimasa was appointed head of the administrative office and held central power in the shogunate. This position subsequently became hereditary within the Hojo clan, and regent politics began in earnest during the reign of the second regent, Hojo Yoshitoki.

In 1219, the third shogun, Minamoto no Sanetomo, was assassinated by his nephew, Kugyo, at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, bringing an end to the Minamoto shogun line. Subsequently, without a shogun, relations between the shogunate and the Imperial Court deteriorated, and in 1221, Emperor Go-Toba raised an army to overthrow the shogunate (the Jokyu War). However, with the support of the unity of the eastern vassals, the shogunate defeated the retired emperor's side, and the three retired emperors Gotoba, Tsuchimikado, and Juntoku were all exiled.

After the Jōkyū War, the shogunate established the Rokuhara Tandai in Kyoto to monitor the imperial court, with Hojo Yasutoki and Hojo Tokifusa as its directors. The shogunate also confiscated the retired emperor's territories and distributed them to the shogunate's vassals, expanding its influence throughout the country. As a result, the Kamakura shogunate evolved from a government based in the eastern provinces to a military government with nationwide control, further strengthening the system of regent politics.

 

The Mongol Invasions and the Shogunate

In 1206, in the early 13th century, Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire on the Mongolian Plateau. Later, under his grandson, Kublai Khan, he subjugated Goryeo on the Korean Peninsula and renamed the country the Yuan Dynasty in 1271. Kublai Khan demanded submission and tribute from Japan, but the Kamakura shogunate refused. In 1274, the Yuan Dynasty led an allied force assembled through Goryeo to invade Japan and land at Hakata Bay (the Bun'ei War). Japanese warriors fought back using traditional single-combat tactics, but struggled against the Yuan army's group tactics using gunpowder weapons. However, due to Japanese resistance, supply difficulties, and the effects of storms, the Yuan army retreated.

In 1281, the Yuan Dynasty again sent a large army to invade Japan (the Koan War). The shogunate strengthened its defenses by building ramparts along the coast of Hakata Bay, but after a long battle, the Mongo forces suffered heavy losses due to the effects of wind and rain, and were forced to retreat again.

Though they repelled two attacks by the Mongo army, the shogunate took no spoils and was unable to provide adequate rewards to the samurai who fought. Furthermore, the shogunate required samurai in the Kyushu region to guard foreign lands and continue to provide defense, which placed a heavy burden on the samurai and led to poverty. As a result, the Kamakura shogunate's ruling system gradually became unstable.

 

The Fall of the Kamakura Shogunate

After the Mongol invasion, as the number of vassals dissatisfied with the lack of spoils and rewards increased, the power of the Tokuso family, the direct descendants of the Hojo clan, gradually increased, and Tokuso's autocratic rule developed. The Tokuso's vassals, the Gonain, began to wield political and military power, deepening conflicts with ordinary vassals.

Meanwhile, in the Kinai region and the surrounding areas, villainous groups consisting of local samurai and influential farmers began to operate in various places, expanding their influence through tax collection from manors and financial activities. In some cases, these gangs linked up with the Imperial Court and temple and shrine powers, and acted independently in opposition to shogunate rule.

At the Imperial Court, conflicts continued over the imperial succession and manor control between the Jimyoin line, descended from Emperor Gofukakusa, and the Daikakuji line, descended from Emperor Kameyama. In response, the shogunate mediated by establishing a policy of alternating succession of the two imperial lines, in order to stabilize imperial rule.

Amid this situation, Emperor Godaigo of the Daikakuji line repeatedly attempted to overthrow the shogunate, including the Genkō Incident in 1331. This prompted rebel forces, temple and shrine forces, and vassals dissatisfied with the shogunate in the Kinai region to rise up in arms across the country.

Emperor Godaigo's sons, Prince Morinaga and Kusunoki Masashige, also rose up in arms, and Ashikaga Takauji (later Ashikaga Takauji), who was sent to suppress the rebellion, defected from the shogunate and attacked and destroyed the Rokuhara Tandai. Furthermore, in the Kanto region, Nitta Yoshisada attacked Kamakura, bringing about the downfall of the Kamakura shogunate in 1333.

 

Timeline of the Kamakura period

1180	Emperor Mochihito issues an imperial decree to "overthrow the Taira clan". Taira no Kiyomori moves the capital to Fukuhara-kyo (later retracted). Minamoto no Yoritomo raises an army. Battle of Ishibashiyama. Samurai-dokoro established (first head priest: Wada Yoshimori). Taira no Shigehira burns down Nara (some say this occurred the following year, 1181).
1184	Minamoto no Yoritomo dispatches Minamoto no Noriyori and Yoshitsune to defeat Minamoto no Yoshinaka. Kumonsho (later the Mandokoro) and Monjusho established.
1185	Battle of Dan-no-ura (the Taira clan falls). Province of Shugo and Jito established (the Bunji Imperial Charter establishes the shogunate's nationwide control).
1189	Fall of the Oshu Fujiwara clan (Minamoto no Yoritomo conquers the Tohoku region).
1190	Minamoto no Yoritomo enters Kyoto and is appointed Ukon-e Taisho (commander of the Right Guard) (the following year, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine is rebuilt).
1192	Minamoto no Yoritomo is appointed Shogun, formally establishing the Kamakura Shogunate.
1199	Minamoto no Yoritomo dies, and a council of influential vassals is established (this later evolved into the "Council of Thirteen").
1200	Kajiwara Kagetoki's Incident (the extinction of the Kajiwara Kagetoki clan).
1203	Hiki no Yoshikazu Incident (Hojo Tokimasa imprisons Minamoto no Yoriie and appoints Minamoto no Sanetomo as Shogun; the Hojo clan seizes real power).
1219	Kugyo Incident (Minamoto no Sanetomo is assassinated at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, ending the Minamoto Shogun sect).
1221	Jōkyū War (Emperor Go-Toba's overthrow of the shogunate fails, the shogunate wins).
1225	Renshō and Hyojōshū are established (Hojo Yasutoki implements government reforms).
1226	Fujiwara no Yoritsune is appointed Sekke Shogun.
1232	The Jōei Code (Goseibai Code) was enacted.
1247	The Battle of Hoji (Hojo Tokiyori destroys Miura Yasumura).
1249	The Hikitsukeshu was established (the litigation system was established).
1268	Kublai Khan's letter arrived (the Yuan dynasty demanded tribute through Goryeo).
1274	The Bun'ei War (the Yuan-Goryeo allied forces attacked).
1281	The Koan War (the Yuan army was defeated after another attack).
1285	The Shimotsuki Incident (Taira no Yoritsuna executed Adachi Yasumori).
1297	The Einin Tokuseirei was issued (relief for impoverished vassals).
1331	The Genkō Incident (Emperor Godaigo's plan to overthrow the shogunate).
1333	Ashikaga Takauji destroys the Rokuhara Tandai. Nitta Yoshisada attacks Kamakura, Hojo Takatoki commits suicide, and the Kamakura shogunate falls.

Facilities where you can learn about the Kamakura period

Kotoku-in Temple (Great Buddha of Kamakura)
https://www.kotoku-in.jp/en/

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
https://www.hachimangu.or.jp/en/

Kanagawa Prefectural Kanazawa Bunko
https://www.pen-kanagawa.ed.jp/kanazawabunko/

Todai-ji Temple (Head Temple of the Kegon Sect)
https://www.todaiji.or.jp/en/

Engaku-ji Temple (Head Temple of the Rinzai Zen Sect)
https://www.engakuji.or.jp/en/

Kanshin-ji Temple (Mt. Hinokio)
https://www.kanshinji.com/

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