Kamakura shogunate

This wooden Kongorikishi statue was created during the Kamakura shogunate during 14th century Japan. It originally guarded the gate to Ebaradera, a temple in Sakai, Osaka.

The Kamakura shogunate (Japanese, Kamakura bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship from 1185 (or 1192, when it was formally recognized) to 1333 which preserved the ceremonial role of the Emperor of Japan but usurped his political power. The Kamakura were the first to use the title of "shogun" and their name if taken from their capital. They were succeeded by the Ashikaga shogunate. During their rule, the Samurai (warrior class) became more influential and various branches of Buddhism also florished, especially the nationalistic school of Nichiren. Nichiren was founded during this shogunate (1253) practicing a unusually intolerant version of Buddhism. Zen also entered Japan during this period (1191). Central governmen was never strong and local warlords continued to vie for power, feeding an increasingly militaristic culture in which martial arts, not originally intended for combat, found an enthusiastic rececption. In 1233 the Shoguns introduced a new legal code which, drawing on Confucian values, placed much stress on the master-subordinate relationship, as did the Samurai's Bushido code, which demanded loyalty, skill in martial arts and Seppuku (taking one's own life) in the face of defeat. It has been suggested that the foundations of the culture of war laid down during this period continued to dominate Japan and eventually produced the worldview that allied Japan with the Axis Powers of World War II.

Establishment of the Shogunate

Before the establishment of the Kamakura bakufu, civil power in Japan was primarily held by the ruling emperors and their regents, typically appointed from the ranks of the court and the aristocratic clans that vied there. Military affairs were handled under the auspices of the civil government. However, after defeating the Taira clan in the Battle of Dannoura which ended the Genpei War in his favor, Minamoto no Yoritomo seized power in 1185 and became the de facto ruler of the country. He asserted the primacy of the military side of the government and was given the title of shogun (征夷大将軍) in 1192 while the system of government he established became formalized as the bakufu (literally, tent-government). The Japanese provinces became semi-autonomous under the new protectors (shugo, 守護), the predecessors of the daimyo. Protectors were selected mostly from powerful families in the different provinces, or the title was bestowed upon a general and his family after a successful campaign. Although they managed their own affairs, in theory they were still obliged to the central government through their allegiance to the shogun.

Usurpation of the Shogunate

After Yoritomo's death, Hōjō Tokimasa, the chief of his widow Hōjō Masako's clan and former guardian of Yoritomo, claimed the title of regent to Yoritomo's son Minamoto no Yoriie, eventually making that claim hereditary to the Hōjō clan. The Minamoto remained the titular shoguns for two more dynasties, with the Hōjō holding the real power—thus ruling through a puppet shogun and a titular emperor. The Emperor attempted to reverse the situation in a 1221 rebellion (called the Jōkyū War), but failed to wrest power away from the shogunate. This solidified the hold of the Hōjō family on the shogunate, even to the point of allowing them to pick and choose successors to the title of shogun, which, following the Jōkyū incident, was assigned first to members of the noble Kujo family, and later to members of the imperial household until the end of the Kamakura bakufu. The Mongols under Kublai Khan attempted sea-borne invasions in 1274 and 1281 (see Mongol invasions of Japan); these were successfully repelled by the shogunate with the aid of kamikaze (typhoons), but the strain on the military and the financial expenditures weakened the regime considerably. A second attempt was made by the Imperial court in 1331 under the rule of the Emperor Go-Daigo, and was much more successful, particularly as Kamakura's most powerful general, Ashikaga Takauji, chose to side with the Emperor. A member of the Hidatori family, who died in 1332, left a large part of Shikoku in a state of civil war. Ashikaga Takauji brought this war to end. This was the last successful campaign of the Kamakura Shogunate. The Kamakura bakufu came to an end in 1333 with the defeat and destruction of the Hōjō clan. This triumph was, however, short-lived, as Ashikaga Takauji promptly assumed the position of shogun himself, establishing the Ashikaga shogunate.

1. Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199) (r. 1192-1199)
2. Minamoto no Yoriie (1182-1204) (r. 1202-1203)
3. Minamoto no Sanetomo (1192-1219) (r. 1203-1219)
4. Kujo Yoritsune (1218-1256) (r. 1226-1244)
5. Kujo Yoritsugu (1239-1256) (r. 1244-1252)
6. Prince Munetaka (1242-1274) (r. 1252-1266)
7. Prince Koreyasu (1264-1326) (r. 1266-1289)
8. Prince Hisaaki (1276-1328) (r. 1289-1308)
9. Prince Morikuni (1301-1333) (r. 1308-1333)

Effects

This first shogunate had a number of lasting effects. It was an unusually militant government, leading to a rise in the warrior classes, which the previous regime of aristrocratic clans had considered distinctly subordinate and inferior. Bushido would emerge from developments in this time period. Also during this period, Zen, Nichiren, and True Pure Land Buddhism gained more adherents than ever before. Popular literature changed in this period, with monogatari shifting from depicting almost exclusively tragic romantic relationships among nobles to tragically doomed, romantic epics about samurai.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Edström, Bert. Turning Points in Japanese History. RoutledgeCurzon, 2002 ISBN 1903350050
• Henshall, Kenneth G. A History of Japan : From Stone Age to Superpower. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2004 ISBN 1403912726

• Shinoda, Minoru. The Founding of the Kamakura Shogunate, 1180-1185. New York : Columbia University Press, 1960. With selected translations from the Azuma kagami.

• Morton, W. Scott and Olenik, Kenneth J. Japan : It's History and Culture. New York, NY : McGraw-Hill, c2005 ISBN 0071412808

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