Kamakura shogunate
Japan, 1185–1333.
Warriors took over from the court. The shogun's government in Kamakura appointed military governors across the country, while the emperor stayed in Kyoto as a ceremonial figure.
Seat of power: Kamakura
Rulers
Minamoto no Yoritomo
Shogun, 1185–1199
Founded the first shogunate after winning the Genpei War. He ruled through loyal vassals, giving them land rights in return for military service, the core of Japanese feudalism.
Portrait of Minamoto no Yoritomo: Fujiwara no Takanobu, Public domain, file
Hojo Tokimune
Shikken (Regent), 1268–1284
As regent for the shogun, the Hojo family held the real power. Tokimune refused the Mongol demands for submission and organised the defence of Kyushu against both invasions.
Portrait of Hojo Tokimune: Unknown, Public domain, file
Culture
- Zen Buddhism arrives from China and appeals to the samurai.
- The great bronze Buddha of Kamakura is cast in 1252.
- A typhoon, later remembered as the kamikaze or 'divine wind', wrecks the Mongol invasion fleet in 1281.
Picture
The Great Buddha of Kamakura at Kotoku-in.
Image: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
