Kamakura shogunate - Establishment of the Shogunate, Usurpation of the Shogunate, Effects

(1185–1333) The first Japanese shogunate, when the head of the Minamoto family, Minamoto Yoritoko (1147–99) took the title shogun (‘generalissimo’) and established a governmental system which was to prevail for nearly 700 years. He established his headquarters at Kamakura, a fishing village S of modern Tokyo, and laid the foundations of the Japanese military feudal system, with land fiefs and vassalage. Zen Buddhism, the secular True Pure Land Buddhism, and the nationalistic Lotus Buddhist sect were all established in the Kamakura period. Chinese-style architecture was favoured, huge bronze Buddhas were made, and important court poetry was produced.

The Kamakura shogunate (Japanese: 鎌倉幕府, Kamakura bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship ruled by the shoguns from 1185 (or 1192, when it was formally recognized) to 1333. Based in Kamakura, Japan, this period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate and is known as the Kamakura period.

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. 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).

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. 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. 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. 1192-1199) Minamoto no Yoriie (1182-1204) (r. 1308-1333)

Effects

This first shogunate had a number of lasting effects.