Kamakura shogunate
Encyclopedia
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
headed by the shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
s from 1185 (or 1192, when it was formally recognized) to 1333. It was based in Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
. The Kamakura period
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
draws its name from the capital of the shogunate. From 1203 onwards, the family of the first Shogun Yoritomo's wife, the Hōjō clan
Hojo clan
See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...
, effectively had total control over the nation with the title Shikken
Shikken
The was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...
(Regent), setting up a Hojo family court that discussed and made most of the significant decisions.
Establishment
Before the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, civil power in Japan was primarily held by the ruling emperors and their regents, typically appointed from the ranks of the imperial 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 Genpei WarGenpei War
The was a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late-Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto Yoritomo in 1192....
, Minamoto no Yoritomo
Minamoto no Yoritomo
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199.-Early life and exile :Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto clan, and his official wife, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, who was a member of the...
seized certain powers from the aristocracy in 1185 and was given the title of shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
in 1192. The system of government he established became formalized as the shogunate.
The Hōjō Regency
After Yoritomo's death, Hōjō TokimasaHojo Tokimasa
was the first Hōjō shikken of the Kamakura bakufu and head of the Hōjō clan. He was shikken from the death of Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1199 until his abdication in 1205.- Background: The Hōjō Clan :...
, the clan chief of Yoritomo's widow, Hōjō Masako
Hojo Masako
was the eldest child of Hōjō Tokimasa by his wife Hōjō no Maki, the first shikken, or regent, of the Kamakura shogunate. She was the sister of Hōjō Yoshitoki, and was married to Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura period...
, and former guardian of Yoritomo, claimed the title of regent (Shikken
Shikken
The was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...
) to Yoritomo's son Minamoto no Yoriie
Minamoto no Yoriie
was the second shogun of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shogun Yoritomo.- Life :Born from Tokimasa's daughter Hōjō Masako at Hiki Yoshikazu's residence in Kamakura, Yoriie had as wet nurses the wives of powerful men like Hiki himself and Kajiwara Kagetoki, and Hiki's...
, eventually making that claim hereditary to the Hōjō clan
Hojo clan
See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...
. The Minamoto remained the titular shoguns, with the Hōjō holding the real power.
With the Regency, what was already an unusual situation became even more anomalous when the Hōjō usurped power from those who had usurped it from the Emperor in the first place. The new regime nonetheless proved to be stable enough to last a total of 135 years, 9 shoguns and 16 regents.
With Sanetomo's death in 1219, his mother Hōjō Masako became the Shogunate's real center of power. As long as she was alive, regents and shoguns would come and go, while she stayed at the helm. Since the Hōjō family didn't have the rank to nominate a shogun from among its members, Masako had to find a convenient puppet. The problem was solved choosing Kujo Yoritsune, a distant relation of the Minamoto, who would be the fourth shogun and figurehead, while Hōjō Yoshitoki
Hojo Yoshitoki
was the second Hōjō shikken of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was the eldest son of Hōjō Tokimasa and his wife Hōjō no Maki...
would take care of day-to-day business. However powerless, future shoguns would always be chosen from either Fujiwara or imperial lineage to keep the bloodline pure and give legitimacy to the rule. This succession proceeded for more than a century.
In 1221 Emperor Go-Toba tried to regain power in what would be called the , but the attempt failed. The power of the Hōjō remained unchallenged until 1324, when Emperor Go-Daigo orchestrated a plot to overthrow them, but the plot was discovered almost immediately and foiled.
Mongol invasions and decline
The Mongols under Kublai KhanKublai Khan
Kublai Khan , born Kublai and also known by the temple name Shizu , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...
attempted sea-borne invasions in 1274 and 1281 (see Mongol invasions of Japan
Mongol invasions of Japan
The ' of 1274 and 1281 were major military efforts undertaken by Kublai Khan to conquer the Japanese islands after the submission of Goryeo to vassaldom. Despite their ultimate failure, the invasion attempts are of macrohistorical importance, because they set a limit on Mongol expansion, and rank...
). The Kamakura shogunate met the invaders with vast armies of defenders. With the aid of typhoons, which came to be called "kamikaze
Kamikaze (typhoon)
The Kamikaze , were two winds or storms that are said to have saved Japan from two Mongol fleets under Kublai Khan. These fleets attacked Japan in 1274 and again in 1281...
", the Mongols were repelled. Many times the Mongols were defeated by violent storms, which smashed their ships, and even though some Mongol troops made it to shore they were soon defeated. However, the strain on the military and the financial expenditures weakened the regime considerably. Additionally, the defensive war left no gains to distribute to the warriors who had fought it, leading to discontent. Construction of defensive walls added further expenses to the strained regime.
In 1331 Emperor Go-Daigo took arms against Kamakura, but was defeated by Kamakura's Ashikaga Takauji
Ashikaga Takauji
was the founder and first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358...
and exiled to Oki Island, in today's Shimane Prefecture
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...
. A warlord then went to the exiled Emperor's rescue and in response the Hōjō sent forces again commanded by Ashikaga Takauji to attack Kyoto. Once there, however, Ashikaga decided it was time to switch sides, and support the Emperor. At the same time another warlord loyal to the Emperor, Nitta Yoshisada
Nitta Yoshisada
was the head of the Nitta family in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period, capturing Kamakura from the Hōjō clan in 1333....
, attacked Kamakura and took it. About 870 Hōjō samurai, including the last three Regents, committed suicide at their family temple, Tōshō-ji
Tosho-ji
was the Hōjō clan's family temple in Kamakura during the Kamakura period. Its founder was Taikō Gyōyū and it was constructed in 1237 by Hōjō Yasutoki in memory of his mother, who had her tomb there. According to the Taiheiki, from its foundation until the end of the Kamakura shogunate every regent...
, whose ruins were found in today's Ōmachi. Ashikaga in 1336 assumed the position of shogun himself, establishing the Ashikaga shogunate
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was a Japanese feudal military regime, ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from Muromachi Street of Kyoto where the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established his residence...
.
Institutions
Yoritomo established a chancellery, or mandokoroMandokoro
was the chief governing body of an important family or monastic complex in ancient Japan. This name was borrowed for the administrative department of the Shogunate in feudal times....
, as his principal organ of government. Later, under the Hōjō, a separate institution, the hyōjōshū became the focus of government.
The shogunate appointed new military governors (shugo
Shugo
was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan...
) over the provinces. These 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. The military governors paralleled the existing system of governors and vice-governors (kokushi) appointed by the civil government in Kyoto.
Kamakura also appointed stewards, or jitō
Jito
were medieval land stewards in Japan, especially in the Kamakura and Muromachi Shogunates. Appointed by the shogun, jitō managed manors including national holdings governed by the provincial governor ....
, to positions in the manors (shōen
Shoen
A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term zhuangyuan.Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private, tax-free, often autonomous estates or manors whose rise undermined the political and economic power of the...
). These stewards received revenues from the manors in return for their military service. They served along with the holders of similar office, gesu, who delivered dues from the manor to the proprietor in Kyoto. Thus the dual governmental system reached to the manor level.
List of shoguns
- Minamoto no YoritomoMinamoto no Yoritomowas the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199.-Early life and exile :Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto clan, and his official wife, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, who was a member of the...
, r. 1192-1199 - Minamoto no YoriieMinamoto no Yoriiewas the second shogun of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shogun Yoritomo.- Life :Born from Tokimasa's daughter Hōjō Masako at Hiki Yoshikazu's residence in Kamakura, Yoriie had as wet nurses the wives of powerful men like Hiki himself and Kajiwara Kagetoki, and Hiki's...
, r. 1202-1203 - Minamoto no SanetomoMinamoto no SanetomoMinamoto no Sanetomo was the third shogun of the Kamakura shogunate Sanetomo was the second son of the founder of the Kamakura shogunate Minamoto no Yoritomo, his mother was Hōjō Masako, and his older brother was the second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie.His childhood name was...
, r. 1203-1219
Figurehead Shoguns:
- Kujō YoritsuneKujo Yoritsune, also known as Fujiwara no Yoritsune, was the fourth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. His father was kanpaku Kujō Michiie and his grandmother was a niece of Minamoto no Yoritomo...
, r. 1226-1244 - Kujō YoritsuguKujo Yoritsugu, also known as Fujiwara no Yoritsugu, was the fifth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. His father was the 4th Kamakura shogun, Kujō Yoritsune.Yoritsugu was a member of the great Fujiwara clan...
, r. 1244-1252 - Prince MunetakaPrince MunetakaPrince Munetaka was the sixth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan who reigned .He was the first son of the Emperor Go-Saga and replaced the deposed Kujō Yoritsugu as shogun at the age of ten...
, r. 1252-1266 - Prince KoreyasuPrince KoreyasuPrince Koreyasu was the seventh shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. He was the nominal ruler controlled by the Hōjō clan regents....
, r. 1266-1289 - Prince HisaakiPrince HisaakiPrince Hisaaki was the eighth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan.He was the nominal ruler controlled by Hōjō clan regents...
, r. 1289-1308 - Prince MorikuniPrince MorikuniPrince Morikuni was the ninth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan.He was a son of the eighth Shogun Prince Hisaaki and was a grandson of the Emperor Go-Fukakusa...
, r. 1308-1333
Shikken
Shikken
The was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...
:
- Hōjō TokimasaHojo Tokimasawas the first Hōjō shikken of the Kamakura bakufu and head of the Hōjō clan. He was shikken from the death of Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1199 until his abdication in 1205.- Background: The Hōjō Clan :...
, r. 1203-1205 - Hōjō YoshitokiHojo Yoshitokiwas the second Hōjō shikken of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was the eldest son of Hōjō Tokimasa and his wife Hōjō no Maki...
, r. 1205-1224 - Hōjō YasutokiHojo YasutokiHōjō Yasutoki was the third shikken of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. He strengthened the political system of the Hōjō regency.He was the eldest son of second shikken Yoshitoki...
, r. 1224-1242 - Hōjō TsunetokiHojo TsunetokiHōjō Tsunetoki was the fourth Shikken of the Kamakura shogunate. He was son of Hōjō Tokiuji and of a former wife of Adachi Kagemori, elder brother of Hōjō Tokiyori and grandson of Hōjō Yasutoki. He ruled from 1242 to 1246 and founded Kōmyō-ji in Zaimokuza. He is buried within the temple.-...
, r. 1242-1246 - Hōjō TokiyoriHojo TokiyoriHōjō Tokiyori was the fifth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. He was born to Hōjō Tokiuji and a daughter of Adachi Kagemori....
, r. 1246-1256 - Hōjō NagatokiHojo NagatokiHōjō Nagatoki 北条 長時 was the sixth Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu and the 4th Chief of the Rokuhara Tandai North Branch Kitakata....
, r. 1256-1264 - Hōjō MasamuraHojo Masamurawas the seventh Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu. Son of Yoshitoki, II Shikken....
, r. 1264-1268 - Hōjō TokimuneHojo Tokimuneof the Hōjō clan was the eighth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class.- Life :Born as the eldest son of the regent and Tokuso Tokiyori of the...
, r. 1268-1284 - Hōjō SadatokiHojo Sadatokiwas the ninth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , and Tokuso from his appointment as regent until his death....
, r. 1284-1301 - Hōjō MorotokiHojo Morotokiwas the tenth Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu.- References :...
, r. 1301-1311 - Hōjō MunenobuHojo Munenobu, also family name Osaragi was the eleventh Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu....
, r. 1311-1312 - Hōjō HirotokiHojo Hirotokiwas the twelfth Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu....
, r. 1312-1315 - Hōjō MototokiHojo Mototokiwas the thirteenth Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu....
, r. 1315 - Hōjō TakatokiHojo TakatokiHōjō Takatoki was the last Tokuso and ruling Shikken of Japan's Kamakura shogunate; the latter ones were his puppets, a member of the Hōjō clan, he was the son of Hōjō Sadatoki, and was preceded as shikken by Hōjō Morotoki.Takatoki became regent at the age of eight, and thus actual power was...
, r. 1316-1326 - Hōjō Sadaaki, r. 1326
- Hōjō Moritoki, r. 1327-1333
See also
- ShogunShogunA was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
- ShikkenShikkenThe was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...
- RenshoRenshoThe , literally “co-signatory”, was the assistant to the shikken of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan.The rensho placed his signature next to that of the shikken on official orders. In 1224 the third shikken Hōjō Yasutoki appointed Hōjō Tokifusa as the first rensho...
- Rokuhara TandaiRokuhara Tandaiwas the post of the chiefs of the Kamakura shogunate in Kyoto whose agency kept responsibility for security in Kinai and judicial affairs on western Japan, and negotiated with the imperial court. Despite keeping security, they were also a sort of secret police and widely feared.Rokuhara Tandai was...
- History of JapanHistory of JapanThe history of Japan encompasses the history of the islands of Japan and the Japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of Japan as a nation state. Following the last ice age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human...
- Lists of incumbents
- Azuma KagamiAzuma KagamiThe , or "mirror of the east", is a Japanese medieval text that chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo's rebellion against the Taira clan in Izokuni of 1180 to Munetaka Shinnō and his return to Kyoto in 1266...
- Mongol invasions of JapanMongol invasions of JapanThe ' of 1274 and 1281 were major military efforts undertaken by Kublai Khan to conquer the Japanese islands after the submission of Goryeo to vassaldom. Despite their ultimate failure, the invasion attempts are of macrohistorical importance, because they set a limit on Mongol expansion, and rank...
Further reading
- Mass, Jeffrey P. (1976). The Kamakura bakufu : a study in documents. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
- Mass, Jeffrey P. (1974). Warrior government in early medieval Japan : a study of the Kamakura Bakufu, shugo and jitō. New Haven: Yale University Press.
- Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University PressHarvard University PressHarvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128 - Ōyama Kyōhei. Kamakura bakufu 鎌倉幕府. Tokyo: Shōgakkan 小学館, 1974.