History UsefulNotes / KamakuraShogunate

[[caption-width-right:350: The crest of the Hojo, who held the real power. No relation to a [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda certain golden artifact.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350: The crest of the Hojo, who held the real power. Not the [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Triforce]].]]

In 1185 [[UsefulNotes/{{Genji}} Minamoto no Yoritomo]] won the Genpei War, accepted the rank of Sei-i Taishōgun, or, in it's shortened form, Shogun, and became the defacto ruler of Japan. His authority was originally rooting from his self-presentation as a loyal subject of the Imperial family in contrast to the then-de facto ruling samurai powerbrokers (the [[{{UsefulNotes/Heike}} Taira clan ruled by Taira no Kiyomori]]), defeating them in the Genpei War. Yoritomo's intentions (and ultimate loyalties), however, would ultimate become clear when he began consolidating his authority over the samurai of the country. He would then flat-out defeat attempts at rebellion/faction sponsored by retired emperor Go-Shirakawa (including among then an abortive effort by his brother UsefulNotes/MinamotoNoYoshitsune), as well as conquer the independent samurai domain of the Oshu-Fujiwara.

They would, not unlike the Taira they were related to, establish closer links with the Imperial household and even import Fujiwara princes/noblemen to become the figurehead shoguns of the regime. Nevertheless, the country would be officially run by the ''Shikken'' and ''Rensho'' (Deputy Regent), and unofficially run by the Tokusō (The head of the Hōjō clan)--maintaining the military/samurai-centric nature of government. The Kamakura Shogunate lasted 135 years, 9 Shoguns, and 16 ''Shikken''s. As part of a feudalistic reform, the ''Shōen'' system of manors was expanded, to include the ''Gokenin'', both the ''Shugo'' (the official title of the Daimyo before the Sengoku era) and the ''Jito'' (who helped the Shugo). Another notable position was the ''Kanrei'' (Deputy Shogun), expected to represent shogunal authority on the regional level. Throughout the existence of the shogunate, the relative stability of the period is dependent on maintaining the tenuous BalanceOfPower between the ''shugo''s and the ''kanrei''s, ensuring they keep their reverence to the Emperor, as well as maintaining their loyalty to Kamakura. The eventual inability of Kamakura to do this (as well as the self-sabotaging tendencies of the later Muromachi shogunate) eventually gave rise to the sentiment that [[{{Foreshadowing}} authority needs to be centralized on one strong leadership, and an unbroken line of succession]].

In 1185 [[UsefulNotes/{{Genji}} Minamoto no Yoritomo]] won the Genpei War, accepted the rank of Sei-i Taishōgun, or, in it's shortened form, Shogun, and became the defacto ruler of Japan. His authority was originally rooting from his self-presentation as a loyal subject of the Imperial family in contrast to the then-de facto ruling samurai powerbrokers (the Taira clan ruled by Taira no Kiyomori), defeating them in the Genpei War. Yoritomo's intentions (and ultimate loyalties), however, would ultimate become clear when he began consolidating his authority over the samurai of the country. He would then flat-out defeat attempts at rebellion/faction sponsored by retired emperor Go-Shirakawa (including among then an abortive effort by his brother UsefulNotes/MinamotoNoYoshitsune), as well as conquer the independent samurai domain of the Oshu-Fujiwara.

In 1185 [[UsefulNotes/{{Genji}} Minamoto no Yoritomo]] won the Genpei War, accepted the rank of Sei-i Taishōgun, or, in it's shortened form, Shogun, and became the defacto ruler of Japan. In 1192, he made it official and set up a military-feudal government at Kamakura. The age of the Samurai had begun. Four years later, he died. His son Yoriie took over, but as he was a minor, his maternal grandfather, Hōjō Tokimasa (ironically related to the Taira) ruled as ''Shikken'', or regent for the Shogun. They grew to hate each other, so Yoriie was assassinated and replaced with his brother, Sanetomo. In 1219, Sanetomo was also assassinated (by Yoriie's son), effectively ending Minamoto rule. Tokimasa, slowly but surely proving himself a bald-faced EvilChancellor (not to mention a kinslayer for directly ordering Yoriie's death), would in turn, be ousted by his own children: Masako (the widow of Yoritomo and the mother of the two assasinated shoguns) and her brother Yoshitoki, who would eventually consolidate and solidify the rule of the Hōjō Regency.

[[caption-width-right:350: The crest of the Hojo, who held the real power. No relation to a [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda certain golden artifact]].]]

The leadership of the Hōjō Regency during the Mongol Invasion, [[WeAreStrugglingTogether despite a number of squabbling and competition for glory]] by a number of warlords, was ably steered by the regent Hōjō Tokimune. The [[BigGood upstanding character of Tokimune]] ([[MartialPacifist and his devotion to Zen]] {{UsefulNotes/Buddhism}}) has made him a celebrated character amongst the warrior classes. His successors as heads of the Hōjō clan, however, [[InadequateInheritor fatally fell short of his example]]. His son Sadatoki would allow the squabbling of his clansmen to devolve into vendettas--and his successor, Takatoki would be considered [[TheCaligula dissolute, immoral, and easily-led by favorites, if not flat-out insane]]. The degradation of the Hōjō Regency into corruption and in-fighting would embolden the contemporary Emperor, Go-Daigo, to reassert his political authority and attract the samurai clans away from the Hōjō.

[[caption-width-right:350: The crest of the Hojo, who held the real power.]]

** ''The 13 Lords of the Shogun'' (鎌倉殿の13人; ''Kamakura-dono no Jūsan-nin'', 2022) takes a PerspectiveFlip on the Genpei War and focuses on the family that eventually dominated the Shogunate: the Hōjō. Instead of looking at the traditional competing camps of the Minamoto and Taira, the storyline focuses on how the Hōjō family, struck by ConflictingLoyalty between their Taira relatives and the Minamoto son-in-law they accepted as their own (Yoritomo), [[FromNobodyToNightmare eventually came to dominate what both own]]--at [[AHouseDivided the expense of the clan's unity]]. Creator/ShunOguri portrays the central character [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojo_Yoshitoki Hōjō Yoshitoki]], the son of the [[ManipulativeBastard power-grasping]] [[EvilChancellor Tokimasa (the head of the Hōjō clan)]]--and they, together with 11 other men, serve as [[TeamTitle the titular thirteen]] [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness that would eventually control the reins of government]].[[note]]In a bit of {{Foreshadowing}}, Shun Oguri played a minor role in 2005's ''Yoshitsune''--who is nonetheless identified with Yoritomo and the Hojo's vassals, eventually responsible for Yoshitsune's death.[[/note]] Noticeably, it even employs [[spoiler:an end-of-series epitaph involving UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu (portrayed by Jun Matsumoto) reading about the events in-universe through the ''Azuma Kagami'', leading into ''Dousuru Ieyasu'', the succeeding 2023 drama]].

** ''The 13 Lords of the Shogun'' (鎌倉殿の13人; ''Kamakura-dono no Jūsan-nin'', 2022) takes a PerspectiveFlip on the Genpei War and focuses on the family that eventually dominated the Shogunate: the Hōjō. Instead of looking at the traditional competing camps of the Minamoto and Taira, the storyline focuses on how the Hōjō family, struck by ConflictingLoyalty between their Taira relatives and the Minamoto son-in-law they accepted as their own (Yoritomo), [[FromNobodyToNightmare eventually came to dominate what both own]]--at [[AHouseDivided the expense of the clan's unity]]. Creator/ShunOguri portrays the central character [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojo_Yoshitoki Hōjō Yoshitoki]], the son of the [[ManipulativeBastard power-grasping]] [[EvilChancellor Tokimasa (the head of the Hōjō clan)]]--and they, together with 11 other men, serve as [[TeamTitle the titular thirteen]] [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness that would eventually control the reins of government]].[[note]]In a bit of {{Foreshadowing}}, Shun Oguri played a minor role in 2005's ''Yoshitsune''--who is nonetheless identified with Yoritomo and the Hojo's vassals, eventually responsible for Yoshitsune's death.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'' is set during the first Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274 which would be around the time that the Kamakura Shogunate existed.

In 1185 [[UsefulNotes/{{Genji}} Minamoto no Yoritomo]] won the Genpei War, accepted the rank of Sei-i Taishōgun, or, in it's shortened form, Shogun, and became the defacto ruler of Japan. In 1192, he made it official and set up a military-feudal government at Kamakura. The age of the Samurai had begun. Four years later, he died. His son Yoriie took over, but as he was a minor, his father-in-law, Hōjō Tokimasa (ironically related to the Taira) ruled as ''Shikken'', or regent for the Shogun. They grew to hate each other, so Yoriie was assassinated and replaced with his brother, Sanetomo. In 1219, Sanetomo was also assassinated (by Yoriie's son), effectively ending Minamoto rule. Tokimasa, slowly but surely proving himself a bald-faced EvilChancellor (not to mention a kinslayer for directly ordering Yoriie's death), would in turn, be ousted by his own children: Masako (the widow of Yoritomo and the mother of the two assasinated shoguns) and her brother Yoshitoki, who would eventually consolidate and solidify the rule of the Hōjō Regency.

It all ended after the 1333 Siege of Kamakura, the Kenmu Restoration led by Emperor Go-Daigo, and then the Ashikaga Shogunate (founded by the Emperor's [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder ambitious and wily general]] Ashikaga Takauji), succeeding it. Much of the administrative reforms laid down here will be continued, with varying success, until it all comes crashing down during the UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod. It is generally the least well-known of the three shogunates (but is seen as relatively stabler than its Ashikaga successors). They will both be dwarfed by the Tokugawa ''bakufu'' three centuries later. Notably, UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu himself would be an avid student of this period, keeping a copy of the official history of the period as his personal reading, probably treating the tumultuous history of the period as a guide of what ''not'' to do. Given the relative stability of the Tokugawa ''bakufu'', [[TropesAreTools it probably worked]].

In 1185 [[UsefulNotes/{{Genji}} Minamoto no Yoritomo]] won the Genpei War, accepted the rank of Sei-i Taishōgun, or, in it's shortened form, Shogun, and became the defacto ruler of Japan. In 1192, he made it official and set up a military-feudal government at Kamakura. The age of the Samurai had begun. Four years later, he died. His son Yoriie took over, but as he was a minor, his father in law, Hōjō Tokimasa (ironically related to the Taira) ruled as Shikken, or regent for the Shogun. They grew to hate each other, so Yoriie was assassinated and replaced with his brother, Sanetomo. In 1219, Sanetomo was also assassinated, effectively ending Minamoto rule. Tokimasa, slowly but surely proving himself a bald-faced EvilChancellor (not to mention a kinslayer for directly ordering Yoriie's death), would in turn, be ousted by his own children: Masako (the widow of Yoritomo and the mother of the two assasinated shoguns) and her brother Yoshitoki, who would eventually consolidate and solidify the rule of the Hōjō Regency.

They would, not unlike the Taira they were related to, establish closer links with the Imperial household and even import Fujiwara princes/noblemen to become the figurehead shoguns of the regime. Nevertheless, the country would be officially run by the Shikken and Rensho (Deputy Regent), and unofficially run by the Tokusō (The head of the Hōjō clan)--maintaining the military/samurai-centric nature of government. The Kamakura Shogunate lasted 135 years, 9 Shoguns, and 16 Shikkens. As part of a feudalistic reform, the Shōen system of manors was expanded, to include the Gokenin, both the Shugo (official title of the Daimyo before the Sengoku era) and the Jito (who helped the Shugo). Another notable position was the Kanrei (Deputy Shogun).

The leadership of the Hōjō Regency during the Mongol Invasion, [[WeAreStrugglingTogether despite a number of squabbling and competition for glory]] by a number of warlords, was ably steered by the regent Hōjō Tokimune. The [[BigGood upstanding character of Tokimune]] ([[MartialPacifist and his devotion to Zen]] {{UsefulNotes/Buddhism}}) has made him a celebrated character amongst the warrior classes. His successors, however, [[InadequateInheritor fatally fell short of his example]]. His son Sadatoki would allow the squabbling of his clansmen to devolve into vendettas--and his successor, Takatoki would be considered [[TheCaligula dissolute, immoral and easily-led by favorites, if not flat-out insane]]. The degradation of the Hōjō Regency into corruption and in-fighting would embolden the contemporary Emperor, Go-Daigo, to reassert his political authority and attract the samurai clans away from the Hōjō.

It all ended after the 1333 Siege of Kamakura, the Kenmu Restoration led by Emperor Go-Daigo, and then the Ashikaga Shogunate (founded by the Emperor's [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder ambitious and wily general]] Ashikaga Takauji), succeeding it. Much of the administrative reforms laid down here will be continued, with varying success, until it all comes crashing down during the UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod. It is generally the least well known of the three shogunates (but is seen as relatively stabler than its Ashikaga successors). They will both be dwarfed by the Tokugawa ''bakufu'' three centuries later. Notably, UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu himself would be an avid student of this period, keeping a copy of the official history of the period as his personal reading, and probably treated the tumultuous history of the period as a guide of what not to do. Given the relative stability of the Tokugawa ''bakufu'', [[TropesAreTools it probably worked]].

On an interesting legacy note, the Triforce from ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' is based off the Hōjō crest, three triangles forming a bigger triangle, with a triangular hole in the middle.

** ''The Tale of Hōgen'' (保元物語, ''Hōgen monogatari'', 1320), which detailed the nominal Hōgen Rebellion of 1156, which saw the Fujiwara clan's control over the Imperial succession contested by samurai from the [[{{UsefulNotes/Genji}} Minamoto]] and [[{{UsefulNotes/Heike}} Taira]]. Unlike later conflicts, a Minamoto leader (Yoshitomo) and a Taira leader (Kiyomori) were in fact in alliance against their relatives and Imperial courtiers. The fallout of these events are covered in the next piece.

** ''The Tale of the Heike'' (平家物語, ''Heike Monogatari'', ca. before 1330), possibly the most popular out of the ''gunki-mono''. Detailing the entire breadth of the Genpei War from 1180-1185, the tale starts with the primacy of the Heike (under an [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade increasingly-dictatorial and megalomaniacal]] Kiyomori[[note]][[UnbuiltTrope prefiguring tropes]] that would in fact [[DemonKingNobunaga be later associated]] with his descendant UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga)[[/note]]. This is followed by how the heirs of Yoshitomo would contend and bring them down. The exploits of beloved folk heroes UsefulNotes/MinamotoNoYoshitsune, his retainer UsefulNotes/MusashiboBenkei, the LadyOfWar UsefulNotes/TomoeGozen, and the MagnificentBastard Minamoto no Yoritomo (the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate) all started here. Its reputation as a solid philosophical meditation on the [[{{UsefulNotes/Buddhism}} Buddhist belief]] (and later, Japanese aesthetic) of ''wabi-sabi'' (侘寂, i.e. transience and imperfection) contributes to its popularity to this day. A 48-volume prose version, ''The Rise and Fall of the Minamoto and Taira'' (源平盛衰記, ''Genpei Seisuiki'') also exists, and is usually treated as a better historical source by contemporary historians.
** ''The Chronicle of Yoshitsune'' (義経記, ''Gikeiki'', ca. 14th century) is a record detailing the latter years of Yoshitsune's life, when he was a fugitive from Yoritomo's wrath to his LastStand.
** ''The Mirror of the East'' (東鑑, ''Azuma Kagami'', ca. 13th century), in contrast to the previous three, is an official compiled chronicle of the events of the Kamakura Shogunate as commissioned by the Hōjō Regency. Compared to the above, the it is more like an archive of reports and writings by the people involved with the Shogunate and Regency--albeit very detailed and even involving narratives from outside the capital of Kamakura. Understandably, [[WrittenByTheWinners it has a Hōjō-centric bias]]. At the same time, its detail and scope makes it one of the main source texts in studying the Kamakura period. As mentioned above, this is is Ieyasu's favorite book.

** ''Yoshitsune'' (義経, 2005). Focusing on the eponymous folk hero, the series incorporate oral tradition, folk legend, as well as elements of the ''Tale of the Heike'' and the ''Gikeiki''. Capitalizing on [[HistoricalBeautyUpdate the increasing tendency to render]] Yoshitsune a {{Bishonen}}, the series casts heartthrob musician Hideaki Takizawa as the lead, with legendary JidaiGeki actor Ken Matsudaira as Benkei.