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Japanese History

From 1185 to 1333 Japan was dominated by a series of military dictatorships called Shogunates. These dictatorships were based in Kamakura, and the period in question is named after that location -- the Kamakura Period. Prior to this period, Japan's civil power was held by the ruling emperor or their regent, usually part of the aristocracy. When Minamoto no Yorimoto defeated the Taira clan in the Genpei Wa in 1185, though, this set the stage for a different type of rule, and a diminishing of the former court aristocracy. For cultural purposes, the emperor's title was kept, but the real power was located in the shogunate and military rule. This government, known as the bakufu or tent government established a system similar to that in the West -- feudalism. The Shogun was the primary government for the nation, but controlled only some territory. The Shogun, though, gave lands to daimyo (lords) who supported him in military needs. Under the Daimyo were samurai, or "those who serve," the knights of the age who supported the daimyo (Deal).

There were four major implications for the Kamakura Shogunate in Japanese history, and implications for the way it was governed thereafter: feudalism, Influence of Chinese Buddhism, the Shikimoku Legal Code, and the Mongol invasion. Each had a particular focus upon the culture of the time, as well as the way Japan viewed contact with the West during Europe's Age of Exploration.

Feudalism in Japan was a political and economic system that was based on labor (agriculture, etc.) and the relation of lord to vassal to king based on homage and service. The lord, through military dominance, provided protection and organized society. Vassals support the lords through labor and taxes (primarily of goods) with the knights (samurai) acting as more of a state police force. In both Europe and Japan, feudalism arose as a result of the decentralization of a larger empire. This decentralization caused a power vacuum, filled by the Shogunate, which lacked a bureaucratic infrastructure to support a military system. Instead, knights and lords were given land as payment for loyalty, and in turn the micro power of social, political, judicial and economic was also decentralized. The powers of the lords reduced a central government, but the overall loyalty to the Shogunates did protect the realm for 150 years, as well as act as an organizational tool for later Japanese governmental philosophy (Duus).

During the Kamikura period, there was also heavy influence from China in the exporting of Zen Buddhism. This view was popular, particularly among the samurai, which were now one of the leading social classes in the realm. Combining Buddhism with samurai traditions, for instance, allowed for a radical and intolerant sect, the Lotus Sutra, to grow in popularity from 1253 on. This Nichiren viewpoint remained and important force in Japan well into the 20th century (Buddhism).

Possibly due to the role of the Shogun and the need for order, the Shikimoku legal code arose in 1232 along with the traditions of the Samurai and the Bushido Code. Shikimoku stressed Confucian values like the importance of loyalty to the master, strict discipline and strong morality. This aligned quite well with the strong nature of Bushido, particularly in the way a warrior was to balance his life between preparing for warfare, and other intellectual activities like painting, literature, or writing poetry (Blomberg).