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114-638: In the late Heian period, Minamoto rivalry with the Taira culminated in the Genpei War (1180–1185 AD). The Minamoto emerged victorious and established Japan's first shogunate in Kamakura under Minamoto no Yoritomo , who appointed himself as shōgun in 1192, ushering in the Kamakura period (1192–1333 AD) of Japanese history. The name "Genpei" comes from alternate readings of the kanji "Minamoto" (源 Gen ) and "Taira" (平 Hei ). The Kamakura Shogunate

228-522: A gon-dainagon (acting dainagon ). These were non-royal descendants of Emperor Ōgimachi . At first they were buke , but they later became dōjō-ke , the Hirohata family . Genpei War [REDACTED]   Minamoto clan (Yoritomo) The Genpei War ( 源平合戦 , Genpei Kassen , Genpei-Gassen , 1180–1185) was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during

342-520: A call to arms against the Taira, led by the Minamoto in 1180. The ensuing Battle of Uji took place just outside Kyoto , starting a five-year-long war, concluding with a decisive Minamoto victory in the naval Battle of Dan-no-ura . However, it has been pointed out that the Battle of Ōshū in 1189 was the last battle during this period of civil war, as it completed Yoritomo's nationwide domination through

456-464: A conflict arose among the shugo daimyo as to whether Yoshimi or Yoshihisa would be the next shogun. The Hatakeyama and Shiba clans were also divided into two opposing factions over succession within their own clans, and Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen , who were father-in-law and son-in-law, were politically at odds with each other. In 1467, these conflicts finally led to the Ōnin War between

570-547: A considerable force, driving Yoshinaka from the city. After fighting his cousins at the bridge over the Uji , Yoshinaka made his final stand at Awazu , in Ōmi Province . He was defeated by Yoshitsune, and killed while attempting to flee. As the united Minamoto forces left Kyoto, the Taira began consolidating their position at a number of sites in and around the Inland Sea, which was their ancestral home territory. They received

684-411: A descendant of the Taira clan , was approached for the position of shogun a month before his death. The shogun's officials were collectively referred to as the bakufu ( 幕府 , IPA: [baꜜkɯ̥ɸɯ] ; "tent government") ; they were the ones who carried out the actual duties of administration, while the imperial court retained only nominal authority. The tent symbolized the shogun's role as

798-513: A duty to the Taira clan. Although the various Minamoto clans rose up simultaneously, not all of them were under the command of Minamoto no Yoritomo from the beginning. In fact, the actual Kawachi Genji had no single legitimate lineage, and even if we were to limit ourselves to the succession of Minamoto no Yoshiie , who was the representative samurai of the Kawachi Genji, it was not only Yoritomo who could have claimed that position. Yoritomo

912-687: A major warrior dynasty. Minamoto no Mitsunaka (912–997) formed an alliance with the Fujiwara. Thereafter the Fujiwara frequently called upon the Minamoto to restore order in the capital, Heian-Kyō (modern Kyōto ).Mitsunaka's eldest son, Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948–1021), became the protégé of Fujiwara no Michinaga ; another son, Minamoto no Yorinobu (968–1048) suppressed the rebellion of Taira no Tadatsune in 1032. Yorinobu's son, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (988–1075), and grandson, Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039–1106), pacified most of northeastern Japan between 1051 and 1087. The Seiwa Genji's fortunes declined in

1026-599: A mandate for Yoshinaka to "join with Yukiie in destroying Munemori and his army". In 1183, Yoshinaka once again sought to gain control of the Minamoto clan by planning an attack on Yoritomo, while simultaneously pursuing the Taira westward. The Taira set up a temporary Court at Dazaifu in Kyūshū , the southernmost of Japan's main islands. They were forced out soon afterwards by local revolts instigated by Go-Shirakawa, and moved their Court to Yashima . The Taira were successful in beating off an attack by Yoshinaka's pursuing forces at

1140-535: A member of the sekkan family , as the fourth shogun. In 1232, the Goseibai Shikimoku was enacted, the first codified law by a warrior class government in Japan. In 1246, Hojo Tokiyori became the fifth shikken , and in 1252 he installed Prince Munetaka as the sixth shogun. The appointment of a member of the imperial family as shogun made the shogun more and more like a puppet. After retiring from

1254-399: A new palace and established four new administrative bodies. However, the nobles who had long been out of politics and the newly appointed samurai were unfamiliar with administrative practices, and the court was unable to handle the drastic increase in lawsuits. Emperor Go-Daigo gave high positions and rewards only to the nobles, and the warriors began to swear allegiance to Ashikaga Takauji, who

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1368-621: A number of missives from the Emperor offering that if they surrendered by the seventh day of the second month, the Minamoto could be persuaded to agree to a truce. This was a farce, as neither the Minamoto nor the Emperor had any intentions of waiting until the eighth day to attack. Nevertheless, this tactic offered the Emperor a chance to regain the Regalia and to distract the Taira leadership. The Minamoto army, led by Yoshitsune and Noriyori, made their first major assault at Ichi-no-Tani , one of

1482-500: A raid, defeating many of his enemies, but eventually ran out of strength and was killed. The Azuchi-Momoyama period refers to the period when Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were in power. They and Tokugawa Ieyasu are the three unifiers of Japan. The name "Azuchi-Momoyama" comes from the fact that Nobunaga's castle, Azuchi Castle , was located in Azuchi, Shiga , and Fushimi Castle , where Hideyoshi lived after his retirement,

1596-630: A somewhat fictionalized account of the wars, as seen from the perspectives of his two main characters, the Zinja Monk Jebu, and the Noblewoman Lady Shima Taniko. The names of the two rival clans have been changed, "Minamoto" to "Muratomo" and "Taira" to "Takashi". Another fictionalized account of the conflict forms the central plot of "Civil War" (also known as "Turbulent Times"), the ninth volume of Osamu Tezuka 's celebrated Phoenix series of comics. The Genpei War

1710-462: Is known to survive. These were descendants of Emperor Kazan . They became the dōjō Shirakawa family , which headed the Jingi-kan for centuries, responsible for the centralised aspects of Shinto . These were descendants of Emperor Sanjō 's son Prince Atsuakira . Starting with one of them, Minamoto no Michisue , the position of Ōkimi-no-kami (chief genealogist of the imperial family) in

1824-487: Is no consensus among the various authors since some sources consider Tajihi no Agatamori the first, others say Ōtomo no Otomaro , other sources assure that the first was Sakanoue no Tamuramaro , while others avoid the problem by just mentioning from the first Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo . Originally, the title of sei-i taishōgun ("Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force Against

1938-427: Is not appropriate to use the term "Genpei" for this war, as it does not accurately represent the belligerents of the war. In fact, the head of the Minamoto clan at the time was not a samurai but a court noble, and the first samurai to be the head of the clan was Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the 14th century. In reality, it was not exclusively a war between the Minamoto clan and the Taira clan, and there were many members of

2052-618: Is often said that one must be of the Minamoto lineage to become a shogun, but this is not true. While it is true that the Minamoto lineage was respected as a lineage suitable for the position of shogun, the fourth and fifth shoguns of the Kamakura shogunate were from the Fujiwara lineage (although their mothers were from the Minamoto lineage), and the sixth through ninth shoguns were from the imperial lineage. Oda Nobunaga , who claimed to be

2166-548: Is often translated generalissimo and is also used for such military leaders of foreign nations by the Japanese. Though shogun ( 将軍 ) now predominantly refers to the historical position sei-i taishōgun ( 征夷大将軍 ) in Japanese, this term simply means "a general" in other East Asian languages, such as Chinese ( simplified Chinese : 将军 ; traditional Chinese : 將軍 ; pinyin : jiāngjūn ; Jyutping : zoeng1 gwan1 ). In fact, since sei-i taishōgun ( 征夷大将軍 )

2280-591: Is sometimes used in Japan, but it has been argued that it is not appropriate to use the term "Genpei" for this war. The Genpei War was the culmination of a decades-long conflict between the two aforementioned clans over dominance of the Imperial court and, by extension, control of Japan. In the Hōgen Rebellion and in the Heiji Rebellion of earlier decades, the Minamoto attempted to regain control from

2394-470: Is termed the ancestor of the Seiwa Genji, there is evidence (rediscovered in the late 19th century by Hoshino Hisashi ) suggesting that he was actually the grandson of Emperor Yōzei rather than of Emperor Seiwa. This theory is not widely accepted as fact, but as Yōzei was deposed for reprehensible behaviour, there would have been a compelling motive to claim descent from more auspicious origins if it were

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2508-481: Is the abbreviation of the historical title sei-i taishōgun ( 征夷大将軍 ): Thus, a literal translation of sei-i taishōgun would be 'Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force Against the Barbarians'. The term originally referred to the general who commanded the army sent to fight the tribes of northern Japan, but after the twelfth century, the term was used to designate the leader of the samurai . The term

2622-522: Is the backdrop for much of Katherine Patterson 's young adult novel, Of Nightingales That Weep . The entire story of Yoshitsune has been told in a novel form by Pamela S. Turner in the book Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune (2016). Sh%C5%8Dgun Shogun ( English: / ˈ ʃ oʊ ɡ ʌ n / SHOH -gun ; Japanese : 将軍 , romanized :  shōgun , pronounced [ɕoːɡɯɴ] ), officially sei-i taishōgun ( 征夷大将軍 , " Commander-in-Chief of

2736-479: Is used as a suffix for " extended family ". The Emperors of Japan bestowed noble surnames upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility . In May 814, the first emperor to grant the surname "Minamoto" was Emperor Saga , to his seventh son— Minamoto no Makoto , in Heian-Kyō (modern Kyōto ). The practice was most prevalent during

2850-513: The Ashikaga shogunate of Muromachi period ), Nitta , Takeda , and Tokugawa (founders of the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period ) clans claim descents from the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji branch). The protagonist of the classical Japanese novel The Tale of Genji (The Tale of Minamoto clan)— Hikaru Genji , was bestowed the name Minamoto for political reasons by his father the emperor and

2964-521: The Battle of Mizushima . Yoshinaka conspired with Yukiie to seize the capital and the Emperor, possibly even establishing a new Court in the north. However, Yukiie revealed these plans to the Emperor, who communicated them to Yoritomo. Betrayed by Yukiie, Yoshinaka took command of Kyoto and, at the beginning of 1184, set fire to the Hōjūjidono , taking the Emperor into custody. Minamoto no Yoshitsune arrived soon afterwards with his brother Noriyori and

3078-510: The Heiji rebellion and became the first samurai-born aristocratic class, eventually becoming daijō-daijin ( 太政大臣 , Chancellor of the Realm) , the highest position of the aristocratic class, and the Taira clan monopolized important positions at the imperial court and wielded power. The seizure of political power by Taira no Kiyomori was the first instance of the warrior class leading politics for

3192-526: The Hōgen Rebellion (1156), when the Taira executed most of the line, including Minamoto no Tameyoshi . During the Heiji Disturbance (1160), the head of the Seiwa Genji, Minamoto no Yoshitomo , died in battle. Taira no Kiyomori seized power in Kyoto by forging an alliance with the retired emperors Go-Shirakawa and Toba and infiltrating the kuge . He sent Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199),

3306-603: The Hōjō clan and kanrei ( 管領 ) of the Hosokawa clan . In addition, Taira no Kiyomori and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were leaders of the warrior class who did not hold the position of shogun, the highest office of the warrior class, yet gained the positions of daijō-daijin ( 太政大臣 , Chancellor of the Realm) and kampaku ( 関白 , Imperial Regent) , the highest offices of the aristocratic class. As such, they ran their governments as its de facto rulers. The office of shogun

3420-574: The Kawachi Genji was a leader of a buke . His descendants set up the Kamakura shogunate , making his a prestigious pedigree claimed by many buke , particularly for the direct descendants in the Ashikaga clan (that set up the Ashikaga shogunate ) and the rival Nitta clan . Centuries later, Tokugawa Ieyasu would claim descent from the Seiwa Genji by way of the Nitta clan. These were descendants of Emperor Yōzei . While Minamoto no Tsunemoto

3534-750: The Ministry of the Imperial Household was passed down hereditarily. These were descendants of Emperor Go-Sanjō 's son Prince Sukehito . Sukehito's son Minamoto no Arihito was a sadaijin . Minamoto no Yoritomo 's vassal Tashiro Nobutsuna , who appears in the Tale of the Heike , was allegedly Arihito's grandson (according to the Genpei Jōsuiki ). This line consisted solely of Emperor Go-Shirakawa son Mochihito-ō (Takakura-no-Miya). As part of

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3648-517: The Northern Fujiwara in 1189 was in fact the last battle during this period of civil war, as it completed Yoritomo's nationwide domination through the annexation of Dewa and Mutsu Province , and that its end marked the establishment of the first military government, the Kamakura shogunate. The terms Genpei Kassen (源平合戦), Genpei Sōran (源平争乱) and Genpei no Tatakai (源平の戦い) are sometimes used in Japan, but it has been argued that it

3762-628: The Sasaki clan of the Ōmi Genji , and the Izumo Genji . These were descendants of Emperor Daigo . His son Minamoto no Takaakira became a sadaijin , but his downfall came during the Anna incident . Takaakira's descendants include the Okamoto and Kawajiri clans. Daigo's grandson Minamoto no Hiromasa was a reputed musician. These were descendants of Emperor Murakami . His grandson Morofusa

3876-541: The Taira clan became Kokushi ( 国司 ) , or overseers of various regions, and accumulated wealth by taking samurai from various regions as their retainers. In the struggle to succeed Emperor Toba, former Emperor Sutoku and Emperor Go-Shirakawa , each with his samurai class on his side, fought the Hōgen rebellion , which was won by Emperor Go-Shirakawa, who had Taira no Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo on his side. Later, Taira no Kiyomori defeated Minamoto no Yoshitomo in

3990-644: The Three Sacred Treasures (Imperial regalia , 三種の神器). On the other hand, Ashikaga Takauji installed Emperor Kōmyō as the new emperor without the Three Sacred Treasures in 1336. Ashikaga Takauji tried to make peace with Emperor Go-Daigo, but the negotiations failed when Emperor Go-Daigo refused. Emperor Go-Daigo moved to Yoshino , and the country entered the Nanboku-cho period (1336-1392), in which two emperors existed at

4104-454: The battle of Dan-no-ura , one of the most famous and significant battles in Japanese history. The Minamoto engaged the Taira fleet in the Straits of Shimonoseki , a tiny body of water separating the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū. The tides played a powerful role in the development of the battle, granting the advantage first to the Taira, who were more experienced and abler sailors, and later to

4218-403: The daimyo of various regions fought to expand their own power. Daimyo who became more powerful as the shogunate's control weakened were called sengoku daimyo ( 戦国大名 ) , and they often came from shugo daimyo , shugodai ( 守護代 , deputy shugo) , and kokujin or kunibito ( 国人 , local masters) . In other words, sengoku daimyo differed from shugo daimyo in that sengoku daimyo

4332-572: The royal class (and therefore outranked members of Minamoto clans). The bestowing of the Minamoto name on a (theretofore-)prince or his descendants excluded them from the royal class altogether, thereby operating as a reduction in legal and social rank even for ō -princes not previously in the line of succession. Many later clans were formed by members of the Minamoto clan, and in many early cases, progenitors of these clans are known by either family name. There are also known monks of Minamoto descent; these are often noted in genealogies but did not carry

4446-488: The 1330s, the Kenmu Restoration . In addition, this war and its aftermath established red and white, the colors of the Taira and Minamoto standards, respectively, as Japan's national colors. Today, these colors can be seen on the flag of Japan , and also in banners and flags in sumo and other traditional activities. It has been pointed out that the Battle of Ōshū fought between the Kamakura government and

4560-457: The 13th shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru , the shogun already had few direct fiefs and direct military forces, and his sphere of influence was limited to a few lands around Kyoto, losing both economic and military power. As a result, Ashikaga Yoshiteru was often chased out of Kyoto by the sengoku daimyo Miyoshi Nagayoshi and his forces, and was finally killed in an attack by the forces of Miyoshi Yoshitsugu and Matsunaga Hisahide . Ashikaga Yoshiteru

4674-486: The 5th shogun, died of illness at the age of 19, so the 6th shogun was chosen from among Yoshimochi's four brothers, and to ensure fairness, a lottery was held. The sixth shogun was Ashikaga Yoshinori . However, he was not educated to be a shogun, and his temperamental and despotic behavior caused resentment, and he was assassinated by Akamatsu Mitsusuke during the Kakitsu Rebellion . This led to instability in

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4788-458: The Ashikaga shogunate system. Ashikaga Yoshimasa , the 8th shogun, tried to strengthen the power of the shogun, but his close associates did not follow his instructions, leading to political chaos and increasing social unrest. Since he had no sons, he tried to install his younger brother Ashikaga Yoshimi as the ninth shogun, but when his wife Hino Tomiko gave birth to Ashikaga Yoshihisa ,

4902-520: The Barbarians") was given to military commanders during the early Heian period for the duration of military campaigns against the Emishi , who resisted the governance of the Kyoto -based imperial court. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758–811) was a Japanese general who fought against the Emishi tribes of northern Japan (settled in the territory that today integrates the provinces of Mutsu and Dewa). Tamarumaro

5016-524: The Eastern Army, led by Hosokawa Katsumoto and including Hatakeyama Masanaga , Shiba Yoshitoshi, and Ashikaga Yoshimi, and the Western Army, led by Yamana Sōzen and including Hatakeyama Yoshinari, Shiba Yoshikado, and Ashikaga Yoshihisa.　In 1469, the war spread to the provinces, but in 1473, Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen, the leaders of both armies, were dead, and in 1477, the war ended when

5130-483: The Expeditionary Force Against the Barbarians") , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor , shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamakura period and Sengoku period when the shoguns themselves were figureheads, with real power in the hands of the shikken ( 執権 ) of

5244-543: The Fujiwara regime. Taira no Masakado , who rose to prominence in the early 10th century, was the first of the local warrior class to revolt against the imperial court. He had served Fujiwara no Tadahira as a young man, but eventually won a power struggle within the Taira clan and became a powerful figure in the Kanto region . In 939, Fujiwara no Haruaki , a powerful figure in the Hitachi province , fled to Masakado. He

5358-574: The Heian period (794–1185 AD), although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku period . The Taira were another such offshoot of the imperial dynasty , making both clans distant relatives. The most prominent of the several Minamoto families, the Seiwa Genji , descended from Minamoto no Tsunemoto (897–961), a grandson of Emperor Seiwa . Tsunemoto went to the provinces and became the founder of

5472-463: The Heian period (794–1185). They were, however, decimated by the Taira in the Heiji Rebellion of 1160. Minamoto no Yoshitomo had been the head of the clan at this time; upon his defeat at the hands of Taira no Kiyomori, two of his sons were killed and the third, Minamoto no Yoritomo, was banished. Following the call to arms of Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa in 1180, the clan would gather together and rise to power again. The Genpei war would see

5586-477: The Kamakura shogunate marked the rise to power of the warrior class ( samurai ) and the gradual suppression of the power of the emperor, who was compelled to govern without effective political or military power, being effectively reduced to a purely symbolical and ceremonial head of state, until the Meiji Restoration over 650 years later, though there was a short-lived attempt to restore imperial rule in

5700-527: The Minamoto clan defeat the Taira and take command of the entire country. The Taira clan was one of the four great clans which dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period (794–1185). As a result of the near-total destruction of their rival clan, the Minamoto, in the Heiji Rebellion of 1160, Taira no Kiyomori, head of the clan, initiated the Genpei War at the height of his power. The end of

5814-401: The Minamoto. The Minamoto advantage was considerably enhanced by the defection of Taguchi, a Shikoku warrior who went over to the Minamoto side in the middle of the action. Many of the Taira nobles perished, along with Emperor Antoku and the widow of Kiyomori. The defeat of the Taira armies meant the end of Taira "dominance at the capital". In December 1185, Go-Shirakawa granted to Yoritomo

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5928-480: The Realm) , reaching their peak at the end of the 10th century under Fujiwara no Michinaga and Fujiwara no Yorimichi . Later, in the mid-11th century, Emperor Go-Sanjo weakened the power of the sesshō and kampaku by presiding over politics himself, and when the next emperor, Shirakawa , abdicated and became a cloistered emperor and began a cloistered rule , the sesshō and kampaku lost their real political authority and became nominal, effectively ending

6042-489: The Southern court, ending the 58-year Nanboku-cho period. Yoshimitsu continued to hold power after passing the shogunate to his son Ashikaga Yoshimochi in 1395, becoming daijō-daijin ( 太政大臣 , Chancellor of the Realm) , the highest rank of the nobility, and remaining in power until his death in 1408. In 1428, Ashikaga Yoshimochi , the fourth shogun, was ill and the question of his succession arose. Ashikaga Yoshikazu ,

6156-477: The Taira and failed. In 1180, Taira no Kiyomori put his grandson Antoku (then only 2 years of age) on the throne after the abdication of Emperor Takakura . Emperor Go-Shirakawa 's son Mochihito felt that he was being denied his rightful place on the throne and, with the help of Minamoto no Yorimasa , sent out a call to arms to the Minamoto clan and Buddhist monasteries in May. However, this plot ended with

6270-461: The Taira army. Meanwhile, Kiyomori, seeking vengeance against the Mii-dera monks and others, besieged Nara and burnt much of the city to the ground. Fighting continued the following year, 1181. Minamoto no Yukiie was defeated by a force led by Taira no Shigehira at the Battle of Sunomatagawa . However, the "Taira could not follow up their victory." Taira no Kiyomori died from illness in

6384-533: The Taira clan fighting on Minamoto clan's side, as well as members of these two clans serving as court nobles at the Imperial Court that were not samurai and had nothing to do with the war. There is no record of any direct or indirect complicity or assistance by the non-samurai Minamoto and Taira clan members to the war, and no record of any motive for their involvement exists. Furthermore, the Battle of Ōshū

6498-485: The Taira clan from Kyoto, and although initially welcomed by the hermit Emperor Go-Shirakawa, he became estranged and isolated due to the disorderly military discipline and lack of political power under his command. He staged a coup, overthrew the emperor's entourage, and became the first of the Minamoto clan to assume the office of Sei-i Taishōgun (shogun) . In response, Minamoto no Yoritomo sent Minamoto no Noriyori and Minamoto no Yoshitsune to defeat Yoshinaka, who

6612-497: The annexation of Northeast Japan . The name "Genpei" (sometimes romanized as Gempei ) comes from alternate readings of the kanji "Minamoto" (源 Gen ) and "Taira" (平 Hei , pronounced as the second element in some compounds as -pei ). The conflict is also known in Japanese as the Jishō–Juei War ( 治承・寿永の乱 , Jishō – Juei no Ran ) , after the two Imperial eras between which it took place. The term Genpei Kassen

6726-408: The areas they controlled. The shugo shared their newfound wealth with the local samurai, creating a hierarchical relationship between the shugo and the samurai, and the first early daimyo ( 大名 , feudal lords) , called shugo daimyo ( 守護大名 ) , appeared. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu , the third shogun, negotiated peace with the Southern court, and in 1392 he reunited the two courts by absorbing

6840-691: The arrest of Mochihito, who sought protection at the temple of Mii-dera . The Mii-dera monks were unable to ensure him sufficient protection, so he was forced to move along. He was then chased by Taira forces to the Byōdō-in , just outside Kyoto. The war began thus, with a dramatic encounter on and around the bridge over the River Uji . This battle ended in Yorimasa's ritual suicide inside the Byōdō-in and Mochihito's capture and execution shortly afterwards. It

6954-587: The case. These were descendants of Emperor Kōkō . The great-grandson of his firstborn Prince Koretada , Kōshō , was the ancestor of a line of busshi , from which various styles of Buddhist sculpture emerged. Kōshō's grandson Kakujo established the Shichijō Bussho workshop. These were descendants of Emperor Uda . Two sons of Prince Atsumi , Minamoto no Masanobu and Minamoto no Shigenobu became sadaijin . Masanobu's children in particular flourished, forming five dōjō houses as kuge , and as buke

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7068-480: The city from the north and Yukiie from the east. Both Minamoto leaders had seen little or no opposition in marching to the capital and now forced the Taira to flee the city. Taira no Munemori , head of the clan since his father Kiyomori's death, led his army, along with the young Emperor Antoku and the Imperial regalia , to the west. The cloistered emperor Go-Shirakawa defected to Yoshinaka. Go-Shirakawa then issued

7182-424: The clan name (in favour of a dharma name ). The Minamoto is the ancestor and parent clan of many notable descendant clans, some of which are Ashikaga , Tokugawa , Matsudaira , Nitta , Takeda , Shimazu , Sasaki , Akamatsu , Kitabatake , Tada, Ota , Toki , Yamana , Satomi , Hosokawa , Satake , Yamamoto, Hemi, Ogasawara , Yasuda , Takenouchi, Hiraga, Imagawa , Miyake , etc. There were 21 branches of

7296-476: The clan, each named after the emperor from whom it descended. Some of these lineages were populous, but a few did not produce descendants. The Saga Genji are descendants of Emperor Saga . As Saga had many children, many were bestowed the uji Minamoto, declassing them from imperial succession. Among his sons, Makoto , Tokiwa , and Tōru took the position of Minister of the Left ( sadaijin ); they were among

7410-430: The deaths of Yorimasa and Mochihito. In June 1180, Kiyomori moved the seat of imperial power to Fukuhara-kyō , "his immediate objective seems to have been to get the royal family under his close charge." The actions of Taira no Kiyomori having deepened Minamoto hatred for the Taira clan, a call for arms was sent up by Minamoto no Yorimasa and Prince Mochihito. Not knowing who was behind this rally, Kiyomori called for

7524-438: The first shikken ( 執権 , Regent) and assuming actual control of the shogunate. Hojo Yoshitoki later assassinated Minamoto no Yoriie. However, Hojo Tokimasa lost influence in 1204 when he killed Hatakeyama Shigetada , believing false information that his son-in-law Shigetada was about to rebel, and lost his position in 1205 when he tried to install his son-in-law Hiraga Tomomasa as the fourth shogun. Hojo Yoshitoki became

7638-538: The forces of Emperor Go-Daigo, turned to the emperor's side and attacked Rokuhara Tandai . Then, in 1333, Nitta Yoshisada invaded Kamakura and the Kamakura shogunate fell, and the Hōjō clan was destroyed. Around 1334–1336, Ashikaga Takauji helped Emperor Go-Daigo regain his throne in the Kenmu Restoration . Emperor Go-Daigo rejected cloistered rule and the shogunate and abolished the sesshō and kampaku in favour of an emperor-led government. He also began building

7752-467: The growing fame of Ashikaga Takauji and ordered Nitta Yoshisada and others to defeat Ashikaga Takauji. In response, Takauji led a group of samurai against the new government and defeated the imperial court forces. This ended Emperor Go-Daigo's new regime in 1336 after only two years. After the failure of the Kenmu Restoration, Emperor Go-Daigo fled to Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei with

7866-422: The help of samurai called gokenin ( 御家人 ) , lords in the service of the shogunate. However, since the war was a war of national defense and no new territory was gained, the shogunate was unable to adequately reward the gokenin , and their dissatisfaction with the shogunate grew. In 1285, during the reign of Hojo Sadatoki , the ninth shikken and eighth tokusō , Adachi Yasumori and his clan, who had been

7980-423: The imperial court was in charge of politics. From the mid-9th century to the mid-11th century, the Fujiwara clan controlled political power. They excluded other clans from the political center and monopolized the highest positions in the court, such as sesshō ( 摂政 , Imperial Regent for Minor Emperors) , kampaku ( 関白 , Imperial Regent fo Adult Emperors) , and daijō-daijin ( 太政大臣 , Chancellor of

8094-421: The late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo , who appointed himself as Shōgun in 1192, governing Japan as a military dictator from the eastern city of Kamakura . It followed a coup d'état by the Taira in 1179 with the removal of rivals from all government posts, and subsequently banishing them, and

8208-424: The main vassals of the Kamakura shogunate, were destroyed by Taira no Yoritsuna, further strengthening the ruling system of the tokusō , which emphasized blood relations. As tokusō's ruling system was strengthened, the power of the title of naikanrei ( 内管領 ) , tokusō' s chief retainer, increased, and when tokusō was young or incapacitated, naikanrei took control of the shogunate. Taira no Yoritsuna during

8322-498: The military's field commander but also denoted that such an office was meant to be temporary. Nevertheless, the institution, known in English as the shogunate ( / ˈ ʃ oʊ ɡ ə n eɪ t / SHOH -gə-nayt ), persisted for nearly 700 years, ending when Tokugawa Yoshinobu relinquished the office to Emperor Meiji in 1867 as part of the Meiji Restoration . The term shogun ( 将軍 , lit.   ' army commander ' )

8436-767: The most powerful in the Imperial Court in the early Heian period . Some of Tōru's descendants in particular settled the provinces and formed buke . Clans such as the Watanabe , Matsuura , and Kamachi descend from the Saga Genji. Noted Saga Genji and descendants include: History records indicate that at least three of Emperor Saga's daughters were also made Minamoto ( Minamoto no Kiyohime , Minamoto no Sadahime , and Minamoto no Yoshihime ), but few records concerning his daughters are known. They were descendants of Emperor Ninmyō . His sons Minamoto no Masaru and Minamoto no Hikaru were udaijin . Among Hikaru's descendants

8550-442: The next 700 years. However, when Taira no Kiyomori used his power to have the child of his daughter Taira no Tokuko and Emperor Takakura installed as Emperor Antoku , there was widespread opposition. Prince Mochihito , no longer able to assume the imperial throne, called upon the Minamoto clan to raise an army to defeat the Taira clan, and the Genpei War began. In the midst of the Genpei War, Minamoto no Yoshinaka expelled

8664-475: The political system he developed with a succession of shoguns as the head became known as a shogunate. Hojo Masako 's (Yoritomo's wife) family, the Hōjō , seized power from the Kamakura shoguns. In 1199, Yoritomo died suddenly at the age of 53, and the 18-year-old Minamoto no Yoriie took over as second shogun. To support the young Yoriie, the decisions of the shogunate were made by a 13-man council, including Hojo Tokimasa and his son Hojo Yoshitoki , but this

8778-425: The power to collect taxes, and "appoint stewards and constables in all provinces". Finally, in 1192, after Go-Shirakawa's death, Yoritomo was granted the imperial commission Sei-i Tai Shōgun . This was the beginning of a feudal state in Japan, with real power now in Kamakura . However, Kyoto remained the "seat of national ceremony and ritual" and the de jure capital. The end of the Genpei War and beginning of

8892-405: The prevailing theory was that the year was 1185, when Yoritomo established the shugo ( 守護 ) , which controlled military and police power in various regions, and the jitō ( 地頭 ) , which was in charge of tax collection and land administration. Japanese history textbooks as of 2016 do not specify a specific year for the beginning of the Kamakura period, as there are various theories about

9006-479: The primary Taira camps on Honshū. The camp was attacked from two directions by Yoshitsune and Noriyori, and the Taira not killed or captured retreated to Yashima. However, the Minamoto were not prepared to assault Shikoku ; a six-month pause thus ensued during which the Minamoto took the proper steps. Though on the retreat, the Taira enjoyed the distinct advantages of being in friendly, home territories, and of being far more adept at naval combat than their rivals. It

9120-450: The reign of Hojo Sadatoki, and Nagasaki Takatsuna and Nagasaki Takasuke during the reign of Hojo Takatoki , the fourteenth shikken and ninth tokusō , were naikanrei who took control of the Kamakura shogunate. 　In other words, Japanese politics was a multiple puppet structure: Emperor, shogun, shikken, tokusō, and naikanrei. In response to gokenin' s dissatisfaction with the shogunate, Emperor Go-Daigo planned to raise an army against

9234-666: The same time in two different imperial courts, the Southern Court in Yoshino and the Northern Court in Kyoto. In 1338, Ashikaga Takauji , like Minamoto no Yoritomo, a descendant of the Minamoto princes, was awarded the title of sei-i taishōgun by Emperor Kōmyō and established the Ashikaga shogunate , which nominally lasted until 1573. The Ashikaga had their headquarters in the Muromachi district of Kyoto, and

9348-531: The second shikken , and the shogunate was administered under the leadership of Hojo Masako . In 1219, the third shogun, Minamoto no Sanetomo, was assassinated for unknown reasons. In 1221, war broke out for the first time in Japan between the warrior class government and the imperial court, and in this battle, known as the Jōkyū War , the shogunate defeated former Emperor Go-Toba . The shogunate exiled former Emperor Go-Toba to Oki Island for waging war against

9462-563: The shikkens, he used his position as head of the Hojo clan's main family, tokusō ( 得宗 ) , to dominate politics, thus shifting the source of power in the shogunate from the shikken to tokusō . During the reign of Hojo Tokimune , the eighth shikken and seventh tokusō , the shogunate twice defeated the Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274 and 1281. The shogunate defeated the Mongols with

9576-462: The shogun a puppet of the Hosokawa clan . Hosokawa Takakuni , who came to power later, installed Ashikaga Yoshiharu as the 12th shogun in 1521. In 1549, Miyoshi Nagayoshi banished the 12th shogun and his son Ashikaga Yoshiteru from Kyoto and seized power. From this point on, the Miyoshi clan continued to hold power in and around Kyoto until Oda Nobunaga entered Kyoto in 1568. By the time of

9690-413: The shogunate, but his plan was leaked and he was exiled to Oki Island in 1331. In 1333, Emperor Go-Daigo escaped from Oki Island and again called on gokenin and samurai to raise an army against the shogunate. Kusunoki Masashige was the first to respond to the call, sparking a series of rebellions against the shogunate in various places. Ashikaga Takauji , who had been ordered by the shogunate to suppress

9804-509: The shogunate. The shogunate learned its lesson and set up an administrative body in Kyoto called the Rokuhara Tandai ( 六波羅探題 ) to oversee the imperial court and western Japan. After the sudden death of Hojo Yoshitoki in 1224, Hojo Yasutoki became the third shikken , and after the death of Hojo Masako in 1225, the administration of the shogunate returned to a council system. In 1226, Hojo Yasutoki installed Kujo Yoritsune ,

9918-499: The spring of 1181, and around the same time Japan began to suffer from a famine which was to last through the following year. The Taira moved to attack Minamoto no Yoshinaka , a cousin of Yoritomo who had raised forces in the north, but were unsuccessful. For nearly two years, the war ceased, only to resume in the spring of 1183. In 1183, the Taira loss at the Battle of Kurikara was so severe that they found themselves several months later under siege in Kyoto with Yoshinaka approaching

10032-421: The succession dispute that led to the opening hostilities of the Genpei War , he was declassed (renamed " Minamoto no Mochimitsu ") and exiled. These were descendants of Emperor Juntoku 's sons Tadanari-ō and Prince Yoshimune . The latter's grandson Yoshinari rose to sadaijin with the help of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu . This line consisted solely of Emperor Go-Saga 's grandson Prince Koreyasu . Koreyasu-ō

10146-409: The term bakufu to the shogunate government was therefore heavy with symbolism, connoting both the explicitly military character of the shogunal regime and its (at least theoretically) ephemeral nature. Historically, similar terms to sei-i taishōgun were used with varying degrees of responsibility, although none of them had equal or more importance than sei-i taishōgun . Some of them were: There

10260-439: The third son of Minamoto no Yoshimoto of the Seiwa Genji, into exile. In 1180, during the Genpei War , Yoritomo mounted a full-scale rebellion against the Taira rule, culminating in the destruction of the Taira and the subjugation of eastern Japan within five years. In 1192, he received the title shōgun and set up the first bakufu in the history of Japan at Kamakura — Kamakura shogunate . The later Ashikaga (founders of

10374-462: The time during which they ruled is also known as the Muromachi period . Between 1346 and 1358, the Ashikaga shogunate gradually expanded the authority of the shugo ( 守護 ) , the local military and police officials established by the Kamakura shogunate, giving the shugo jurisdiction over land disputes between gokenin ( 御家人 ) and allowing the shugo to receive half of all taxes from

10488-451: The war, however, brought destruction to the Taira clan. Many stories and works of art depict this conflict. The Tale of the Heike ( 平家物語 , Heike Monogatari ) is the most famous, although many kabuki and bunraku plays reproduce events of the war as well. Ichinotani Futaba Gunki ('Chronicle of the battle of Ichi-no-Tani') by Namiki Sōsuke may be one of the more famous of these. The novel Shike by Robert Shea features

10602-404: The western lords, including Hatakeyama Yoshinari and Ōuchi Masahiro , withdrew their armies from Kyoto. The war devastated Kyoto, destroying many aristocratic and samurai residences, Shinto shrines , and Buddhist temples, and undermining the authority of the Ashikaga shoguns, greatly reducing their control over the various regions. Thus began the Sengoku period , a period of civil war in which

10716-431: The year the Kamakura shogunate was established. Minamoto no Yoritomo seized power from the central government and aristocracy and by 1192 established a feudal system based in Kamakura in which the private military, the samurai , gained some political powers while the Emperor and the aristocracy remained the de jure rulers. In 1192, Yoritomo was awarded the title of sei-i taishōgun by Emperor Go-Toba and

10830-550: Was Minamoto no Atsushi , adoptive father of the Saga Genji's Watanabe no Tsuna and father of the Seiwa Genji's Minamoto no Mitsunaka 's wife. These were descendants of Emperor Montoku . Among them, Minamoto no Yoshiari was a sadaijin , and among his descendants were the Sakado clan who were Hokumen no Bushi . These were descendants of Emperor Seiwa . The most numerous of them were those descended from Minamoto no Tsunemoto , son of Prince Sadazumi . Hachimantarō Yoshiie of

10944-405: Was able to rule the region on his own, without being appointed by the shogun. In 1492, Hosokawa Masamoto , the kanrei ( 管領 ) , second in rank to the shogun in the Ashikaga shogunate, and the equivalent of Shikken ( 執権 ) in the Kamakura shogunate, staged a coup, banished the 10th shogun, Ashikaga Yoshitane , from Kyoto, and installed Ashikaga Yoshizumi as the 11th shogun, making

11058-403: Was an udaijin and had many descendants, among them several houses of dōjō kuge . Until the Ashikaga clan took it during the Muromachi period , the title of Genji no Chōja always fell to one of Morofusa's progeny. These were descendants of Emperor Reizei . Though they are included among the listing of 21 Genji lineages, no concrete record of the names of his descendants made Minamoto

11172-519: Was at this point that Minamoto no Yoritomo took over leadership of the Minamoto clan and began traveling the country seeking to rendezvous with allies. Leaving Izu Province and heading for the Hakone Pass , he was defeated by the Taira in the battle of Ishibashiyama . However, he successfully made it to the provinces of Kai and Kōzuke , where the Takeda and other friendly families helped repel

11286-450: Was delegated to civilian life and a career as an imperial officer. The Genpei War is also the subject of the early Japanese epic The Tale of the Heike ( Heike Monogatari ). Even within royalty there was a distinction between princes with the title shinnō ( 親王 ) , who could ascend to the throne, and princes with the title ō ( 王 ) , who were not members of the line of imperial succession but nevertheless remained members of

11400-518: Was effectively dismantled shortly afterwards when one of the key members lost his political position and two others died of illness. When Minamoto no Yoriie fell ill in 1203, a power struggle broke out between the Hojo clan and Hiki Yoshikazu , and Hojo Tokimasa destroyed the Hiki clan . Tokimasa then installed the 12-year-old Minamoto no Sanetomo as the third shogun, puppeting him while himself becoming

11514-471: Was fought between Minamoto no Yoritomo and his last strong enemy, the Northern Fujiwara, years after the Taira clan had been destroyed. It is true that many members of the Minamoto clan, such as Takeda Nobuyoshi and Minamoto no Yoshinaka , rose to arms against the Taira clan. There were also many who belonged to the Minamoto clan, but who fought for the Taira clan because they had a kinship or

11628-476: Was in practice hereditary, although over the course of the history of Japan several different clans held the position. The title was originally held by military commanders during the Heian period in the eighth and ninth centuries. When Minamoto no Yoritomo gained political ascendency over Japan in 1185, the title was revived to regularize his position, making him the first shogun in the usually understood sense. It

11742-516: Was independent of the imperial court and called himself the Shinnō ( 新皇 , New Emperor) . In response, the imperial court sent a large army led by Taira no Sadamori to kill Masakado. As a result, Masakado was killed in battle in February 940. He is still revered as one of the three great onryō ( 怨霊 , vengeful spirits) of Japan. During the reigns of Emperor Shirakawa and Emperor Toba ,

11856-568: Was installed as a puppet shōgun (the seventh of the Kamakura shogunate ) at a young age, and was renamed " Minamoto no Koreyasu " a few years later. After he was deposed, he regained royal status, and became a monk soon after, thereby losing the Minamoto name. These were descendants of Emperor Go-Fukakusa 's son Prince Hisaaki (the eighth shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate ). Hisaaki's sons Prince Morikuni (the next shōgun ) and Prince Hisayoshi were made Minamoto. Hisayoshi's adopted "nephew" (actually Nijō Michihira 's son) Muneaki became

11970-408: Was killed within a year of becoming shogun. In 1185, the Taira clan was finally defeated in the Battle of Dan-no-ura , and the Minamoto clan came to power. There are various theories as to the year in which the Kamakura period and Kamakura shogunate began. In the past, the most popular theory was that the year was 1192, when Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed sei-i taishōgun ( 征夷大将軍 ) . Later,

12084-481: Was known as a great swordsman and was a student of Tsukahara Bokuden , who was known as one of the strongest swordsmen. According to Yagyū Munenori , a swordsmanship instructor in the Tokugawa Shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshiteru was one of the five best swordsmen of his time. According to several historical books, including Luís Fróis ' Historia de Japam , he fought hard with naginata and tachi during

12198-572: Was located in Momoyama. Although the two leaders of the warrior class during this period were not given the title of sei-i taishōgun ( 征夷大将軍 , shogun) , Oda Nobunaga was given a title almost equal to it, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi a higher one. This era began when Oda Nobunaga expelled Ashikaga Yoshiaki from Kyoto and destroyed the Ashikaga shogunate. Adopting an innovative military strategy using tanegashima ( 種子島 , matchlock gun) and an economic policy that encouraged economic activity by

12312-542: Was not until nearly a year after the battle of Ichi-no-Tani that the main Taira force at Yashima came under assault . Seeing Yoshitsune's bonfires in their rear, the Taira had not expected a land-based attack and took to their ships. This was a deceptive ploy on the part of the Minamoto, however. The Taira improvised imperial palace fell, and many escaped along with the Imperial regalia and the Emperor Antoku. The Genpei War came to an end one month later, following

12426-459: Was originally a specific type of general, this is an example of semantic widening . The shogunate's administration was known as the bakufu ( 幕府 ) , literally meaning "government from the curtain ". In this context, "curtain" is a synecdoche for a type of semi-open tent called a maku , a temporary battlefield headquarters from which a samurai general would direct his forces, and whose sides would be decorated with his mon . The application of

12540-668: Was overthrown by Emperor Go-Daigo in the Kenmu Restoration of 1333. Three years later the Kenmu government would then itself be overthrown by the Ashikaga clan , descendants of the Seiwa Genji who established the Ashikaga shogunate (1333 to 1573). The Minamoto clan is also called the Genji ( 源氏 , "Minamoto clan") , or less frequently, the Genke ( 源家 , "House of Minamoto") , using the on'yomi readings of gen ( 源 ) for "Minamoto", while shi or ji ( 氏 ) means " clan ", and ke ( 家 )

12654-521: Was the first general to bend these tribes, integrating their territory to that of the Yamato State . For his military feats he was named sei-i taishōgun and probably because he was the first to win the victory against the northern tribes he is generally recognized as the first shogun in history. (Note: according to historical sources Ōtomo no Otomaro also had the title of sei-i taishōgun). The shoguns of this period had no real political power, and

12768-400: Was the heir of Yoshitomo, who had risen to that position by killing his father and younger brother during the Battle of Ōkura in 1155. However, Minamoto no Yoshinaka , the heir of Minamoto no Yoshikata , and Yukiie , the younger brother of Yoshitomo and Yoshikata, could have claimed the position as well. The Minamoto were one of the four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during

12882-471: Was wanted for tyranny by Fujiwara no Korechika , a Kokushi ( 国司 , imperial court official) who oversaw the province of Hitachi province, and Fujiwara no Korechika demanded that Masakado hand over Fujiwara no Haruaki. Masakado refused, and war broke out between Masakado and Fujiwara no Korechika, with Masakado becoming an enemy of the imperial court. Masakado proclaimed that the Kanto region under his rule

12996-418: Was willing to give up his personal fortune to give them such rewards. During the Kenmu Restoration, after the fall of the Kamakura shogunate in 1333, another short-lived shogun arose. Prince Moriyoshi (Morinaga), son of Go-Daigo, was awarded the title of sei-i taishōgun . However, Prince Moriyoshi was later put under house arrest and, in 1335, killed by Ashikaga Tadayoshi . Emperor Go-daigo did not like

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