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A Brief history of Kamakura

BY Nicolaus of Exeter

PART I

Kamakura is a city on the east coast of central Honshu (the main island of Japan) in the Kantō district (this district was known as Tōgoku in the middle ages).  Originally this city was no more than a small forgotten fishing village on the shores of Sagami Bay.  The Tōgoku area was so unimportant it was not even mentioned in official records until is abruptly became the capital of Japan. How Kamakura got its name is uncertain, etymologically it mean "enclosed oven" or it could be derived form a word used by the aboriginal natives of Japan, the Ainu meaning "place of many hills".  Another explanation of the name is that Fujiwara Kamatari, founder of the Fuijwara clan who were the first supreme rulers of Japan who had their capitol in Kyoto, had his sword enshrined there in the 7th century after a dream told him to do so.  A sword is also refereed to as a sickle in Japan and the sickle is called a "kama" in Japanese: Kama-kura literally means sickle storehouse.

Originally Japan was divided into many fragmented warring clans.  Slowly the Yamato clan became supreme rulers and chose Kyoto as their capital in 792.  during the 10th century the role of emperor became relegated to religious and cultural spheres and the actual political power was held by regents from the powerful Fujiwara family.  By the year 1000 Kyoto was the center of culture, art and refined living.  However, the Fujiwara family's power began to fail and uprisings began to occur.  Warrior clans (called samurai) suppressed these uprisings and then began to fight among each other for power.  The strongest of these clans were the Heike (also called the Taira) and the Minamoto (also called the Genji).  The Heike won at the first and controlled the court and the capital.  In 1159 the Heike killed Minamoto Yoshitomo and his two oldest sons and captured many other members of the Minamoto clan including a 13 year old boy who was Yoshitomo's 3rd son, Minamoto Yoritomo (the future leader of Japan).  His life was spared after the mother of Heike Kiyomori, the supreme leader of the Heike, talked her son into allowing the boy and his younger half brother Minamoto Yoshitusme to live.  They were both banished to different temples to live as monks.  Yoritomo escaped the temple, gained allies, and made Kamakura his capitol in 1180.

Several important things happened in Kamakura while all that had been happening that shaped the cities' future.  In 1063 Minamoto Yoriyoshi moved into the area and erected a shrine to Hachiman, the patron deity of the Minamoto clan.  Why he moved there is unknown.  Also, the great grandfather of Minamoto Yoritomo, Minamoto Yoriyoshi had been ordered to suppress a rebellion in the Mutsu Province (present day Fukoshima, Miyagi, Iwate, and Aomori Prefectures).  He stopped in Kamakura and prayed for victory at Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū shrine.  He won.  In gratitude for this victory he built Yui Wakamiya shrine in Kyoto as a branch of the shrine he prayed at.  In addition to this Minamoto Yoshitomo (Yoritomo's father) owned a house in Kamakura located at the current sight of Jufuku-ji temple which is located near modern day Kamakura JR train station.  Furthermore, other members of the Minamoto clan owned estates in Tōgoku.

Yoritomo had other reasons for choosing Kamakura as his capital.  The geological features of the city make it a natural fortress against medieval weapons.  It faces Sagami Bay on one side and is surrounded by hills on all others.  these hills were cut by seven access roads called "Kiridōshi" (meaning cut through) and the names of these roads listed east to west were Nagoe, Asahina, Kobukuro-zaka, Kamega-yatsu, Kewai-zaka, Daibutsu-zaka, and Gokurakuji-zaka.  Finally Yoritomo had many supporters in Tōgoku who rallied behind his ensign "Down with the Heike!" among them were the Miura, Wada, Hatakeyama, and Chiba clans.  These clans had enjoyed favor with the Minamoto clan since the time of Yoriyoshi (about 1063) who had represented their common beliefs.

In 1180 Yoritomo marched his troops into Kamakura and started his new government but not before he had moved Yui Wakamiya shrine (build by his great grandfather) from Koyto to Kamakura and made it the center of his city plan.  Wakamiya Ōji is the street going north to south runs from shrine to Sagmi Bay, it has an elevated central path called "Dankazura" or "Okiishi" and still remains its original appearance today.  The shrine with the street leading from it to the sea is a city plan Yoritomo took from the layout of Kyoto.  As for the shrine itself, after the move it was called Tsurugaoka Wakamiya and Shintoism with elements of Buddhism was practiced there.  Annual events held there from its beginning until present are the Hōshō-e (the ritual of setting captured animals free and Yabusame (a ceremonial horseback archery contest).  It has burned down many times but has always been quickly rebuilt.  Its modern name is Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū.

PART II

In October 1180 Yoritomo established his military government of Kamakura starting what is known as the Kamakura period of Japan which lasted until 1333.  It also started the feudal period of Japan which lasted well into the 19th century under several different governments.  The city grew rapidly after 1180 and many shrines were build but the city had no indigenous cultural tradition, artists, religious leaders or even skilled labor.  All of these things had to be imported from places like Nara and Kyoto.  This government was called the Bakufu; the literal translation of this is "camp office" the true translation means "the government of the chieftain of the samurai". Yoritomo then established the offices of the Bakufu to take care of the affairs to the Minamoto clan but they worked out so well that soon they became the official government offices in charge of running the nation.  These offices were the Mandokoro (also called the Kumonjo) which took care of the general state of affairs.  The Monchūjo was the legal investigation office and the Samurai-dokoro was the military police.

In 184 with a government in place the Bakufu began to carry out its plan to eliminate the Heike clan.  Minamoto Yoshitsune (Yoritomo's younger half brother) led a surprise attack and won a major battle at Ichinotani which was located near modern day Kobe.  April 24, 1185 the Minamoto clan won a shattering victory in the inland sea at the Shimoneski straits near Danno-ura between Honshu (Japan's main island) and Kyushu.  Most of the Heike who were not killed; including the 7 year old Emperor of Japan, Antoku; drowned themselves rather than allow themselves to be taken prisoner.  This battle established the Minamoto clan as the supreme rulers of Japan.  However, eliminating the Heike only was the signal of the Minamoto to begin a vicious internal power struggle.  Yoshitsume was returning to Kamakura while escorting important Heike prisoners but was refused entrance into the city.  He then sent a letter to Yoritomo declaring his innocence of any plots, his answer came in the form of soldiers sent by Yoritomo to murder him.  After running from castle to castle (a time in Yoshitsune's life often featured in Kabuki, Noh, and file) he committed suicide to avoid capture after being cornered by his enemies.  He was 30.

The position of Seii Taishōgun (or Shōgun) which literally means "generalissimo for the subjugation of the eastern Barbarians" was given to Yoritomo in 1192.  This position officially made his the head of the military class and supreme commander of the Bakufu.  In November of 1195 Yoritomo obtained permission to station providence guards called "Shugo" and district heads called "Jitō" around the country to eliminate rebels and the few remaining Heike.  The Shugo's job was to control the Genji in their province, deliver documents concerning Ōban-yaku (warriors sent from local provinces that were periodically rotated to Kyoto as place guards), and hunting mutineers and buglers.  Eventually the Shugo gained the right of administration over their province.  The Jitō's job was to collect taxes, maintain jurisdiction over the land estates and police affairs.  Jitō was a hereditary position and was eventually regarded as a property right, there were also given "privilege" (payment) by the Bakufu.  When this system was set up, Japan effectively had its political power split of the first time in history.  Officially the emperor in Kyoto ruled the Shōgun acted in his name however, politically and military power was actually held by the Bakufu in Kamakura and the emperor was obligate to do their bidding.  Surprisingly this system worked smoothly but, things were to get even more complicated very quickly.

Yoritomo was thrown from his horse and died without any arrangements for a successor drawn out in 1199.  The Bakufu was in danger of disintegrating but was saved by Yoritomo's wife Masako.  She was a member of the Hōjō family and was very strong willed.  When she though her husband was cheating on her, she had the woman's house burned down.  When her husband had her son-in-law executed, she forced Yoritomo to execute the executioner.  Upon Yoritomo's death Massako shaved her head, became a nun, and earned herself the nickname "Ama Shōgun" (nun Shōgun) because she remained in political power and saw the Bakufu through the transition to a new Shōgun.

After Yoritomo's death many new Shōgun reigned and were assassinated in quick secession usually by other family members.  Because of this Masako had her own Hōjō family take over the job of political administration but did not take the title of Shōgun.  The office of Shōgun from then on was held by an incompetent youth.  the political administrator held the rank of "shikken" ("regent to the Shōgun or regent").  A complex new system now governed Japan.  The emperor in Kyoto allegedly ruled Japan but he had to do what the Shōgun ordered (the Shōgun officially did the will of the emperor).  The Shōgun was allegedly in charge of the Bakufu but he had to do what the regent (shikken) said (the regent officially did the will of the Shōgun).  This system actually worked!

In 1221 a former emperor tried to regain imperial rights but was defeated by Kamakura troops in the Jōkyū war and the Hōjō family stationed deputies in Kyoto to run the city and make sure on other rebellions occurred.  the Hōjō rulers greatly patronized religion and culture and invited great Chinese monks to settle in Kamakura to help establish it as a center of Zen Buddhist.  In 1274 and 1281 the Mongols attempted to invade Japan by attacking Hakata located in Kyushu.  They were unsuccessful because of Typhoons (called Kamikaze meaning "divine winds").  Military defenses were maintained in Hakata until Kublai Khan (ruler of the Mongols) died in 1294.  The cost of these defenses and the initial attacks prevented the Bakufu from giving the troops involved booty and land which caused unrest.  By 1311 Hōjō leadership was poor and the regents were more interested in art and dog fighting than running the country.  Meanwhile in Kyoto, emperor Go-Daigo tried to raise against the Bakufu, failed, was banished, escaped and tried to revolt again; this time successfully.  His victory was due to Ashikago Takauji who was in charge of the army sent to Kyoto to stop Go-Daigo.  Takauji switched sides and helped the emperor take over Kamakura in 1333.  Many of the Hōjō family including the regent committed suicide thus ending the Kamakura period of Japan.  As for the city itself, it remained a minor importance for a while as the government headquarters for eastern Japan until this job was taken over by Odawaara; a place a few miles south of the defunct capitol.  After that Kamakura returned to its original state, a small forgotten fishing village.

Bibliography

Bowring, Richard, and Kornicki, Peter. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Cooper, Michael. Exploring Kamakura. Weatherhill, 1979.
Perkins, Dorothy. Encyclopedia of Japan. Roundtable Press, 1991.
Sagan, Carl. Cosmos. Random House, New York, 1980.
Susumu Miyama. Kamakura. The Japan Times Ltd, 1982.
Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, vol. 3. Kodansha Ltd, Tokyo,1983.

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