Have you ever been to Kamakura? Actually, Kamakura is my second favorite place in Japan. (First one is Yokohama.) Kamakura is one of a famous sightseeing spot in Japan. It’s very close to capital city, Tokyo and it takes about one hour from Tokyo station and Haneda Airport. Also, there are many outstanding places such as sea, temple, shrine etc so you can enjoy walk around!
Moreover it’s very important not only to travel but also to get knowledge the history of Japan. In the past, Kamakura is the centre city of Japan during the middle ages.
The Kamakura era was a significant period in Japanese history that lasted from 1185 to 1333. It was named after Kamakura, a city in the Kanagawa Prefecture where the shogunate, or military government, was established. This era marked the beginning of the feudal system in Japan, with the rise of the samurai class and the decline of imperial power. Before that, the capital city was Kyoto where is west side and Japanese aristocrats have a power to control the nation.
The Kamakura period was characterized by political upheaval, marked by the end of the Heian period and the Genpei War between the Taira and Minamoto clans. The Minamoto clan emerged victorious, leading to the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo. Yoritomo became the first shogun, effectively ruling Japan through military might from Kamakura.
In this part, I’d like to introduce why Kamakura is very important city in Japan and the history of Kamakura era briefly.
Contents
1. Why Kamakura became the centre of Japan.
First of all, could you imagine that why Samurai selected Kamakura? When you walk around in Kamakura city, you can see many kind of temples and shrines like Kyoto. You may understand Kamakura was a centre of Japan. But why? To understand it, you need to check a geography of Kamakura.
Please have a look at those pictures. I took those pictures at a top of Hase temple. What do you think…?
Actually, Kamakura is located on the best place in order to protect from enemies. As you see those pictures, there are mountains in north, east, and west, and sea in south around Kamakura. That means from the point of enemy, it’s difficult to attack to Kamakura. That’s why Samurai chose Kamakura to build the capital in first middle ages in Japan using the geographical advantage.
2. Why Samurai got a power to control
To understand Kamakura’s situation, you need to get this phrase, “goon to hokou (御恩と奉公). Goon means Reward to put it simply. Shogun which is a leader of samurai gave their servant reward such as land when servants won a battle with enemy. Hokou means Loyalty. Thanks for Shogun’s rewards, Servants wanna pledge allegiance to get more great evaluation from Shogun.
During Heian Period, Samurai didn’t have a power because aristocrats just controlled them. That’s it. Compared to Heian’s system, Shogun Yoritomo Minamoto grabbed a heart of other samurais. When samurai won a battle with enemy for Shogun, Shogun gave great rewards for Samurai to give motivation.
3. Why Kamakura era was end
According to Historian, the reason why Kamakura era was end is still unknown certainly. However, generally speaking, there are main 3 reasons to finalize Kamakura era.
- The battle with Enemy from Mongoria
- Monetary economy
- Villain resist lords of a land
The first one, servants joined the battle with enemy from Mongoria. As I said, Kamakura has a geographical merit but, enemies came from south, where is sea. Totally, servants could win this battle. However, they couldn’t get enough rewards from Shogun. To put it simply, thanks to servants’ activities, Shogun gave lands to them a lot but, there were no more lands. Also, the monetary economy was beginning from mid-Kamakura era, so servants’ life became unstable. That was why servants were dissatisfied for Shogun.
In addition, villain took actions from some lands. Because of those challenging society, it is said Kamakura couldn’t keep prospering continuous society.
Despite these challenges, the Kamakura period laid the foundation for the subsequent periods of Japanese history, leaving a lasting legacy on Japanese culture, politics, and society.
Next chapter, I’ll introduce my favorite places in Japan!
If you’re interested in Kamakura, you have a plan to visit Kamakura and you’ve already been to Kamakura, please leave your comments!!!
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