was the founder and the first shogun of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no ...

of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of

Hōjō Masako was a Japanese politician who exercised significant power in the early years of the Kamakura period, which was reflected by her contemporary sobriquet of the "nun shogun". She was the wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and mother of Minamoto no Yo ...

who acted as regent (''

shikken The was a titular post held by a member of the Hōjō clan, officially a regent of the shogunate, from 1199 to 1333, during the Kamakura period, and so he was head of the ''bakufu'' (shogunate). It was part of the era referred to as . During rou ...

'') after his death. Yoritomo was the son of

Minamoto no Yoshitomo (1123 – 11 February 1160) was the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period of Japanese history. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo became ''shōgun'' and founded the Kamakura shogunate, the first shogunate in the history of ...

and belonged to

Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto warriors, including Minamoto no Yoshiie, Minamoto no Yoritomo, the fo ...

's prestigious

Kawachi Genji The Kawachi Genji ({{lang, ja, 河内源氏) were members of a family line within that of the Seiwa Genji, which in turn was one of several branches of the Minamoto clan, one of the most famous noble clans in Japanese history. Descended from Mina ...

family. After setting himself the rightful heir of the

Minamoto clan was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during th ...

, he led his clan against the

Taira clan The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divi ...

from his capital in Kamakura, beginning the Genpei War in 1180. After five years of war, he finally defeated the Taira clan in the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. Yoritomo thus established the supremacy of the warrior

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

caste and the first shogunate (''

bakufu , officially , was the title of the military dictators 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, though during part of the Kamakura ...

'') at Kamakura, beginning the feudal age in Japan, which lasted until the mid-19th century.

Early life

Yoritomo was the third son of

, heir of the

Minamoto was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during th ...

(

) clan, and his official wife, Yura-Gozen, daughter of

Fujiwara no Suenori Fujiwara no Suenori (藤原季範, 1090 – December 27, 1155) was a Japanese nobleman and high priest, High Priest of Atsuta Shrine during the late Heian period, belonging to the Nanke (Fujiwara), Nanke House of the powerful Fujiwara clan. He w ...

, head of

Atsuta Shrine is a Shinto shrine traditionally believed to have been established during the reign of Emperor Keikō (71-130) located in Atsuta-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture in Japan. The shrine is familiarly known as ''Atsuta-Sama'' (Venerable Atsuta) or simp ...

and a member of the illustrious

Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until ...

. Yoritomo was born in the family villa, on the western side of Atsuta Shrine, in

Atsuta Atsuta can refer several different Japanese locations: * Atsuta-ku, Nagoya ** Atsuta Jingu (shrine) *Atsuta, Hokkaido was a List of villages in Japan, village located in Atsuta District, Hokkaido, Atsuta District, Ishikari Subprefecture, Hokkaido ...

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

, Owari Province (present-day Seigan-ji). At that time Yoritomo's grandfather

Minamoto no Tameyoshi was head of the Minamoto clan during his lifetime, and son of Minamoto no Yoshichika, son of Minamoto no Yoshiie. He led the Minamoto in the Hōgen Rebellion. Tameyoshi is also known as . Though he was most famous for his involvement in the H� ...

was the head of the minamoto. His childhood name was Oniwakamaru (鬼武丸). He was a descendant of

Emperor Seiwa was the 56th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 清和天皇 (56)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.He was also the predecessor of Takeda ryu. T ...

. In 1156, factional divisions in the court erupted into open warfare within the capital. The

cloistered A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

Emperor Toba was the 74th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 鳥羽天皇 (74)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Toba's reign spanned the years from 1107 through 1123. Genealogy Before his ascension to the C ...

and his son

Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His de jure reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158, though arguably he effectively maintained imperial power for almost thirty-seven years through the ''ins ...

sided with the son of Fujiwara regent

Fujiwara no Tadazane was a Japanese noble, the son of Fujiwara no Moromichi and the grandson of Fujiwara no Morozane. He was the father of Fujiwara no Tadamichi. He built a villa, Fukedono, north of the Byōdō-in Temple in 1114. Marriage and Children * Minamoto N ...

Fujiwara no Tadamichi was the eldest son of the Japanese regent ('' Kampaku'') Fujiwara no Tadazane and a member of the politically powerful Fujiwara clan. He was the father of Fujiwara no Kanefusa and Jien. In the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156, Tadamichi sided with the ...

as well as

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first so ...

(heir of the

Taira The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided ...

clan at the time), while Cloistered Emperor Sutoku sided with Tadazane's younger son,

Fujiwara no Yorinaga was a Japanese statesman and a member of the Fujiwara clan who was highly significant in determining the course of 12th century Japanese political history. Early life Born in 1120, Yorinaga had a turbulent youth. He later wrote that he did not ...

. This is known as the

Hōgen Rebellion In Japanese, Hōgen may refer to several words. Among them: * Hōgen (era) (保元, 1156–1159), an era in Japan * Hōgen rebellion, a short civil war in 1156 * dialect (方言) — for example: "eigo no hōgen" (English dialect) See also * ...

. The

clan were split. The head of the clan, Tameyoshi, sided with Sutoku. However, his son, Yoshitomo (father of Yoritomo), sided with Toba and Go-Shirakawa, as well as Kiyomori. In the end, the supporters of Go-Shirakawa won the civil war, thus ensuring victory for Yoshitomo and Kiyomori. Sutoku was placed under house arrest, and Yorinaga was fatally wounded in battle. Tameyoshi was executed by the forces of Yoshitomo. Nonetheless, Go-Shirakawa and Kiyomori were ruthless, and Yoshitomo found himself as the head of the

clan, while Yoritomo became the heir. Yoritomo and the

clan descended from the imperial family on his father's side. Nonetheless, in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

, the

clan, now under the leadership of Kiyomori, and the Minamoto clan, under the leadership of Yoshitomo, began to factionalize again. Four years later, Kiyomori supported

Fujiwara no Michinori , also known as , was an aristocratic Confucian scholar and Buddhist monk in late Heian period Japan. He was one of the chief advisors to Emperor Nijō, and one of the chief allies of Taira no Kiyomori, particularly during the Heiji Rebellion ...

, also known as Shinzei. However, Yoshitomo supported

Fujiwara no Nobuyori was one of the chief allies of Minamoto no Yoshitomo in the Heiji Rebellion of 1159. As a member of the Fujiwara clan, Nobuyori might have been in line to become regent, and he desired power, which he obtained for a short while following the Rebe ...

. This was known as the Heiji Rebellion. Nonetheless, the

were not well prepared, and the

took control of

. Shinzei's mansion was attacked by the Taira; Shinzei escaped, only to be captured and decapitated shortly thereafter. The Taira then burned the ex-emperor's palace, defeating the Minamoto. Yoshitomo fled the capital but was later betrayed and executed by a retainer. In the aftermath, harsh terms were imposed on the Minamoto and their allies. Only Yoshitomo's three young boys remained alive, so that Kiyomori and the Taira clan were now the undisputed leaders of Japan. Yoritomo, the new head of the Minamoto, was not executed by Kiyomori because of pleas from Kiyomori's stepmother but was exiled. Yoritomo's brothers,

Minamoto no Noriyori was a late Heian period general, who fought alongside his brothers Minamoto no Yoritomo and Minamoto no Yoshitsune at a number of battles of the Genpei War. He was the sixth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo. Early life As children, he and his brot ...

and

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo conso ...

were also allowed to live. Yoritomo grew up in exile. He married into the Hōjō clan, led by

Hōjō Tokimasa was a Japanese samurai lord who was the first ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was ''shikken'' from 1203 until his abdication in 1205, and Protector of Kyoto from 1185 to 1186. Background The H� ...

, marrying Tokimasa's daughter,

. Meanwhile, he was notified of events in

Family

Parents * Father:

(源義朝, 1123 – 11 February 1160) * Mother:

Yura Gozen Yura may refer to: Place * Yura, Wakayama, a town in Japan * Yura District, a district in Peru * Yura Station, a railway station in Japan Ethnic groups and languages *Yura, or Adnyamathanha, an indigenous group of South Australia *Yura, or ...

(由良御前, d. 1159), dauhhter of

(藤原季範) Consorts and issues *Possible Wife: Yaehime (八重姫), daughter of

Itō Sukechika Itō Sukechika (伊東祐親, died March 20, 1182) was a samurai lord and '' gōzoku'' of the Izu Province in the late Heian period. He was the 6th head of the Kudō clan and the founder of the Kawazu clan. He is also known as Kawazu Sukechika ...

(伊東祐親) **Chizurumaru (千鶴丸), possible first son *Wife:

(北条政子, 1156 – August 16, 1225), daughter of

(北条時政) **Ohime (大姫, 1178 – 28 August 1197), Fiance of Minamoto no Yoshitaka (源義高), first daughter **

Minamoto no Yoriie was the second ''shōgun'' (1202–1203) of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shōgun Yoritomo. His Dharma name was Hokke-in-dono Kingo Da'i Zengo (法華院殿金吾大禅閤). Life Minamoto no Yoriie was born to Hōjō M ...

(Japanese: 源頼家, 11 September 1182 – 14 August 1204), first son **Lady Mihata (三幡, 1186 – 24 July 1199), second daughter **

Minamoto no Sanetomo was the third ''shōgun'' of the Kamakura shogunate. He was the second son of the Kamakura shogunate founder, Minamoto no Yoritomo. His mother was Hōjō Masako and his older brother was second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie. His childhood ...

(源実朝, 12 September 1192 – 12 February 1219, r. 1203–1219), third son *Concubine: Kame no Mae (亀の前) *Concubine: Daishin no Tsubone (大進局), daughter of Date Tomomune (伊達朝宗) **Jōgyō (貞暁, 18 March 1186 – 27 May 1231 ), also known as Kamamura Hōin (鎌倉法印), second son

Call to arms and the Genpei War (1180–1185)

Minamoto no Yoritomo hanging scroll painting 14th century

In 1180

Prince Mochihito (died June 1180), also known as the Takakura Prince, and as Minamoto no Mochimitsu (源以光), was a son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan. He is noted for his role in starting the Genpei War. Believing that Taira no Kiyomori was causing suffe ...

, a son of Cloistered

, made a national call to arms of the Minamoto clan all over Japan to rebel against the

. Yoritomo took part in this, especially after tensions escalated between the Taira and Minamoto after the death of

Minamoto no Yorimasa (1106 – 20 June 1180) was a prominent Japanese poet whose works appeared in various anthologies. He served eight different emperors in his long career, holding posts such as ''hyōgo no kami'' (head of the arsenal). He was also a warrior, ...

and

himself. Yoritomo established himself as the rightful heir of the

clan and set up a capital in Kamakura to the east. Not all Minamoto thought of Yoritomo as rightful heir, however. His uncle,

Minamoto no Yukiie was the brother of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and one of the commanders of the Minamoto forces in the Genpei War at the end of the Heian period of Japanese history. In 1181, he was defeated at the Battle of Sunomatagawa by Taira no Shigehira. After ...

, and his cousin

Minamoto no Yoshinaka , , or Lord Kiso was a general from the late Heian period of Japanese history. A member of the Minamoto clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo was his cousin and rival during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and the Taira clans. Yoshinaka was born in Musas ...

, conspired against him. In September 1180, Yoritomo was defeated at the Battle of Ishibashiyama, his first major battle, when Ōba Kagechika led a rapid night attack. After his defeat in Mt. Ishibashiyama, Minamoto no Yoritomo fled into the Hakone mountains, stayed in

Yugawara is a town located in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 23,267 and a population density of 570 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Yugawara is located in the fa ...

, then escaped from

Manazuru is a town located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 6,949 and a population density of 1000 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Located in the southeast of Mount Hakone, the consis ...

-Iwa to

Awa Awa (or variants) may refer to: People * Awa (given name), notable people named Awa or Hawa * Awá (Brazil), an indigenous people of Brazil * Awa-Kwaiker, an indigenous people of Colombia and Ecuador Languages * Awa language (China) or Wa (Va) ...

(south of present-day Chiba). Yoritomo spent the next six months raising a new army.

died in 1181 and the Taira clan was now led by

Taira no Munemori was heir to Taira no Kiyomori, and one of the Taira clan's chief commanders in the Genpei War. As his father Taira no Kasemori uch a name does not existlay on his deathbed, Kiyomori declared, among his last wishes, that all affairs of the cla ...

. Munemori took a much more aggressive policy against the Minamoto and attacked Minamoto bases from

in the Genpei War. Nonetheless, Yoritomo was well protected in Kamakura. His brothers

and

defeated the Taira in several battles, but they could not stop

, Yoritomo's rival, from entering

in 1183 and chasing the Taira south. The Taira took

Emperor Antoku was the 81st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1180 through 1185. During this time, the Imperial family was involved in a bitter struggle between warring clans. Minamoto no Yo ...

with them. In 1184, the Minamoto replaced Antoku with

Emperor Go-Toba was the 82nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1183 through 1198. This 12th-century sovereign was named after Emperor Toba, and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later"; a ...

as the new emperor. From 1181 to 1184, a de facto truce with the Taira-dominated court allowed Yoritomo the time to build an administration of his own, centered on his military headquarters in Kamakura. In the end he triumphed over his rival cousins, who sought to steal control of the clan from him, and over the

, who suffered a terrible defeat at the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. Yoritomo thus established the supremacy of the warrior

caste and the first ''

'' (shogunate) at Kamakura, beginning the feudal age in Japan which lasted until the mid-19th century.

Later years and death

In December 1185, Go-Shirakawa granted Yoritomo the authority to collect the commissariat tax (the ''hyoro-mai'' or levy contribution of rice) and to appoint stewards (''jito'') and constables (''shugo''). Thus the Throne "handed to the leader of the military class effective jurisdiction in matters of land tenure and the income derived from agriculture". In the summer of 1189, Yoritomo invaded and subjugated Mutsu Province and

Dewa Province was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. Dewa bordered on Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History Early per ...

. In December 1190 Yoritomo took up residence in his Rokuhara mansion at the capital, the former headquarters of the Taira clan. Upon the death of Go-Shirakawa in the spring of 1192, Go-Toba commissioned Yoritomo ''Sei-i Tai Shōgun'' (Generalissimo). Thus a

feudal state Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...

was now organized in Kamakura while

was relegated to the role of "national ceremony and ritual". Yoritomo gathered his ''

gokenin A was initially a vassal of the shogunate of the Kamakura and the Muromachi periods.Iwanami Kōjien, "Gokenin" In exchange for protection and the right to become '' jitō'' (manor's lord), a ''gokenin'' had in times of peace the duty to protect ...

'' in May 1193 and arranged a grand hunting event,

Fuji no Makigari Fuji no Makigari (富士の巻狩り) was a grand hunting event arranged by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo from June to July 1193, centering around the foot of Mount Fuji. 700,000 participated in the event, including a large number of the shogun's ' ...

. On May 16, Yoritomo's 12-year-old son Yoriie shot a deer for the first time. Hunting was stopped and a festival was held in the evening. Yoritomo rejoiced in his son's achievement and sent a messenger to his wife Masako, but Masako sent the messenger back, saying that a military commander's son being able to shoot a deer is nothing to celebrate. The

Revenge of the Soga Brothers The Revenge of the Soga Brothers (曾我兄弟の仇討ち, ''Soga kyōdai no adauchi'') was a vengeance incident on June 28, 1193, during the Fuji no Makigari hunting event arranged by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo. The Soga brothers, Soga Sukenar ...

took place on May 28 of the same year at the Fuji no Makigari hunting event. The brothers

Soga Sukenari Soga Sukenari (Japanese: 曾我祐成, 1172 - June 28, 1193) was a Japanese samurai in the early Kamakura period. He and his brother Soga Tokimune are known for being the perpetrators of the Revenge of the Soga Brothers incident. He is a centra ...

and

Soga Tokimune Soga Tokimune (Japanese: 曾我時致, 1174 - June 29, 1193) was a Japanese samurai in the early Kamakura period. He and his brother Soga Sukenari are known for being the perpetrators of the Revenge of the Soga Brothers incident. He is a central ...

murdered the killer of their father,

Kudō Suketsune Kudō Suketsune (Japanese: 工藤祐経; 1147 – June 28, 1193) was a samurai and ''gokenin'' in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. He is known for having been assassinated during the Revenge of the Soga Brothers incident. Life Suket ...

. The brothers managed to kill 10 other participants until

Nitta Tadatsune Nitta Tadatsune (仁田忠常, 1167 – October 12, 1203) was a samurai lord and retainer of the Kamakura shogunate in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. He served as a close retainer to shoguns Minamoto no Yoritomo and Yoriie. He is k ...

killed Sukenari. Then, Tokimune raided Yoritomo's mansion attempting to attack Yoritomo, but was finally taken down by Gosho no Gorōmaru, thus saving Yoritomo from a possible assassination attempt and ending the massacre. After this, Yoritomo took Tokimune in for questioning and had him

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

later. Yoritomo was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1199 and left his home. He received the

Buddhist name A Dharma name or Dhamma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic Buddhist initiation rituals in Mahayana Buddhism and monastic ordination in Theravada Buddhism (where it is more proper to call it Dhamma or Sangha name). The nam ...

Bukōshōgendaizenmon (武皇嘯厚大禅門). He died two days later at the age of 52.

Appearance and personality

According to '' The Tale of Heiji,'' Yoritomo was "more adult-like than others of his age", and the figure of a young warrior Yoritomo appears in the picture scroll of ''The Tale of Heiji''. ''

Genpei Jōsuiki The , is a 48-book extended version of the ''Heike Monogatari'' (''The Tale of the Heike''). References External links at University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virgi ...

'' describes Yoritomo saying "his face is large and appearance is beautiful." The imperial messenger Nakahara no Yasusada, who met Yoritomo in Kamakura in August 1183, said that "he is short and his face is large, his appearance is graceful and language is civilized." Kujō no Kanezane writes in his diary ''Tamaha'' that "Yoritomo's body is of rigorous power, and his fierce nature is accompanied with a clear distinction and firm resolution of the judgement of right and wrong." Yoritomo practiced '' shudō'' with Yoshinao, a member of the Imperial Guard. Historian Hideo Kuroda organized and examined the portraits and statues of Minamoto no Yoritomo and has concluded as follows. When comparing the statues of Minamoto no Yoritomo in Higashihirozo and

Hōjō Tokiyori Hōjō Tokiyori (, June 29, 1227 – December 24, 1263) was the fifth shikken (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. Early life He was born to warrior monk Hōjō Tokiuji and a daughter of Adachi Kagemori. Rule Tokiyori became shikken f ...

Kenchō-ji Kenchō-ji (建長寺) is a Rinzai Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the ...

, from the facial expression to size, they are almost identical, and there is evidence that the '' kariginu'' was remodeled into a ''

sokutai The is a traditional Japanese Japanese clothing, outfit worn only by courtiers, Aristocracy, aristocrats and the Emperor of Japan, emperor at the Imperial court in Kyoto, Japanese imperial court. The originated in the Heian period, and consis ...

'', the formal dress of the shogun, by adding a ''hirao'' and ''sekitai.'' Kuroda argues that the statue was originally a statue of Hōjō Tokiyori sculpted in Kamakura in the 14th century, but after the original statue of Yoritomo was lost, an altered statue of Tokiyori was used as a replacement. On the other hand, he considers the inscription on the statue of Minamoto no Yoritomo in Kai Province,

Zenkō-ji is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Nagano, Japan. The temple was built in the 7th century. The modern city of Nagano began as a town built around the temple. Historically, Zenkō-ji is perhaps most famous for its involvement in the b ...

to be the name of the repairer instead of the name of the sculptor, and that it was made at the request of

in the first quarter of the 13th century. Thus, Kuroda concludes that this statue is the only accurate depiction of Minamoto no Yoritomo.

Legacy

In the words of

George Bailey Sansom Sir George Bailey Sansom (28 November 1883 – 8 March 1965) was a British diplomat and historian of pre-modern Japan, particularly noted for his historical surveys and his attention to Japanese society and culture. Early life Sansom was born ...

, "Yoritomo was a truly great man … his foresight was remarkable, but so was his practical good sense in setting up machinery to match his own expanding power." Yoritomo's wife's family, the Hōjō, took control after his death at Kamakura, maintaining power over the shogunate until 1333, under the title of ''

'' (regent to the ''shōgun''). One of his brothers-in-law was Ashikaga Yoshikane.Nussbaum, "Ashikaga Yoshikane" at The '' stone pagoda'' traditionally believed to be his

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grav ...

is still maintained today, adjacent to Shirahata Shrine, a short distance from the spot believed to be the site of the so-called Ōkura Bakufu, his shogunate's administrative-governmental offices.

Cultural references

He appears as a hero unit in '' Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings'', and as a hero unit in '' Total War: Shogun 2''. A character named "Yoritomo" appears in Book 6: "The Lords of the Rising Sun" in the

Fabled Lands Fabled Lands is a series of fantasy gamebooks written by established gamebook authors Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson and published by Pan Books, a division of Macmillan in the mid 1990s. Cover art was by Kevin Jenkins with Russ Nicholson and Aru ...

adventure gamebook series, where Yoritomo is the self-proclaimed ''shōgun'' and on the verge of war with "Lord Kiyomori". He appears as the final boss in Genpei Toma Den, an arcade game created by

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, ...

in which the player character is

Taira no Kagekiyo Taira no Kagekiyo (平景清) (died 1196), also known as Kazusa no Shichirō (上総七郎), was a samurai of the Taira clan who took part in the Genpei War of Japan, against the Minamoto clan. The son by birth of Fujiwara no Tadakiyo. His o ...

, another Japanese historical figure. He also appears as a prominent character in the 2021 anime series

The Heike Story is a Japanese original net animation series adapted from Hideo Furukawa's 2016 translation into modern Japanese of ''The Tale of the Heike'', a 13th-century historical epic depicting the rise and fall of the Taira clan. The series was produce ...

Eras of Yoritomo's ''bakufu''

The years in which Yoritomo was ''shōgun'' are more specifically identified by more than one

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of ...

or ''

nengō The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

''. * ''

Kenkyū was a after '' Bunji'' and before ''Shōji.'' This period spanned the years from April 1190 through April 1199. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1190 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events. The previou ...

'' (1190–1199) * ''

Shōji A is a door, window or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent (or transparent) sheets on a lattice frame. Where light transmission is not needed, the similar but opaque ''fusuma'' is used (oshiire/ ...

'' (1199–1201)

Notes

References

* Mass, Jeffrey P. (1999). ''Yoritomo and the Founding of the First Bakufu: the Origins of Dual Government in Japan''. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
OCLC 41712279
* Nagahara Keiji 永原慶二. ''Minamoto no Yoritomo'' 源頼朝. Tokyo: Iwanami-shoten, 1995. * Naramoto Tatsuya 奈良本辰也, et al. ''Minamoto no Yoritomo'' 源頼朝. Tokyo: Shisakusha, 1972. * Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan Encyclopedia''.
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). '' Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''.
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
* Yamaji Aizan 山路愛山. ''Minamoto no Yoritomo: jidai daihyō Nihon eiyūden'' 源頼朝: 時代代表日本英雄伝. Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1987. * Yoshikawa, Eiji. (1989) ''Yoshikawa Eiji Rekishi Jidai Bunko'' (''Eiji Yoshikawa's Historical Fiction''), Vols. 41–42: ''Minamoto Yoritomo'' (源頼朝). Tokyo: Kodansha.

External links

Ōmachi
by the Kamakura Citizen's Net, accessed on September 30, 2008

(include "Seigan-ji Temple" Birthplace of Minamoto-no Yoritomo) {{DEFAULTSORT:Minamoto no, Yoritomo 1147 births 1199 deaths 12th-century Japanese people 12th-century shōguns Kamakura shōguns Samurai People from Nagoya People of Heian-period Japan People of the Genpei War People of Kamakura-period Japan Kamakura period Buddhist clergy Minamoto clan City founders Deified Japanese people