Kamakura Japan Flashcards
Retired Emperors
Retired emperors held a great deal of power in the imperial family
*The failure of Fujiwara Yorimichi’s daughters to produce an imperial heir allowed Go-Sanjō to take the throne in 1068
*Go-Sanjō appointed an heir outside the control of the Fujiwara, Emperor Shirakawa, who after his retirement expanded imperial power
Fujiwara = dominant force in imperial politics
Change in later part = no longer able to completely dominate, emperors strike back
Due to retired emperors
Emperors would retire usually before their death = ensure control succession = prevent bloody violence (happened before) = fuji= manipulated practice (manipulate to abdicate to ensure succession to ties or children that require someone to rule instead, lots of influence)
Political influence = codes did not have rules for them = had palaces and lands with income = no right to rule, but head of imperial house = senior member of family
Familial authority over emperor
Dominant position for 10-11th fam = descend from imperial people and need to constantly marry in and have grandsons in the rule
Runs out in middle of centry = yrimichi = 52years = faughters cant produce male heirs = forced to allow succession of a non-fujiwara mother’son
Go sanjo = anti fukiwara and adult = reassert position = retirement and an adult sucessor (shirakawa) died after a year, but shirakawa abdicated and pushed for more imperial power, using death of fuji clan leaders
Dominate 3 succesors = created new land holding, new court of royal retainers, loyal private army = important = new religious policies (rituals, monasteries for more imperial control)
Balanced power= competing with fuji = creating system where the fuji cant dominate without opposition
The “influential houses” (kenmon)
*Possessed own private headquarters that independently handled administrative and economic matters
*Issued orders from the head of the house
*Had loyal retainers/followers under jurisdiction of the head
*Heads had complete right of self-rule over family
*Kenmon had exclusive control over landed estates
*Growth of kenmon led to tripartite division of power in the Kamakura era: emperor, shogunate, and religious establishment
Strategy = X imperial institutions
O private institutions
Official titles = not important for power
Still compete, but for control of incomes instead of status and authority
Direct control = gov offices = houses to control kenmon = noble elite (fuji, imprial house) & religious isntituons
Caracteristics = provate headquaters (//shounate, one extremely powerful)= orders and control matters and judicate disputes under domain = blur between laws they obey and the law they decide
Retainers and followers = armed men and personal = privately emplyed = castes in name of imperial court = more
Right to slef rule for chef = promitions internall, issues = practice internally, theory by imperor = exclusive power over asserts = imperial cant arrest directly per ex= no right to enter territory
Division of power
- emperor (state, central appointements with houses)
- warrior arist = peace and protect state = assigned to one house by shogunate (local level before) = cant rule on its own = but had responsibilities = land, warriors, peace
- religious establishment = spiritual protection = associated to powerful houses
Reasons = all have kenmon = take power and spread power into categories
Changing Military Practices
*Warriors (eventually known as samurai) came to dominate Japan by Kamakura era
*Highly centralized military formed in 7th century by ritsuryō state
*System broke down because of difficulties with conscription and tactical limits of infantry army
*Use of elite warriors trained in horsemanship became more common – but they were privately controlled
Two areas of non-im power
Warrior elite
Heian = depend of private forces to main imp rule = samurai = early 1200 = dominate eco and poli landscape = then shogunate and rule until modern
Early stages
- ritsuryo = all milit ressources under emperor and court = centralising push = 7th = central appointed = directed constriction under supervision to replace enlistement of troops = one single institutions = military services needed = decisions local and wider = well development to have subordinate qrriors to civilians
- problems = difficult to enforce constriction laws = same for taxes, so evaded + tactical issues = infantry = mounted archery = most succesful way = hard to manage skills and training = limited units = small meber of cavalry, and be an elite = cuz had it before joining army and horse ownership
-purpose = nobody else has an army = no domestic challengers = fight an invasion
-8th = changed = no invasion threat and dom issues = needed to have essective armies = main use to deal with criminals = not for large infantry = small squads = dimishued = misuse conscriptions = private labor sources = revamped = rid of conscription = elite in pribate armies for the state
Nobles = competitions = private market for milit ressources and men = path for entourage,
Private estate
Warrior Houses
*Middle ranking noble households used military service as one path to power
*Rise of two major house names, both offshoots of the imperial family: Minamoto 源 (specifically the Seiwa Genji 清和源氏) and Taira 平 (specifically the Kanmu Heishi 桓武平氏)
*Military houses consolidated under elite leadership due to Heian marriage practices
*Private military networks responsible for most military service by mid 10th century
*Fragility of system
Higher nobility
Middle = use military and officails paths = gained reputation of warrior houses
Important 2 houses = surname to remove imperial house
2 branches = seiwa genji = from emperor seiwa & kanmu heishi = prominent as warrior houses
Late 12th = dominate military houses = prouesses and fuji influence
Relations with retired emperors = equal and prestiges
Royal fam = derived from court houses and elites = nobal fam = reconsolidated into more prestigious central court for heian marriage practices = adopt fem fam surname if higher clan status
Wealth and power in regions = useeful to privately martial gands = private with subsential scales = useful for imperial too = responsibilty to legitimate private sources
Patchwork of troops = small poor bands = eco dependent on them, from people near by and trained
Lease lands = leverage on them = small armies = weaker houses
Alliances were fragile between parties = needed to be advantageous =
Despite change = remain in control central authority unttil it broke down at end
Shōen (Private Estates)
*Shōen were provincial landed properties that belonged to individual proprietors
*Exempt from taxation
*Originally result of land reclamation policies
*Imperial house tried to challenge shōen growth but eventually gave in and developed its own
*Commendation increased role of kenmon/powerful aristocrats/temples in control of shōen
*Even public land was managed in some ways like shōen
Matched with diminushion of control on private estates and taxes
Devlopment of shoen = exempt from taxes
Deny entry to them = separated bits of territory
Empty lands = cultivation so forever and no taxation = expand agricultural = limited to elites and those who could afford it
Problematic = elimate them = banned of new shoen and then rules = issued over and over again = still create them away = prevent laws
Go sanjo = prevent = acquired their owns = more shoen land than fuji = more path = new method = commendation = commend rrights of proprieter ships = not powerful enough to bring protection by bigger houses against money
Used to create new ones from public land = more were shoens= local official using land for himself but not officially
Profits = fund rise of warriors and houses = private armies, lands, estates = break into semi-autonomous houses against centralized
Genpei War
*Conflict between retired emperor Sutoku and his advisor Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Sutoku’s half-brother, emperor Go-Shirakawa, and his advisor Fujiwara no Tadamichi in 1155 leads to slaughter of Minamoto family
*Minamoto no Yoritomo and Minamoto no Yoshitsune survive
*Genpei war – 1180-1185, Minamoto triumph over Taira
*Genpei = 源平, Minamoto = 源, Taira = 平, Heike = 平家
*Yoritomo gets mad at Yoshitsune, Yoshitsune commits seppuku
End = succession dispute = devided imp fam and fuji = two brothers survived = unclear why not killed = consequences
Minamoto defeated = taira had power = marriages, lines to throne = dominate = but two survivors = edvantage to overthrow and launch new attack = genpei war -heike story relates it = emperor died drowing
Capital = title stewer = brother not happy = brother hunted down = suicide = first instance of seppuku = samurai
Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333)
*Yoritomo granted title of seii taishōgun, usually abbreviated as “Shogun”
*His wife, Hōjō Masako maneuvered to have Hōjō family take over after his death
*Tent government – bakufu
*Appointment of military land stewards (jitō) and military governors (shugo)
*Both emperor and shogun played important roles during this era
Based in city of kamakura = (aorund tokyo) = yoritomo = title = great general that subdues the barbarians = supreme name and title = symbolic role but not military and imperial authoriy
Died = wife had her own fam take her = war = hogo = total control
Many fam = hogo = title of rgent = actual poli power instead of shogun = lead gov bakufu = military camps
Import power = appoint military = asserted by shogunate = jito = supported by taira & other attemps (keep control on them) = on site managers = part of state income =
Shogunate = need check on jito = conflict = jito want to control = reach compromise = share produce of estate = produce revenue
Military gov for each proving = shugo = parallel set of isntitutions = seperate military admi
Authonomy = monitor = succession = not just symbolic = legal cases, laws, appointed gov, religous ceremonies, kyoto largest city and religious and cultural life = emperorship has some influence
Impe = shugo
Shogu = jito
Mongol Invasions
*Two invasions: 1274 and 1281
*Why Mongols retreated not totally clear, probably not in fact due to weather (especially the first time)
*Failed invasions still created problems for the shogunate
Attempt to invade = korea = recognize with tribute mission = ignore oletter = send diplomatic missions = order to prepare against invasions VS ships in korea
= ishi and kutima = kyushu bay = retreated = japan wom = defensive wall after =
Next = 7 y after = song fallen = same bay = aided by typhon = didnt need lots of ressources = not clear but jap win
Defensive posture for decades in fear
Deeply problematic = no land to distribute = rewarded for services = but nothing being seized = nothing to giv out - financial difficulties = hojo = close affiliates in positions = monopolize power and take away people
Contribute to downfall
