The Shogun: The Warrior Rule

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the third of Japan’s unifiers, was able to create a stable regime that brought peace to Japan for 250 years. Under his system, “the centralization of feudal state and society went much further than it had in the earlier periods.” (Sources, 121). During this time, Shogun and roughly 260 feudal lords, called daimyos, ruled Japan. According to law, the positions of daimyos were inherited, which meant that a daimyo would be succeeded by one of his sons and this succession would be approved by the Shogun. The Shogun was theoretically selected by the emperor, who fulfilled his role as the “final legitimizing authority in Japan” (sources 121).

The Minamotos won, and the emperor made Minamoto Yoritomo shogun, the head of the military. Yoritomo however wanted more and took all power away from the emperor and made himself dictator. At this time the samurai gained power, through land given to them by the new shogun. Their rise in status was beginning.

In 1159, Kiyomori of the Taira clan was victorious over the Minamoto clan. Kiyomori murdered all the adults of the Monamoto clan and forced the children into exile. The emperor rewarded Kiyomori victory by giving him an advisor position in the government. This event was significant because Kiyomori was the first warrior in Japan’s government. Like the Fujiwara family, Kiyomori desired a royal bloodline within the Taira clan. So the Taira clan consorted with the imperial family in efforts to secure an imperial bloodline. Later, Kiyomori obtain a higher government position and more importantly a grandson was born and is heir to the throne. Feeling cheated an imperial prince sought the exiled Minamoto to overthrow the Taria clan. In 1180, Yoritomo of the Minamoto clan formed an army and battled with Taira clan that is known as the Genpei War. Eventually, Kiyomori died and the Taria clan shortly declined after him. During these battles warriors ran amok pillaging the Japan’s cuntryside. To end the chaos and violence the imperial turned to Yoritomo. Yoritomo in return raise an army of samurais and took complete control of the government and transformed it into a military government. The Kamakura government consisted of the emperor, shogun, and the house men. The emperor served merely as a figurehead, he little to no control of his government. The shogun had

The samurai, or bushi (warrior), are well-trained cavalrymen that serve a particular lord. The first recorded history of the samurai was about the 9th century A.D. At that time the capitol of Japan was Kamakura, a military installation. Japan was ruled by an emperor who controlled his empire through the use of shoguns. Shoguns were generals that ruled over

The emperor is an important religious figure, he swapped lands swapped land with nobles exchange for their support for he couldn't handle all the land far far away from him. In the shogunate period the emperor didn't have much power for the shoguns had basically controlled the government.

Shogun - a Japanese military dictator, appointed by the emperor who had little other power

What did the Mongols do to become such a large empire? A few things are to be considered when thinking about the expansion of the Mongol empire. Their unique war tactics and diplomatic approaches are a few things that the Mongols used fastidiously. However, after Khubilai Khan launched the first invasion of Japan, the Mongols realized that some of their methods had to be changed if they wanted to conquer Japan. Many sources group the Mongol invasions of Japan together, and leave no discernment between the two invasions in 1274 and 1281. However, the first and second Mongol invasions of Japan differed in many ways.

It took seven years because Khubilia Khan had to quell revolts in Southern Sung China which he finally drowned the last contender to the Sung throne in 1279. Another reason that the second Mongol invasion to Japan was delayed was that Korea’s primary role in the failed first invasion crushed the economy of Korea. The Mongol Empire used Korea’s grains and manpower for the first invasion and when the Mongols lost Korea felt the full impact which forced a long recovery that slowed production of grains and shipbuilding for the second invasion. Elsewhere, Japan used the seven years to fortify defensive positions and build a massive 20 mile long stone sea wall, which slowed the primary assault of the Mongol ships on the Hakata Bay. Japanese local knowledge, being the defenders, was important to how the battles were fought because the tactical advantage of knowing the land and how to best defend against invasion.

With the new dominance of the samurai, it faced many problems relating to any government. Rebellion and civil unrest were not uncommon, and throughout the superiority of the Samurai, there were many different periods of rule, each facing their own dilemmas. Attacks from external threats such as the Mongols among other things, weakened samurai rule and at a certain point, Japanese imperial rule regained power. As samurai rule continued, internal problems such as disloyalty among officials caused instability in their government. Regional officials called Daimyo’s were ignoring orders from the Shogun (head of government) and supported

The Emperor still performed as a head-leader for his country but he had no political power. Japan was ruled mainly by a succession of shoguns (highest ranking warriors). The Japanese believed that their Emperor was related to Gods, therefore the Emperor positions were usually passed on from father to son in the same blood line. However, the shogun’s family would become weak, and a rebel leader would seize power from them, then he will be named as the shogun and would start a new ruling family. The mythical story of ‘Jimmu’ shows a great example. Jimmu was the first Emperor of Japan as he was regarded as a direct descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. She was one of the creators of Japan and is still the most important deity of the Shinto religion. This shows how Medieval Europe and Shogun Japan had several similarities between the two head-leaders, but not quite the

The death of emperor Hideyoshi and subsequent ascension to the throne of Hideyori in 1598 set into motion events that would alter the political landscape in Japan for the next two hundred and fifty years. Tokugawa Ieyasu, in his quest to become absolute ruler of Japan defeated Hideyori loyalists in the battle of Sekigahara and was appointed Shogun by Hideyori in 1603. This military “coup d’état” effectively gave Tokugawa complete control of Japan and reduced the emperor to little more than a figurehead in the governing of Japan. As history would show, the feudal system of government that Tokugawa created ultimately led to

Because of the war between the shoguns and the retainers, Japan was not politically united, and was mostly ruled by the daimyo, who were powerful territorial lords. The last chieftain, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who sought

They were simply just a figurehead. The Shogun was the one with the most power. They were strong military leaders that most everyone looked up to. The Daimyo were powerful landowners, and the Samurai were the soldiers. The Ronin were Samurai who lost their nobility through misdeeds, battle losses, or the death of their Daimyo.

The Sengoku period from 1463 to 1567 was a time of social upheaval, political chicanery, and constant military conflict. Though feudal lords swore loyalty to the Emperor, he was largely a figurehead who held little political power of his own. More influential was the military Shogun, however the years leading up to the Sengoku period saw a breakdown of central authority and the rise of powerful, largely independent local lords called daimyo. These daimyo were in frequent conflict amongst each other, fighting for control of different regions in Japan. Conquering weaker daimyo, Japan’s “three unifiers” would slowly pave the path towards Japanese unification.

For seven centuries, the samurai ruled Japan as the powerful warrior class. As a class of warriors and knights, they led society in feudal Japan. The loyalty to his lord was much more important than his allegiance to his friends, family and even the emperor. Their philosophy was one liberated him from fear, and for these reasons, the samurai came to be the dominate force throughout medieval Japan.