Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shōgun |
If you didn't read part 1 yet, click here:
And now, in part 2, I elaborate on the significant events of the interim period between the Heian period (794-1185) and the Kamakura period (1185-1333) being the commencement of the feudalistic Japan and which are connected with the following developments: the military nobility's rise as well as the establishments of the first shōgunate.
A representative illustration of a court noble from the Heian period |
On the Heian court, the samurai were considered as unrefined but however, they were hired for certain purposes.
Just since transition phase from the Heian period (794-1185) to the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the samurai gained more and more relevance to the extent that the military nobility (武家, buke) became the second force among the aristocracy (i.e. the people of the imperial court). In order to distinguish the military nobility from the non-military aristocracy, the latter is referred by the term kuge (公家 , it can be translated with "civil nobility").
In 1192, Minamoto no Yoritomo became the first shōgun ever and founded Kamakura shōgunate. He was successful convincing the emperor to give him the title Hereditary which contained special proxies.
The Genpei War (1180-1185) caused by a revolt having been initiated by Yoritomo himself is considered as the prologue of Yoritomo's rise. The war parties were the Minamoto clan and the Taira clan having been rivaling families.
By the new marriage policy, the Fujiwara clan could decide many things to their on favor.
The Genpei War's final decision was during the battle of Dan-no-ura (壇ノ浦の戦い, Dan-no-ura no tatakai) in 1185 which was the Taira clan's demise and therefore, the rise of the Minamoto clan.
The emblem of the Fujiwara clan |
The Fujiwara clan were a very powerful family, composed of regents who dominated the Japanese policy during the Heian period (794-1185) and were furtherly influential in the successive periods as well. The emperors as well as the princes were married with the Fujiwara daughters. The families were among the strongest units within the Japanese state. The highlight of said marriage politicy was under the reign of Fujiwara no Michinaga (966-1028) whereby the family's wealth was biggish. Consequently, the emperor had been demoted in a puppet.
In the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the military aristocracy's feudalistic structures had been established. This period was the commencement of the feudalistic Japan having endured up to and including the year 1868.
There was a juxtaposition between the imperial court in Kyoto and the military government (幕府 , bakufu) in Kamakura. The latter possessed new administrative structures, e.g.:
- the Samurai dokoro (侍所 , literal meaning: board of retainers), the office for guarding the shogunate; giving the judgement on criminals in peacetime as well as giving the leadership of the shogunate's vassals in wartime.
- the Mandokoro (政所) which was originally the chief governing body of an important family or rather a monastic complex but since the begin of the feudalistic age, this name was the eponym for the administrative department of the shōgunate
The land had been privatized, according to the German Japanese Studies scholar Maria-Verena Blümmel, it resulted in the profanization of power. In other words, only those who possessed power were able to gain authority - by landownership and military power, notabene.
Subsequently, a further administation system had been implemented, containing following positions:
- Shugo (守護), an office whose holder firstly had police functions before he turned into a military govenor afterwards
- Jitō (地頭), a land steward appointed by the central military government , or shogunate, who was in charge for levying and maintaining peace within the manor. In return for his services, the jitō’s position was made hereditary, and he received a share of the produce of the estate. He also served as the local judge and was entitled to levy a special “commissariat-rice” (表用米 hyōrō-mai) tax for his own use.
Hereupon, there was a relatively political stability prior to the strenghening of the imperial power in the 14th century. In particular, the deep state structures (resulting from juxtraposition between the military nobiliy and civil nobility) were rampant within Japan, thus the imperial city Kyoto were receding in importance.
A random anime fanart of someone from the military nobility |
There was a juxtraposition between the imperial court in Kyoto (Heian) and the military government in Kamakura resuting in deep state structures. Since the Kamaura period, the military aristocracy's feudalistic structures had been established whereby entailing contradictions between land and loyalty.
· Since the 14th century, resulting into the loss of importance for the imperial city Kyoto.
Conclusion: Indeed, the Heian period (794-1185) can be referred as "Japan's first bloom" because in effectively all aspects, the Japanese had dissociated themselves from the Chinese and therefore, Japan had developed into an autonomous empire. Primarily, on artistic and literary level and then - at beginning of the feudalistic era, on political level.
And now, I ask you: How do you like the rubric "Culture Studies" in whose frame I thematize something about the Japanese history, culture or society? Which subject suggestions do you have hereof? Don't hesitate writing it in the comments.
Besides, this two-parted article about Japan's first bloom was subject suggestions from one among the readership too:
By the way, this comment was written under part 2 of the article "The three unifiers of Japan, the last shogunate and the aftermaths" |
2020/07/08 at 10:47 a.m.
Great and interesting written as always. Thereby, you suddenly feel to get out your history textbook once again.
Next up, in contrast to the Edo period, the Heian period would be interesting because it is glady referred as Japans "first bloom" and many literary works and traditions have their origings already there [in this period]. At the end, you can wonderfully segue to the buke/nobility of the sword [i.e. military nobility] as well as to the first shōgunate's establishment by the Minamoto family.
Could I really react to the reader's comment well enough? You can also write it in the comments.
PS: Here, you can go to my other articles of the rubric Culture Studies: