The Kamakura Era 1185-1333
Yoritomo established his Bakufu , or "tent government", at Kamakura (near present-day Yokohama), in 1192. The term Tent Government was symbolic of the spartan, military character of the new regime. Yoritomo styled himself Sei-i Tai Shogun, the "Barbarian-subduing Great General", a title which had previously been used on appropriate occasions but which now became permanent. To drive home the martial emphasis of the new government, military governors were appointed to work alongside the civil administrators, and taxes were levied to cover military expenditure. More generally, Japan settled in to a period of semi-feudalism , with the peasants being allowed tenure of land in return for service to their local lord. The Kamakura Bakufu did not survive long after the death of Yoritomo in 1199, since his successors lacked his strong character and organizational skills. During the latter part of his administration he had been ably and loyally supported by Hojo Tokimasa who, in partnership with Yoritomo's widow Masa, now took the helm. Tokimasa quickly assumed the combined roles of military and civil governor, ushering in the century-long era of the Hojo regents . By the late thirteenth century, therefore, the government had evolved into a multi-layered entity. A cloistered retired emperor presided over his successor in Kyoto, who had ceded power to the shogun in Kamakura, who in turn had been rendered powerless by the Hojo regent, who by then had also handed over power to a new generation of front men. The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries saw the rise of the merchant class . Trade and commerce were encouraged by monks travelling to China and Korea, and by a demand for military supplies. The ports of Hyogo (now Kobe) and Osaka developed to handle this trade, while towns and markets grew under the patronage of feudal lords and monasteries. On the political front, Regent Yasutoki formulated the Joei Code in 1232, which provided guidelines on behaviour for the samurai class as well as rules on land tenure and the maintenance of religious buildings. It was during this period that the class distinctions were demarcated: warriors at the top, then farmers, artisans and, finally, merchants. This fairly stable state of affairs was shattered in 1268 when the great Mongol leader, Kublai Khan , sent six envoys to demand that Japan pay tribute to China. Japan's rejection provoked the Khan to invade in 1274, when the Mongol army landed at Hakata (north Kyushu) but had to withdraw when a storm threatened their fleet. After the Japanese executed further envoys, in 1281 the Khan dispatched a huge punitive expedition, believed to number about 100,000 men. The invaders gained a foothold and fought fiercely for seven weeks, but their fleet was again scattered by a typhoon. The grateful Japanese dubbed it the kamikaze , or "Divine Wind", a name which later reappeared during the Pacific War .
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~~Brian Campbell" EXOTICMEME says "TRY TO MEET AND BE INLOVE " REALLY COOL!Maddie says "say spitley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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