Kamakura period facts for kids

History of Japan

Paleolithic 35000–10000 BCE Jōmon period 10000–300 BCE Yayoi period 300 BCE–250 CE Kofun period 250–538 Asuka period 538–710 Nara period 710–794 Heian period 794–1185 Kamakura period 1185–1333 Kemmu restoration 1333–1336 Muromachi period 1333–1573 Nanboku-chō period 1336–1392 Sengoku period Azuchi-Momoyama period 1568–1603 Nanban trade Edo period 1603–1868 Late Tokugawa shogunate Meiji period 1868–1912 Meiji Restoration Taishō period 1912–1926 Japan in WWI Shōwa period 1926–1989 Japanese expansionism Occupied Japan Post-Occupation Japan Heisei period 1989-present

The Kamakura period (鎌倉時代, Kamakura jidai) is a time in the Japanese history from 1185 through 1333 in the history of Japan. This grouping of years is named after city of Kamakura which was the center of power of the Kamakura shogunate.

The government of shoguns which was functionally established in 1192 by Minamoto no Yoritomo.

The Kamakura period ended in 1333 with the destruction of the shogunate. Imperial rule was re-established under Emperor Go-Daigo.

Flourishing of Buddhism

Buddhism expanded during this period. A number of monks founded separate Buddhist sects, including

• Hōnen, founder of the Jōdo shū sect

• Shinran, disciple of Hōnen; founder of Jōdo Shinshū

• Ippen, founder of the Ji sect

• Dōgen, founder of the Sōtō school of Zen

• Eisai, founder of the Rinzai school of Zen

• Nichiren, founder of the sect of Buddhism named after him

The older Buddhist sects such as Shingon and Tendai continued to thrive.

Timeline

• 1185 (Genryaku 2, 24th day of the 3rd month): Taira clan (Heike) defeated at sea by Minamoto Yoshitsune
• 1191 (Kenkyū 2): Esai establishes Zen in Japan
• 1192 (Kenkyū 3): Minamoto Yoritomo appointed as shogun
• 1207 (Ken'ei 1): Hōnen and his followers are exiled
• 1221 (Jōkyū 3): In the Jōkyū War (承久の乱, jōkyū no ran), Emperor Go-Toba tried to take power from the Kamakura shogunate. The effort did not succeed.
• 1252 (Kenchō 2): Great Buddha of Kamakura was put in place at Kōtoku-in.
• November 19, 1274 (Bun'ei 11, 20th day of the 10th month): Kublai Khan sent a fleet and an army to invade Japan; Battle of Bun'ei (文永の役, Bun'ei no eki) or the "Bun'ei War".
• 1281 (Kōan 4): Battle of Kōan (弘安の役, Kōan no eki) or the "Kōan War".
• 1293 (Einin 1): Disastrous earthquake and tsunami hit Sagami Bay and Kamakura, killing 23,034 people.
• 1333 (Genkō 3): Nitta Yoshisada destroys the Kamakura shogunate in the Siege of Kamakura (鎌倉の戦い).

Gallery

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  Dai Butsu of Kamakura. Hand-coloured image by Adolfo Farsari, between 1885 and 1890—see 1252 above

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  Painting scrolls on the Mongol invasions by Fukuda Taika, 1846 —see 1274 and 1281 above

Related pages

• List of Japanese eras

• Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kamakura and Nanbokucho Periods (1185–1392)
• British Museum, Kamakura period (AD 1185-1333)
• Japan-guide.com, Kamakura Period (1192 - 1333)

Images for kids

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  Provinces in the Kamakura period (excluding Hokkaido and the Satsunan Islands)

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  A famous Japanese wooden kongorikishi statue of Tōdai-ji, Nara. It was made by Busshi Unkei in 1203.

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  Head of a Guardian, 13th century. Hinoki wood with lacquer on cloth, pigment, rock crystal, metal. Before entering most Japanese Buddhist temples, visitors must pass large and imposing sculptures of ferocious guardian figures whose role is to protect the premises from the enemies of the religion. The aggressive stances and exaggerated facial features of these figures stand in sharp contrast to the calm demeanor of the Buddha enshrined inside. Brooklyn Museum

• 

  Japanese samurai boarding Mongol ships in 1281

See also

In Spanish: Período Kamakura para niños