Ancient Japan
The Gempei War
Japan has sparked curiosity to many around the world from the ancient times to present day. This culture has such meticulous and unique traditions that many have yet to understand.
The Japanese believed that human kind and nature were all created by Kami, objects or personalities that are valued in Japanese culture. Since the ancient times, the Japanese believed that their country was the land of the divine. Even their first emperor, Jimmu, was believed to be the great-grandson of Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun. Today, this linage of royalty still exists, preserving the belief that these individuals have the divine right.
Japan also had many different powerful clans that ruled over individual provinces and had their own Kami.
Ancient Japan is divided into approximately six periods, the Formative Period, the Nara Period, the Heian Period, the Kamakura Shogunate, the Ashikaga Shogunate, and the Tokugawa Shogunate.
As Japan continued to adopt new traditions and ideas from different nations during the Heian Period, a political structure was also becoming more consolidated.
The emperors during this period had little or no influence. Thus, these emperors were married to women from the Fujiwara clan. The Fujiwara clan held a lot of status and power as it was only of second to the Sun-line (Goddess Amaterasu). This influential class often portrayed their status by providing royal brides to emperors who had not even reached their teenage years.
Due to the very young age of these emperors, it was the fathers or uncles of the emperor’s bride who created offices for themselves. Through their high positions, they were able to pass policies or issue orders in the ‘name of the emperor.’ If the emperor began to gain independence, he was usually asked to retire to a monastery. Emperors who did retire created a secluded government in which he would pass his own rulings. Consequently, this resulted in many policies being created all at once. Most individuals were confused on which one to follow and thus, usually viewed politics as annoying and irrelevant.
While the emperor did not have a lot of influence or power, there were two extremely powerful clans that controlled Japan, the Taira clan and the Minamoto Clan. These two overpowering clans were in a continuous powerful struggle.
During this period, the Fujiwara clan was also gaining more power.
Furthermore, the aristocrats during this time began to realize that owning property in this country that had poor land was important. To protect their property, aristocrats had slaves fighting for them. This resulted in new fighting skills being developed, and so the Age of the Samurai began.
However, the Fujiwara clan began to run out of daughters to be married off to emperors and as a result their influence and power began to decline.
The Fujiwara clan’s provincial estates that provided them and the aristocrats with money were also continuously under threat. These provincial families began to gain more independence as they were fighting off rivals by themselves. These individuals also began to wonder why they risked their own lives for these powerful lords who they did not even have strong ties with. At the same time, Aristocrats began to have conflicts among themselves due to the lack of tax revenues.
The Emperor Go-Shirakawa who feared war and conflict asked the powerful leader of the Taira clan, Taira no Kiyomori to help resolve these conflicts. However, this leader abused his power and attempted to make his one year old grandson emperor. This infuriated the emperor and his son Prince Michihito who issued a call to arms against the Taira clan. This resulted in Taira's long time enemy Minamoto to respond.
Minamoto no Yoritomo who was then exiled by the Taira clan was one of the first to respond to this call to arms. Consequently, this triggered the five year long, the Gempei War. (also known as the Genji War).
Minamoto no Yoritomo was successful in destroying the Taira clan at the end of the Gempei War and this marked the beginning of the Kamakura Shogunate Period.
With the beginning of the Kamakura Shogunate Period, the first of shogun of Japan also arose. Minamoto no Yoritomo was supposedly the first real shogun of Japan.
The Japanese believed that human kind and nature were all created by Kami, objects or personalities that are valued in Japanese culture. Since the ancient times, the Japanese believed that their country was the land of the divine. Even their first emperor, Jimmu, was believed to be the great-grandson of Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun. Today, this linage of royalty still exists, preserving the belief that these individuals have the divine right.
Japan also had many different powerful clans that ruled over individual provinces and had their own Kami.
Ancient Japan is divided into approximately six periods, the Formative Period, the Nara Period, the Heian Period, the Kamakura Shogunate, the Ashikaga Shogunate, and the Tokugawa Shogunate.
As Japan continued to adopt new traditions and ideas from different nations during the Heian Period, a political structure was also becoming more consolidated.
The emperors during this period had little or no influence. Thus, these emperors were married to women from the Fujiwara clan. The Fujiwara clan held a lot of status and power as it was only of second to the Sun-line (Goddess Amaterasu). This influential class often portrayed their status by providing royal brides to emperors who had not even reached their teenage years.
Due to the very young age of these emperors, it was the fathers or uncles of the emperor’s bride who created offices for themselves. Through their high positions, they were able to pass policies or issue orders in the ‘name of the emperor.’ If the emperor began to gain independence, he was usually asked to retire to a monastery. Emperors who did retire created a secluded government in which he would pass his own rulings. Consequently, this resulted in many policies being created all at once. Most individuals were confused on which one to follow and thus, usually viewed politics as annoying and irrelevant.
While the emperor did not have a lot of influence or power, there were two extremely powerful clans that controlled Japan, the Taira clan and the Minamoto Clan. These two overpowering clans were in a continuous powerful struggle.
During this period, the Fujiwara clan was also gaining more power.
Furthermore, the aristocrats during this time began to realize that owning property in this country that had poor land was important. To protect their property, aristocrats had slaves fighting for them. This resulted in new fighting skills being developed, and so the Age of the Samurai began.
However, the Fujiwara clan began to run out of daughters to be married off to emperors and as a result their influence and power began to decline.
The Fujiwara clan’s provincial estates that provided them and the aristocrats with money were also continuously under threat. These provincial families began to gain more independence as they were fighting off rivals by themselves. These individuals also began to wonder why they risked their own lives for these powerful lords who they did not even have strong ties with. At the same time, Aristocrats began to have conflicts among themselves due to the lack of tax revenues.
The Emperor Go-Shirakawa who feared war and conflict asked the powerful leader of the Taira clan, Taira no Kiyomori to help resolve these conflicts. However, this leader abused his power and attempted to make his one year old grandson emperor. This infuriated the emperor and his son Prince Michihito who issued a call to arms against the Taira clan. This resulted in Taira's long time enemy Minamoto to respond.
Minamoto no Yoritomo who was then exiled by the Taira clan was one of the first to respond to this call to arms. Consequently, this triggered the five year long, the Gempei War. (also known as the Genji War).
Minamoto no Yoritomo was successful in destroying the Taira clan at the end of the Gempei War and this marked the beginning of the Kamakura Shogunate Period.
With the beginning of the Kamakura Shogunate Period, the first of shogun of Japan also arose. Minamoto no Yoritomo was supposedly the first real shogun of Japan.
Map of Present Day Japan
How does present day and ancient look different or similar?