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The Kamakura period marks a significant stage in the development of samurai rule. While the Taira clan held considerable power from the 1150s-1180s, they did so from within the Imperial court; the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate marks the first time that samurai rule, operating quite separately from the Imperial court, is asserted as a significant authority in itself. The Kamakura shogunate was never as strong as the [[Ashikaga shogunate|Ashikaga]] or [[Tokugawa shogunate]]s which succeeded it, however; it largely ruled over only the samurai, while the Court continued to govern the aristocracy, temples & shrines, and the common people. While the shogunate appointed ''[[shugo]]'' (military governors) to oversee each [[provinces|province]], the court still continued to appoint ''[[kokushi]]'' (civil governors). Further, the shogunate's authority did not extend over the entire archipelago, and there were many regions where shogunal authority was weak or non-existent. Shogunal retainers are believed to have numbered only around 2,000 in the period from 1185-[[1221]], and around 3,000 afterwards. The total population of the archipelago may have been around 9.75 million in 1300.<ref>Robert Tignor, Benjamin Elman, et al, ''Worlds Together, Worlds Apart'', vol B, Fourth Edition, W.W. Norton & Co (2014), 410.</ref>

The Kamakura period marks a significant stage in the development of samurai rule. While the Taira clan held considerable power from the 1150s-1180s, they did so from within the Imperial court; the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate marks the first time that samurai rule, operating quite separately from the Imperial court, is asserted as a significant authority in itself. The Kamakura shogunate was never as strong as the [[Ashikaga shogunate|Ashikaga]] or [[Tokugawa shogunate]]s which succeeded it, however; it largely ruled over only the samurai, while the Court continued to govern the aristocracy, temples & shrines, and the common people. While the shogunate appointed ''[[shugo]]'' (military governors) to oversee each [[provinces|province]], the court still continued to appoint ''[[kokushi]]'' (civil governors). Further, the shogunate's authority did not extend over the entire archipelago, and there were many regions where shogunal authority was weak or non-existent. Shogunal retainers are believed to have numbered only around 2,000 in the period from 1185-[[1221]], and around 3,000 afterwards. The total population of the archipelago may have been around 9.75 million in 1300.<ref>Robert Tignor, Benjamin Elman, et al, ''Worlds Together, Worlds Apart'', vol B, Fourth Edition, W.W. Norton & Co (2014), 410.</ref>

Numerous significant religious developments took place in the period. The monk [[Nichiren]] established and spread his [[Lotus Sect]] school of Buddhism in the 13th century; figures such as [[Ippen]] and [[Kuya|Kûya]] spread their teachings during this time, too, with a variety of popular and millenarian Buddhist movements, including the [[Ji sect]], emerging as well. Much of these developments were tied into a widespread belief that the decline and eventual fall of the Heian period marked the entry into the period of ''[[mappo|mappô]]'' (lit. "end of the law"), a period in the grand cosmic cycle during which the religious laws governing the universe begin to fall out of order, and the ability to achieve salvation wanes. Worship in [[Amida]] Buddha, including especially belief in the practice of ''[[nenbutsu]]'', grew considerably in popularity at this time, as popular movements grew asserting that one needed not devote oneself fully to a proper Buddhist/monastic life of meditation, restraint, prayer, and ritual practice in order to achieve salvation, but rather that one could be saved by Amida, simply for chanting his name and expressing true faith.

Though the Minamoto clan founded the Kamakura shogunate, and the city, its control of the shogunate lasted only very briefly. After the first shogun, [[Minamoto no Yoritomo]], died in [[1199]], his widow [[Hojo Masako|Hôjô Masako]] named her father [[Hojo Tokimasa|Hôjô Tokimasa]] regent (''[[shikken]]''), and seized control over the shogunate. For the remainder of the period, the shoguns were largely pawns, or puppets, of the Hôjô, who exercised true political power. After the third Kamakura shogun, [[Minamoto no Sanetomo]], was assassinated in [[1219]], the Minamoto line of shoguns ended. The shogunate survived an attempted coup [[1221|two years later]], known as the [[Jokyu War|Jôkyû War]], but for the remainder of the period, Imperial princes and members of the court aristocratic [[Kujo family|Kujô family]] served as shogun.

[[Zen]] also became considerably more central and well-established in this period, as it received patronage from the [[Hojo clan (Hojo Regents)|Hôjô clan]], regents to the shoguns. And along with the growth of Zen came the growth of a number of Chinese cultural practices, including appreciation of [[tea]]; Zen temples also became centers of Chinese scholarship, [[calligraphy]], and [[Zen painting]].

Numerous significant religious developments took place in the period. The monk [[Nichiren]] established and spread his [[Lotus Sect]] school of Buddhism in the 13th century; figures such as [[Ippen]] and [[Kuya|Kûya]] spread their teachings during this time, too, with a variety of popular and millenarian Buddhist movements, including the [[Ji sect]], emerging as well. Much of these developments were tied into a widespread belief that the decline and eventual fall of the Heian period marked the entry into the period of ''[[mappo|mappô]]'' (lit. "end of the law"), a period in the grand cosmic cycle during which the religious laws governing the universe begin to fall out of order, and the ability to achieve salvation wanes. Worship in [[Amida]] Buddha, including especially belief in the practice of ''[[nenbutsu]]'', grew considerably in popularity at this time, as popular movements grew asserting that one needed not devote oneself fully to a proper Buddhist/monastic life of meditation, restraint, prayer, and ritual practice in order to achieve salvation, but rather that one could be saved by Amida, simply for chanting his name and expressing true faith. [[Zen]] also became considerably more central and well-established in this period, as it received patronage from the [[Hojo clan (Hojo Regents)|Hôjô clan]], regents to the shoguns.

Though the Minamoto clan founded the Kamakura shogunate, and the city, its control of the shogunate lasted only very briefly. After the first shogun, [[Minamoto no Yoritomo]], died in [[1199]], his widow [[Hojo Masako|Hôjô Masako]] named her father [[Hojo Tokimasa|Hôjô Tokimasa]] regent (''[[shikken]]''), and seized control over the shogunate. For the remainder of the period, the shoguns were largely pawns, or puppets, of the Hôjô, who exercised true political power. After the third Kamakura shogun, [[Minamoto no Sanetomo]], was assassinated in [[1219]], the Minamoto line of shoguns ended. The shogunate survived an attempted coup [[1221|two years later]], known as the [[Jokyu War|Jôkyû War]], but for the remainder of the period, Imperial princes and members of the court aristocratic [[Kujo family|Kujô family]] served as shogun.

In terms of the arts, perhaps the most significant developments of the Kamakura period were those concerning Buddhist sculpture, as the [[Todai-ji|Tôdai-ji]], [[Sanjusangendo|Sanjûsangendô]], and other temples were rebuilt and restored following their destruction or damage in the Genpei War. Sculptors such as those of the [[Kei school]] created new sculptures for these temples in a notably new and influential style.<ref>Morse, Samuel C. "Revealing the Unseen: The Master Sculptor Unkei and the Meaning of Dedicatory Objects in Kamakura-Period Sculpture." ''Impressions'' 31 (2010). p25.</ref> Chinese stonemasons brought over at this time for the temple reconstruction projects also contributed significantly to the emergence of a tradition of stone grave markers, particularly in the form of miniature stone pagodas known as ''gorintô''.<ref>Hank Glassman, "Remembering the Dead in Medieval Japan: On the Origins of Stone Grave Markers," talk given at University of California, Santa Barbara, 7 May 2015.</ref>

 

Samurai administrators appointed to the provinces, as well as those situated within Kamakura, generally lived in fortified compounds known as ''yakata''. These were strictly conglomerations of wooden structures, often including some in the ''[[shinden-zukuri]]'' style of the Heian period, surrounded with moats, and looked little like the [[castles]] of the [[Azuchi-Momoyama period|Azuchi-Momoyama]] and [[Edo period]]s. The [[Asakura clan]] fortress at [[Ichijodani castle|Ichijôdani]] is a representative example.<ref>Gallery labels, National Museum of Japanese History.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/11737400955/in/dateposted-public/][https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/11737415975/in/dateposted-public/]</ref>

The [[Mongol Empire]] launched two invasions of Japan, in [[1274]] and [[1281]]. Though both were unsuccessful, gaining no territory at all beyond landfall, efforts to defend against these invasions - and, in particular, efforts to strengthen preparations for defense against a third invasion which never came - severely weakened the shogunate. When [[Emperor Go-Daigo]] raised forces against the shogunate in [[1333]], in an effort to restore Imperial power, it fell fairly quickly. This [[Kemmu Restoration]] did not last long, however, as Go-Daigo's lead general, [[Ashikaga Takauji]], turned on him and established his own shogunate, the [[Ashikaga shogunate]], in [[1336]], marking the beginning of the [[Muromachi period]].

The [[Mongol Empire]] launched two invasions of Japan, in [[1274]] and [[1281]]. Though both were unsuccessful, gaining no territory at all beyond landfall, efforts to defend against these invasions - and, in particular, efforts to strengthen preparations for defense against a third invasion which never came - severely weakened the shogunate. When [[Emperor Go-Daigo]] raised forces against the shogunate in [[1333]], in an effort to restore Imperial power, it fell fairly quickly. This [[Kemmu Restoration]] did not last long, however, as Go-Daigo's lead general, [[Ashikaga Takauji]], turned on him and established his own shogunate, the [[Ashikaga shogunate]], in [[1336]], marking the beginning of the [[Muromachi period]].