Japan’s First Samurai: The Kamakura Period
Kamakura is Japan’s former capital city located in the Kanagawa Prefecture, which is 1.5hours away from central Tokyo by train. This traditional city is famous for being the place where the first Samurai ruler Yoritomo Minamoto started the first shogunate called Bakuhu to dominate across Japan. The Kamakura period existed between 1185–1333, a time shared with the Mongol empire unifying most parts of the Eurasia continent.
Photo Credit: All About Japan
Before the Kamakura era, the title of emperor was given only to a member of the Imperial family. Similar to European kings, it was typical for the emperor to be the ruler of Japan. Japan has the oldest ruling monarchy family in the world, dating back to 660 BC.
The Kamakura period was a huge turning point in Japanese history as the emperors no longer held power and only acted as symbolic figureheads. The emperors were still responsible for appointing the ruling shogun Samurai ruler as they were seen as direct descendants from the sun goddess Amaterasu.
