The Kamakura Shogunate was a landmark period in the history of Japan, signifying a change of power from the emperor to a more powerful individual in the form of the shogun. This succession of shogun lasted more than a century and gave rise to several similar groupings.

The name comes from the city that was the seat of power. The initiator of this shogunate, in 1192, was Minamoto Yoritomo (left), who emerged victorious from an internal conflict known was the Genpei War. Yoritomo, leader of the Minamoto clan, strove against leaders of the Taira for supremacy in the late 12th Century. Yoritomo secured his ascendancy with a victory in the titanic naval battle of Dan-no-Ura, in 1185. He consolidated his power for a few years and then, seven years after the battle, convinced emperor Go-Shirakawa, whose seat of power was in in Kyoto, to name him shogun. The emperor continued to be the ceremonial head of Japan, but the shogun, head of the military, was the real power.

Yoritomo, as head of the military, had the personal loyalty of the samurai, who wielded wide influence, and this reinforced the shogun's supremacy. The ultimate extension of the bushido, the samurai's code of conduct, was loyalty to the supreme lord, the shogun. The full title was Seii Tai-Shogun, and it had been used before, during the Heian period, as a temporary measure, the equivalent of a short-term dictator in Ancient Rome. But Yoritomo was the first full-time shogun.

Yoritomo strengthened his position in opposition to the emperor by appointing his own leaders, both civil and military. He then isolated the emperor further by taking control of two northern provinces and assuming dominance of a large mansion in Kyoto that had been the seat of Taira power. The emperor died in 1192, and Yoritomo stood alone, his power unparalleled. He and his descendants then ruled Japan for several decades.

Yoritomo ruled for just seven years, as his war experience and age caught up with him. He died in 1199 at age 51.

He had set a strong enough example, though, that his successors carried on in the same vein for more than a century. In all, nine shogun made up the Kamakura shogunate. Yoritomo's son Yoriee took over but ruled just a year. Every other Kamakura shogun ruled for from 8 to 29 years. Yoriee died of illness and gave way to his brother Sanetomo, who died at an assassin's hand after 16 years. The killer was his own nephew, Kugyo, whose father was Yoriee. Another assassin then killed Kugyo, and this ended the Minamoto line.

Yoritomo's wife, Masako, was of the Hojo clan, another that had considerable power and influence. The Hojo, in effect, were the power behind the shogun for the next several decades.

Succeeding Sanetomo was Kujo Yoritsune, who claimed a tenuous lineage to the Minamoto clan through his grandmother. Yoritsune was in fact shogun for 18 years, but he was in reality the throne behind the power, as the Hojo reigned supreme. In 1244, Yoritsune abdicated in favor of his son Yoritsugu, who was at the time only 4. This was definitely a regency situation, and young Yoritsugu lived until age 16.

The next shogun was also young: Munetaka was just 10 when he was installed. He preferred normal childish things but also had an interest in poetry. He lasted 14 years before giving way to his son Koreyasu, aged just 2. This shogun ruled for 23 years, presiding over an extremely influential time in Japanese history. In both 1274 and 1281, a large Mongol invasion force tried to land on Japanese soil; both times, the fleet turned back in the face of fierce and devastating winds. In Japanese tradition, these were the kamikaze, the "divine winds" that saved the islands from Mongol occupation.

In 1289, Koreyasu fled in the face of a revolt, and the new Hojo-backed shogun was Hisaaki, who ruled into the 14th Century. He gave way to his son Morikuni in 1308. Again the Hojo were the real power, as Hojo Takatoki as chief minister asserted control over both the shogun and the people at large.

After many decades of subjugation, the imperial forces struck back. In 1331, Emperor Go-Daigo and his supporters launched a rebellion that came to be known as the Kenmu Restoration. A false start was not enough to deter this movement, and its leaders succeeded two years later in overthrowing the Hojo influence for good. It didn't hurt that the emperor gained the support of powerful samurai like Ashikaga Takauji (who had initially supported the Hojo but found a better offer in their opponents).

The Kamakura shogunate became a blueprint for subsequent governments in Japan. The model of a strong leader backed by samurai warriors endured for centuries more. Some emperors asserted more control than others, but by and large the warrior class was in charge well into the Middle Ages and beyond.

In many ways, Japan benefited from this sort of arrangement. With a centralized government in the hands of a strongman, the people knew who was in charge and whom to obey. The people largely accepted this arrangement in exchange for the military's keeping them safe from outside invaders and helping them after natural disasters. This emphasis on bushido as a demonstration of the need for discipline also influenced art, religion, and other elements of culture and society.

In terms of law and order, the samurai generally kept the peace, as did the military governors, head of the provinces. In 1232, when Yoritsune was shogun, came the Goseibai Shikimoku, a legal code, and a court of appeals, the Moncho-jo. The people welcomed both as a means of fairly settling land disputes and other disagreements that had been theretofore resolved discriminately.

The economy during the Kamakura shogunate was largely good (although the Mongol invasions taxed the system and began a long decline). Japanese traders found welcome partners in China and further afield. Land reform and agricultural advancements increased crop yields across Japan, leading to better production and fewer famines. Also at this time, as in Europe, trade guilds developed.