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Kamakura Shogunate
The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yoritomo after victory in the Genpei War and appointing himself as ''shōgun''. Yoritomo governed Japan as military dictator from the eastern city of Kamakura with the emperor of Japan and his Imperial Court in the official capital city of Heian-kyō (Kyoto) as figureheads. The Kamakura ''shōguns'' were members of the Minamoto clan until 1226, the Fujiwara clan until 1252, and the last six were minor princes of the imperial family.Nussbaum"Minamoto"at pp. 632–633. The Hōjō clan were the '' de facto'' rulers of Japan as '' shikken'' (regent) of the ''shōgun'' from 1203.Nussbaum"Fujiwara"at pp. 200–201. The Kamakura shogunate saw the Jōkyū War in 1221 and the Mongol invasions of Japan under Kublai Khan in 1274 and 1281. The Kamaku ...
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Mon (emblem)
, also called , , and , are Japan, Japanese emblems used to decorate and identify an individual, a family, or (more recently) an institution, municipality or business entity. While is an encompassing term that may refer to any such device, and refer specifically to emblems that are used to identify a family. An authoritative reference compiles Japan's 241 general categories of based on structural resemblance (a single may belong to multiple categories), with 5,116 distinct individual . However, it is well acknowledged that there are a number of lost or obscure . Among , the officially used by the family is called . Over time, new have been created, such as , which is unofficially created by an individual, and , which is created by a woman after marriage by modifying part of her original family's , so that by 2023 there will be a total of 20,000 to 25,000 . The devices are similar to the Heraldic badge, badges and Coat of arms, coats of arms in European Heraldry, heraldic ...
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Emperor Go-Toba
was the 82nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1183 through 1198. This 12th-century sovereign was named after Emperor Toba, and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later"; and thus, he is sometimes called the "Later Emperor Toba". The Japanese word ''go'' has also been translated to mean the "second one"; and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Toba the Second" or as "Toba II". Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was . He was also known as Takanari''-shinnō'' He was the fourth son of Emperor Takakura, and thus grandson of Emperor Go-Shirakawa. His mother was Bōmon ''Shokushi'' (坊門殖子) (Empress Dowager Shichijō-in, 七条院), daughter of Bōmon Nobutaka (坊門信隆) of the Fujiwara clan. Consorts and children * Empress (''chūgū''): '' Fujiwara no Ninshi''/Takako (藤原任子) later Gishūmon-in (宜秋門院), ...
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Ryō (Japanese Coin)
The was a gold currency unit in the shakkanhō system in pre- Meiji Japan. It was eventually replaced with a system based on the ''yen''. Origins The ''ryō'' was originally a unit of weight from China, the ''tael.'' It came into use in Japan during the Kamakura period. By the Azuchi–Momoyama period it had become nearly uniform throughout Japan, about 4.4 ''monme'' as a unit of weight (about the same as 16.5 grams). During the Sengoku period, various local ''daimyō'' began to mint their own money. One of the best known and most prestigious of these private coins was the ''kōshūkin'' (甲州金, ''coin/gold of the Kōshū Province'') issued by warlord Takeda Shingen, who had substantial gold deposits within his territories. The value of the ''kōshūkin'' was based on its weight, with one ''kōshūkin'' equal to one ryō of gold, and thus stamped with its weight (about 15 grams). The exchange rate fluctuated. A ''ryō'' of gold was worth 3 kan (3000) copper coins arou ...
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Late Middle Japanese
was a stage of the Japanese language following Early Middle Japanese and preceding Early Modern Japanese. It was a period of transition in which the language shed many of its archaic features and became closer to its modern form. The period spanned roughly 500 years from the 12th century to the 16th century and is itself customarily divided into Early and Late periods. Politically, the first half of Late Middle Japanese was the end of the Heian period, known as ''Insei'' and the Kamakura period. The second half of Late Middle Japanese was the Muromachi period. Background The late 12th century was a time of transition from the aristocratic society of nobles in the Heian period to the feudal society of the warrior class. Accompanying that change, the nation's political center temporarily transitioned from historical Kyoto to Kanto alongside the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate. This move resulted in a significant blend between the dialects of Kyoto and Kanto, shaping ...
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Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism (), also known as ''Hokkeshū'' (, meaning ''Lotus Sect''), is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of the Kamakura period schools. Its teachings derive from some 300–400 extant letters and treatises either authored by or attributed to Nichiren. Nichiren Buddhism generally sources its basic doctrine from the Lotus Sutra claiming that all sentient beings possess an internal Buddha-nature capable of attaining Buddhahood in the current life. There are three essential aspects to Nichiren Buddhism: # The faith in Nichiren's '' Gohonzon'' # The chanting of '' Nam Myoho Renge Kyo'' with varying recitations of the Lotus Sutra # The study of Nichiren's scriptural writings, called ''Gosho'' After his death, Nichiren left to both his senior disciples and lay followers the mandate to widely propagate the ''Gohonzon'' and chanting the '' Daimoku'' in order to secure the p ...
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Jōdo Shinshū
, also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan. History Shinran (founder) Shinran (1173–1263) lived during the late Heian period, Heian to early Kamakura period (1185–1333), a time of turmoil for Japan when the Emperor of Japan, Emperor was stripped of political power by the Shogun, shōguns. Shinran's family had a high rank at the Imperial Court in Kyoto, Imperial Court in Kyoto, but given the times, many aristocratic families were sending sons off to be bhikkhu, Buddhist monks instead of having them participate in the Imperial government. When Shinran was nine years old in 1181, he was sent by his uncle to Mount Hiei, where he was ordained as a śrāmaṇera in the Tendai sect. Over time, Shinran became disillusioned with how Buddhism was practiced, foreseeing a decline in the potency and practicality of the ...
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Japanese Zen
:''See also Zen for an overview of Zen, Chan Buddhism for the Chinese origins, and Sōtō, Rinzai school, Rinzai and Ōbaku for the three main schools of Zen in Japan'' Japanese Zen refers to the Japanese forms of Zen, Zen Buddhism, an originally Buddhism in China, Chinese Mahāyāna school of Buddhism that strongly emphasizes Dhyāna in Buddhism, dhyāna, the Meditation, meditative training of awareness and equanimity. This practice, according to Zen proponents, gives insight into one's Buddha-nature, true nature, or the Śūnyatā, emptiness of inherent existence, which opens the way to a enlightenment in Buddhism, liberated way of living. History Origins According to tradition, Zen originated in ancient India, when Gautama Buddha Flower Sermon, held up a flower and Mahākāśyapa smiled. With this smile he showed that he had understood the wordless essence of the dharma#Buddhism, dharma. This way the dharma was transmitted to Mahākāśyapa, the second patriarch of Z ...
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Buddhism In Japan
Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185-1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was controlled by the Tokugawa shogunate, feudal Shogunate. The Meiji period (1868–1912) saw a strong response against Buddhism, with persecution and a forced separation between Buddhism and Shinto (''Shinbutsu bunri''). The largest sects of Japanese Buddhism are Pure Land Buddhism#Japanese Pure Land, Pure Land Buddhism with 22 million believers, followed by Nichiren Buddhism with 10 million believers, Shingon Buddhism with 5.4 million, Japanese Zen, Zen Buddhism with 5.3 million, Tendai Buddhism with 2.8 million, and only about 700,000 for the Nanto Rokushū, six old schools established in the Nara period (710-794). History Early Buddhism (5th-13th century) Arrival and initial spread of Buddhism Originating in India, Buddhism arrived in ...
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Shinbutsu-shūgō
''Shinbutsu-shūgō'' (, "syncretism of kami and buddhas"), also called ''Shinbutsu-konkō'' (, "jumbling up" or "contamination of kami and buddhas"), is the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan, Buddhism that was Japan's main organized religion up until the Meiji era, Meiji period. Beginning in 1868, the new Government of Meiji Japan, Meiji government approved a series of laws that separated Japanese native kami worship, on one side, from Buddhism which had assimilated it, on the other. When Buddhism was introduced from China in the Asuka period (6th century), the Japanese tried to reconcile the new beliefs with the older Shinto beliefs, assuming both were true. As a consequence, Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temples (, ''tera'') were Jingū-ji, attached to local Shinto shrines (, ''jinja'') and vice versa and devoted to both kami and buddhahood, Buddhist figures. The local religion and foreign Buddhism never fused into a single, unified religion, but remained inextri ...
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Shikken
The was a senior government post held by members of the Hōjō clan, officially a regent of the shogunate. From 1199 to 1333, during the Kamakura period, the ''shikken'' served as the head of the ''bakufu'' (shogun's government). This era was referred to as . During roughly the first half of that period, the ''shikken'' was the ''de facto'' military dictator of Japan (excluding the independent Northern Fujiwara). In 1256 the title of ''shikken'' was relegated to the second in command of the ''Tokusō'' (a separate rank also monopolized by the Hojō clan). By the Muromachi period (1333–1573) the position, though not abolished, had lost much of its power and was no longer considered as one of the top ranks. The position was abolished after the Muromachi period. Etymology The word ''shikken'' is the on'yomi reading of the combination of the two kanji characters and , meaning "to hold (something in the hand, or a service or ceremony); to administer" and "power, authority" respect ...
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Hōjō Moritoki
Hojo Moritoki (, 1295–1333) was the last '' Shikken'' (Regent) of the Kamakura shogunate and the last regent of the Hōjō clan. References 1295 births 1333 deaths Hōjō clan People of the Kamakura period {{Japan-bio-stub ...
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Hōjō Tokimasa
was a Japanese samurai lord who was the first ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was ''shikken'' from 1203 until his abdication in 1205, and Protector of Kyoto from 1185 to 1186. Background The Hōjō clan is alleged to have been descended from the Taira clan. The Hōjō clan based themselves in a northern part of the Izu Province, which was in the east (Kanto region) and quite far away from the imperial center of power in Kyoto. Early life Not much is known about Hōjō Tokimasa's early life prior to Minamoto no Yoritomo's arrival in Izu. There is no information about his parents and early childhood, mainly because culture was not concentrated in Izu, but rather in Kyoto. Tokimasa was born in 1138 into the influential local magnate Hōjō clan in the province of Izu. It is believed that his father was either Hōjō Tokikata or Hōjō Tokikane. Tokimasa, as the head of the Hōjō clan, chose to stay out of the civil strife engul ...
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