Shoguns and shogunates: The military takeover of Feudal Japan

The first Japanese histories were also written at this time. They were known as Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.

However, they contain more legend than real history. However, they became important because within them, it claimed that the Japanese emperor was descended from the gods.

Around this time as well, Buddhism became increasingly more popular. This religious system was also introduced from China via Korea and was not native to Japan.

However, Buddhist monasteries featured prominently in the new capital city. It was feared that Buddhist monks would begin to exert too much control over the emperor, so the capital was moved to Heian, modern Kyoto, in 794.

This began the Heian period of Japanese history.

At the new capital city, the emperor came under the control of the powerful Fujiwara clan. 

Their size of their land ownership meant that they could use their wealth to influence the imperial court. 

They also used strategic marriage to the imperial family to position their family members in important government roles. 

The Fujiwara enjoyed the height of their success under Fujiwara Michinaga around 1016, who effectively ordered the emperor to do his bidding. 

However, after Michinaga's death, the clan's power decreased.

One effect of their loss of control is that civil conflict broke out between the other clans.

Around this time, other landowners hired soldiers, known as samurai, to protect their farms and houses from lawless bandits.

Over the next few centuries, the samurai would grow into their own distinct social class who had a powerful impact on Japanese society.

When emperor Go-Sanjo reasserted the emperor's supreme authority in 1068, Fujiwara's influence was finally ended. 

18 years later, Go-Sanjo stood down from the imperial throne so that he could manipulate politics in more subtle ways.

This system of control was called the 'Insei government'. Subsequent emperors copied Go-Sanjo's model until 1156, when the warlord, Taira Kiyomori from the Taira clan, seized power.

This began a new period where another powerful clan controlled the Japanese emperor. But this time, it was the Taira clan.

A second clan, the Minamoto family, allied with the Taira to expand military control over more of Japan than ever before.

The Taira clan's most famous leader was called Taira Kiyomori, who dominated the imperial court between 1168 to 1178.

As a result of his dominance, the Taira's former allies, the Minamoto, fought against them.

After the death of Kiyomori, the two clans fought each other in the Genpei War (1180 to 1185), where atrocities were committed by both sides.

A gifted military leader named Minamoto Yoritomo became a decisive factor in the war and led his clan to final victory over the Taira.

Yoritomo then became the supreme military leader of Japan by defeating all other rivals. He was able to use his new power to manipulate the emperor himself.

As a result, the emperor gave him a new title to designate his new powers shogun, which means 'supreme military commander. 

Yoritomo set up a new Japanese capital city at Kamakura, which began the Kamakura shogunate.

While the imperial court remained in Kyoto, Kamakura was the military capital where the shogunate was based.