Minamoto no Yoritomo

Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147 – 1199) founded the Kamakura shogunate. He ruled from 1192 until 1199. Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, of the Minamoto (Seiwa Genji) clan. Yoritomo’s grandfather Minamoto no Tameyoshi was the head of the Minamoto.

Yoritomo grew up in a time of warfare. In 1156 the Hōgen Rebellion (Hōgen no ran) broke out. It involved a succession dispute between brothers, Emperor Go-Shirakawa and retired Emperor Sutoku. It divided the Fujiwara clan who supplied regents for the emperors and the great samurai houses of Taira and Minamoto. The Minamoto house (Seiwa Genji) pitted father against son with Minamoto Yoshitomo (Yoritomo’s father) for Go-Shirakawa and against his father Minamoto Tameyoshi (Yoritomo’s grandfather). The supporters of Go-Shirakawa, namely Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Taira no Kiyomori, won. Tameyoshi was executed. Yoshitomo became the head of the Minamoto and the clan, while Yoritomo became the heir.

The Hōgen Rebellion resulted in the ascendency of the Minamoto and Taira. When Emperor Go-Shirakawa abdicated and gave the throne to his son, Emperor Nijō, it led to another rebellion pitting the Minamoto against the Taira in the Heiji Rebellion (Heiji no ran). It was instigated by Fujiwara no Nobuyori, who was an ally of Minamoto no Yoshitomo.  Nobuyori and his Minamoto allies stormed Sanjo Palace, abducted both Go-Shirakawa and Nijō, and forced Nijō to appoint Nobuyori chancellor. Things soon fell apart for the insurgents when Taira no Kiyomori attacked and defeated them in battle.

Yoshitomo fled but was betrayed and killed by a retainer. Yoshitomo’s two oldest sons, Tomonaga and Yoshihira died. Nobuyori was decapitated. Yoritomo (who was 13) and his younger brothers Noriyori and Yoshitsune were spared. Taira no Kiyomori banished the boys and seized Minamoto wealth and land.

Yoritomo grew up in exile, held by the Hōjō clan, under Hōjō Tokimasa. Yoritomo married Tokimasa’s daughter, Hōjō Masako. 

Yoritomo rose to prominence throughout Japan during the Genpei War (1180-1185). The Genpei War began with a revolt by Prince Mochihito, a son of Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa, who opposed the Taira. Yoritomo, together with his brothers Noriyori and Yoshitsune, joined the revolt. At Dan-no-ura, the Taira were defeated and the child emperor, Antoku, drowned.

When assembling his forces, in 1180 Yoritomo consolidated his power as lord of Kamakura, requiring his housemen and supporters to give an oath of allegiance under the scrutiny of Yoritomo’s Board of Samurai. The oath was important because the oath began a process of differentiating the samurai as a self-conscious class.

Early in the Genpei War, Yoritomo established the Samurai–dokoro (“service room” or “orderly room”), a Board of Retainers. It assigned military duties and rewards and punishment to warriors, including regulating their private lives. However, only Yoritomo could grant samurai status.

In Kamakura he established military rule called bakufu, “tent government.” All warriors were attached to Yoritomo. The vassals of Yoritomo were called Go-Kenin, “honorable house men.”

Yoritomo consolidated his power by eliminating rivals, rewarding loyalty, and establishing ties with Kyoto.

Victory at Dan-no-ura in 1185 ended power of the Taira. Yoritomo took over their properties. He replaced Taira supporters on estates by appointing estate stewards (jito). Each jito received income rights (shiki) guaranteed by Kamakura not Kyoto. In Yoritomo’s system the jito collected military tax on every property. In the provinces, he appointed the tsuibushi (constables) or shugo (protectors) and they oversaw stewards, assigned vassals to guard service, maintained law and order, and were often given title of governor. These became hereditary positons and were very lucrative.

Yoritomo rewarded followers by confiscating the estates and offices of opposition leaders, especially provincial governors, deputies, and Taira supporters and in turn gave it to loyal samurai.

Yoritomo invaded and subjugated Mutsu and Dewa Provinces and defeated a family calling itself Fujiwara in northern Honshu. He defeated and killed Fujiwara Yasuhira, son of Hidehira, who was Yoshitsune’s childhood protector, the last great landowner.

Yoritomo even eliminated all rivals in his own family. Senior rival claimants had already been eliminated thanks to Taira no Kiyomori who executed Yoritomo’s elder brothers along with their father.

He eliminated his uncle Minamoto no Yukiie and his cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka, who conspired against him. Yoritomo’s brothers defeated Yoshinaka in battle and killed him. In 1186 Yoritomo assassinated his uncle Yukiiye and all Yukiiye’s family.

Yoritomo also had a problem with his brother Yoshitsune. While Yoritomo had better birth than Yoshitsune (Yoritomo’s mother was a daughter of a shrine official and Yoshitsune’s was a servant), Yoshitsune was a war hero. Yoritomo set up a rule that no samurai could receive gifts or honors without his approval. Go-Shirakawa offered Yoshitsune the position of provincial governor and Yoshitsune accepted without Yoritomo’s approval. Yoritomo used this as an excuse to punish Yoshitsune. He pursued Yoshitsune who eventually was killed in 1189. In 1193, he assassinated his brother Noriyori.

He became close to the emperor and received several awards. Go-Shirakawa bestowed upon Yoritomo 5th court rank, granted Yoritomo the authority to collect the commissariat tax (the hyoro-mai or levy contribution of rice), and gave him the title of Nairan. Emperor Go-Toba commissioned Yoritomo Sei-i Tai Shogun.

In 1190 Yoritomo took up residence in his Rokuhara mansion in Kyoto, the former headquarters of the Taira clan.

Yoritomo was instrumental in creating a special culture for the warrior class. He enlisted the Buddhist monk Eisai, who brought the Rinzai sect (Zen) to Kamakura, which was a favorite of the samurai. He also set an example of shudo with his relation with Yoshinao, a young officer of the Imperial Guard.

Yoritomo and his wife Hōjō Masako had several children. After his death, his first son, Minamoto no Yoriie, started to rule, but Yoriie preferred his wife’s family to the Hōjō. Masako and father killed Yoriie’s wife’s family. Yoriie abdicated and died soon after. His second son, Minamoto no Sanetomo became shogun; however, Yoriie’s son killed Sanetomo and then was executed. Thus ended Yoritomo’s line and power passed to Masako’s family, the Hōjō.