Samurai ascended to power during Japan’s Kamakura period (1185–1333). With Bushido’s origins, Zen discipline, and their tachi blades, they weren’t just warriors—they were rulers shaping a nation. Explore their epic legacy: https://vikingsvssamurai.com/the-samurai-of-the-kamakura-period-a-defining-era-of-warriors/
#SamuraiLife #KamakuraPeriod #Bushido #WarriorCulture
A condominium development project near the site of a historic 13th-century shogun's office has sparked controversy in a popular Japanese tourist destination. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/06/japan/kamakura-development-project/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #kamakura #kamakuraperiod
Development project at historic Kamakura site raises concerns

Citizens and history researchers are urging authorities to halt construction, expressing concerns that valuable relics may be buried beneath the site.

The Japan Times
The emperor and the shogun: A power struggle across the centuries

For imperial loyalists of the late Edo Period, the experiences of Emperor Go-Daigo from five centuries past were an inspiration — and a warning.

The Japan Times
A power-hungry emperor and a literary monk offer different frames for understanding the end of the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/15/japan/history/kenko-emperor-go-daigo/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #history #godaigo #kamakuraperiod #yoshidakenko #kenko #bakufu
Divine authority and mortal desires in the turbulent 14th century

The literary monk Kenko yearned for an “uncontaminated world,” even during the tumultuous rule of Emperor Go-Daigo, who toppled the shogunate and consolidated imperial power.

The Japan Times
Warlord for the ZX81

YouTube

"Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Tenjin Shrine," Unknown Artist, late 13th century.

This scroll painting, from the Kamakura period, depicts a scene from the legendary life of the Shinto deity Tenjin, who originally was a poet, scholar, and statesman named Sugawara Michizane (845–903), who was slandered at court and died in exile.

Various natural disasters occurred after his death, which in Shinto belief indicates a restless and wronged spirit. In 942 his spirit somehow indicated he wanted to be honored at a shrine in Kyoto, where he was deified as Tenjin, a god of agriculture and a patron of the wrongfully accused. His worship later declared him a patron of literature and music.

This scroll shows how a dragon came out of the body of the minister who slandered Michizane, and declared he was wrongfully accused. The minister then dropped dead.

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

#Art #JapaneseArt #AsianArt #Shinto #UnknownArtist #KamakuraPeriod

The writings of the monks Eisai and Dogen sought to determine the proper way to live on this Earth, in harmony with the Way. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/05/17/japan/history/joy-zen-japanese-history/ #japan #history #zenbuddhism #dogen #eisai #kamakuraperiod
The joy of Zen — Part 1: Prose

The writings of the monks Eisai and Dogen sought to determine the proper way to live on this Earth, in harmony with the Way.

The Japan Times
The Mongol invasions of Japan took place in 1274 and 1281 CE when Kublai Khan (r. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1415/the-mongol-invasions-of-japan-1274--1281-ce/ #History #Hachiman #KamakuraPeriod #KublaiKhan
The Mongol Invasions of Japan, 1274 & 1281 CE

The Mongol invasions of Japan took place in 1274 and 1281 CE when Kublai Khan (r. 1260-1294 CE) sent two huge fleets from Korea and China. In both cases, the Japanese, and especially the samurai warriors...

World History Encyclopedia
How (and why) to enjoy a 700-year-old painting of Buddhist suffering

A Kamakura Period depiction of Buddha’s death, on view at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, is surprisingly relatable even today.

The Japan Times
The Genpei War (1180-1185 CE), also known as the Taira-Minamoto War, was a conflict in Japan principally between two rival clans: the Minamoto and Taira, for control of the imperial throne. https://www.worldhistory.org/Genpei_War/ #History #GenpeiWar #HeianPeriod #KamakuraPeriod
Genpei War

The Genpei War (1180-1185 CE), also known as the Taira-Minamoto War, was a conflict in Japan principally between two rival clans: the Minamoto and Taira, for control of the imperial throne. The civil...

World History Encyclopedia