Minamoto no Yoritomo

Reign: 1192 – 1199
Life: 1147–1199

He was married to Hōjō Masako, who acted as regent (shikken) after his death. The early 11th-century text Mutsu Waki 陸奥話記 says Yoritomo is an incarnation of the god of the north Bishamonten. After successfully maneuvering himself to the position of rightful heir of the Minamoto clan, he led his clan against the Taira from his capital in Kamakura, beginning the Genpei War in 1180. After five years of civil war, the Minamoto clan finally defeated the Taira in the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. Yoritomo established the supremacy of the samurai caste and the first shogunate (bakufu) which was to be centered around Kamakura, thus beginning the feudal age in Japan, which lasted until the 19th century.

During Minamoto no Yoritomo's reign, Richard I of England ruled England, Alfonso VIII of Castile ruled Spain, and Sancho I of Portugal ruled Portugal.

Further reading: Yoritomo and the Founding of the First Bakufu by Jeffrey P. Mass

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Minamoto no Yoritomo

The World During Their Reign

Meanwhile in history

Further Reading

Yoritomo and the Founding of the First Bakufu