Kanzen - the Heian period
The establishment of the bakufu by Minamoto Yoritomo was the single most tranformative event of early Japan. The bakufu , or "tent government" (because soldiers lived in tents), was more or less a military government. It primarily functioned as a separate government concerned primarily with military and police matters. The Emperor's government in Kyoto continued to function as before: the court still appointed civil governors, collected taxes, and exercised complete control in the area surrounding the capital.
The real power of the state, however, became more concentrated in the hands of the Kamakura shogun. The term comes from the title that Minamoto Yoritomo demanded when he defeated the Taira: Sei i tai shogun , "barbarian conquering supreme general." The shogun, and the military government beneath him, really did not control much of Japan. For all practical purposes, the provinces of Japan were independent even though local lords (daimyo) swore allegiance to the shogun.
The shogunate, however, did not remain in Minamoto hands for very long. When Yoritomo died in 1199, his widow, from the clan of the Hojo, usurped power from the Minamoto clan. She was a Buddhist nun, so she was known as the "Nun Shogun." She displaced the son who had inherited from his father and installed another son, who was soon assassinated. From that point onwards, the Hojo clan ruled the bakufu while the Minamoto nominally occupied the position of shogun. The relationship between the bakufu and the imperial government had never been very friendly; in 1221, the imperial court led an uprising against the bakufu , but failed. By this point, however, the ideology of loyalty had become fully ingrained in the bakufu structure; the imperial court had little luck persuading people to break that loyalty.
Our story takes place right in the middle of the bakufu; between 1221 and 1281. There are small wars breaking out all over the place and the mystic creatures have been jostled up by ancient secrets bubbling to the surface once more.
travel back in time : Kanzen
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