Guide · Culture
The Kamakura period (1185 to 1333): when warriors took power
From 1185 warriors ran Japan from Kamakura while the emperor stayed in Kyoto. Two Mongol invasions failed, and the shogunate fell in 1333.
The Kamakura period (1185 to 1333) is when warriors took over the running of Japan. The shogun’s government sat in Kamakura, while the emperor stayed in Kyoto. The era also holds two Mongol invasions, in 1274 and 1281, and the wrecks of the invading ships, which archaeologists have found on the seabed.
This page follows the turning points in order, then lists the places you can visit. It sits in the history guide, after the Heian period and before Muromachi and Sengoku.
When was the Kamakura period?
It ran from 1185 or 1192 to 1333. Sources set the start in one of two places: 1185, when Minamoto no Yoritomo won the Genpei War, or 1192, when he was named shogun. The first date marks the military win and the second the title. This page treats the start as 1185 to 1192 and the end as 1333.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1185 | Yoritomo wins the Genpei War and installs military governors and land stewards nationwide |
| 1192 | Yoritomo is named shogun; the government sits in Kamakura |
| 1199 | After Yoritomo's death, the Hojo family holds the regency by inheritance |
| 1274 | First Mongol invasion |
| 1281 | Second Mongol invasion; a typhoon wrecks the fleet |
| 1333 | The shogunate falls |
How did warriors take over?
Yoritomo’s win in 1185 came with a new system. He installed military governors (shugo) and land stewards (jito) across the country, so warrior officials held posts in the provinces.
In 1192 he was named shogun and set up his government in Kamakura. The emperor stayed in Kyoto, so Japan had two centres of power: a court and a warrior government. Who ruled Japan, the emperor or the shogun? covers how the two related.
From 1199, after Yoritomo’s death, the Hojo family held the post of regent (shikken) by inheritance. The shoguns became figureheads, and the regents ran the shogunate.
What happened in 1274 and 1281?
Kublai Khan’s Yuan forces invaded Japan twice, in 1274 and 1281. Typhoons wrecked the invading fleets, and the storms were later called kamikaze. In 1281 the fighting lasted about seven weeks in north-western Kyushu before the storm struck.
Were the Mongol ships ever found?
Yes, on the seabed off Takashima, in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Wait, really? A University of the Ryukyus team confirmed the first Mongol warship there in 2011. A second wreck was reported in 2015, about 200 m off the island’s south coast and about 15 m deep. The team dated it through Chinese pottery from the 12th and 13th centuries.
Timber analysis by R. Sasaki found mixed ship types and origins in the Chinese region, and none confirmed as Korean. Fleet size is quoted from more than 4,000 to about 4,400 ships, depending on the source. These details come from magazine reports of the academic work.
What changed for ordinary people?
Two changes reached farmers and coastal communities.
- Land and farm output: warriors gained rule and land as a class, and local stewards (jito) took a cut of what farms produced.
- Coastal Kyushu: the invasions brought coastal levies and labour on a defence wall, the Genko Borui.
Why did the shogunate fall in 1333?
It fell in 1333, in the event known as the Kenmu Restoration. The strain came from the Mongol wars: the shogunate held its coast, but warriors expected land as a reward and a defensive war left no spoils to hand out.
Three years later, in 1336, Ashikaga Takauji drove Emperor Go-Daigo out of Kyoto. That story opens the Muromachi and Sengoku page.
See it today
Two places carry the story, in different parts of the country, so plan them as separate stops.
- Kamakura is where the shogunate sat from 1192 to 1333, and the Great Buddha at Kotoku-in is the stop with official fees and hours.
- Fukuoka shows what the Mongols faced: the Genko Borui is a line of remains along the coast, free to visit.
The Takashima wrecks lie on the seabed; no visitor access is reported.
| Place | City | What you see | Fee | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kotoku-in | Kamakura | The Great Buddha, with a paid interior | $2 (¥300) adult; $1 (¥150) child 6 to 12; free under 6 | Apr to Sep 08:00 to 17:30; Oct to Mar 08:00 to 17:00; interior to 16:30 |
| Genko Borui | Fukuoka | Remains of the Mongol defence wall at Nishijin, Ikinomatsubara and Imazu | Free | Outdoor site; hours not found |
| Genko museum | Fukuoka | The Genko Historical Museum in East Park | Not found | Not found; check opening status |
| Kenchoji | Kamakura | A Zen temple | Not found | Not found |
Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate.
Kotoku-in sells entry until 15 minutes before closing, and the interior costs under $1 (¥50) extra. Closed days are not stated on its official page. The Hakozaki section of the Genko Borui became a national historic site in 2020, per Fukuoka’s visitor site, and Imazu is the best preserved stretch.
Where next?
- Earlier: Heian. Later: Muromachi and Sengoku.
- The history guide places every era on one timeline.
- Samurai castles and houses covers the warrior sites that survive from later centuries.
- Tokyo, Kamakura and Nikko temples and shrines covers the temples around Kamakura, and the temples and shrines guide lists the main sites with fees and hours.
- The Culture hub holds every culture topic, and the culture guide gives the overview.
Questions
It ran from 1185 or 1192 to 1333. Sources date the start either to 1185, when Minamoto no Yoritomo won the Genpei War, or to 1192, when he was named shogun. The end is 1333, when the shogunate fell.
Two centres held power. The emperor stayed in Kyoto, while the shogun's government sat in Kamakura. After Yoritomo's death in 1199 the Hojo family held the regency (shikken) by inheritance, and the shoguns became figureheads.
Yes, twice. Kublai Khan's Yuan forces attacked in 1274 and 1281, and typhoons wrecked the fleets, storms later called kamikaze. In 1281 the fighting lasted about seven weeks in north-western Kyushu before the storm.
At the Genko Borui in Fukuoka. Remains stand at Nishijin, Ikinomatsubara and Imazu, and Imazu is the best preserved. The sites are free outdoor remains, and the Hakozaki section became a national historic site in 2020.
Kotoku-in charges adults $2 (¥300) and children aged 6 to 12 $1 (¥150), with children under 6 free. Going inside the statue costs under $1 (¥50) extra. These are the temple's own figures.