The Kamakura Minamoto was a Japanese samurai clan from southern Central Honshu, with their capital at Kamakura, Sagami Province. They were a part of the proud Minamoto clan of central Japan, and were warriors. Allied with the Kiso Minamoto, they took over most of Japan both militarily and diplomatically, and they established the Kamakura Shogunate when all of Japan was conquered.
History[]
The Kamakura branch of the Minamoto was first led by Minamoto Yoritomo, who took over the southern half of the Minamoto realm, while his cousin Minamoto Yoshinaka controlled the northern Kiso Minamoto realm. With their capital at Kamakura in Sagami Province, the Kamakura Minamoto clan was powerful in its warriors and was obscure at the time of the Taira resurgence in power in 1175. That year, Yoritomo began his campaigning by conquering the Edo clan of nearby, and they proceeded to take over the lands of the Yuki in winter. Proving his skills, Yoritomo began to branch out and take over the weaker clans while avoiding contact with the major families. He fought a series of proxy wars with Fujiwara and Taira affiliates and by 1180 was firmly planted in southern Japan.
In 1180 the Genpei War began with the Taira, and the Minamoto fought mainly on their western front against Taira Kiyomori's Fukuhara Taira clan while Yoritomo held off the chance of a Fujiwara invasion southwards. Minamoto Mitsunao and his army defeated both the Taira and their Ouchi and Kobayakawa allies, in addition to other clans. An invasion of Shikoku captured Awaji Island for the Minamoto, but their navy was sunk carrying Minamoto Yoshitsune's army to the main island.
During the course of the 1180s, the Yashima Taira lost virtually all of their land except for Awa Province on Shikoku and a small piece of land in Chugoku. The Minamoto also captured Kyoto with the aid of the Ishikawa clan, who became their allies, and they established allies or vassals in nearly every surrounding clan or one that they liberated. By 1190 they had also humbed the Fujiwara and made peace with the Fukuahara Taira after their rebellion captured a province of theirs. In that year, the Emperor Go-Toba declared the Minamoto enemies of the state and many of the Minamoto clan's sister clans and vassals betrayed them and invaded their realm. The "Kenkyu War", named for the Kenkyu Period of 1190 (when the war started) to 1199, was a costly war that saw much destruction and bloodshed within only a few years after the Genpei War. The Kamakura Minamoto had made the mistake of making most of Japan their vassals or allies, so they had little fully-controlled provinces. Weakened by the desertion of their allies monthly, the Kamakura Minamoto suffered heavy losses, although putting up a good fight.
