Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199) "SAMURAI SHOGUN" Hand-Painted Vintage Japanese KAKEJIKU Scroll Condition: used; Weight: 409 g; Size: 201×54.5 cm; Age: 1900-1950; He is most likely Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the first shogun of Japan who established the Kamakura shogunate. He is often depicted with a bow and arrows, symbolizing the martial spirit of the samurai. The reason his upper body looks large and his lower body small is due to a traditional Japanese painting style that emphasizes authority and dignity, rather than realistic proportions. REFERENCES: Kamakura shogunate (1185–1333). Further information: Kamakura shogunate and Kamakura period Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun (1192–1199) of the Kamakura shogunate. There are various theories as to the year in which the Kamakura period and Kamakura shogunate began. In the past, the most popular theory was that the year was 1192, when Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed sei-i taishōgun (征夷大将軍). Later, the prevailing theory was that the year was 1185, when Yoritomo established the shugo (守護), which controlled military and police power in various regions, and the jitō (地頭), which was in charge of tax collection and land administration. Japanese history textbooks as of 2016 do not specify a specific year for the beginning of the Kamakura period, as there are various theories about the year the Kamakura shogunate was established.[53] Minamoto no Yoritomo seized power from the central government and aristocracy and by 1192 established a feudal system based in Kamakura in which the private military, the samurai, gained some political powers while the Emperor and the aristocracy remained the de jure rulers.[54][55] In 1192, Yoritomo was awarded the title of sei-i taishōgun by Emperor Go-Toba and the political system he developed with a succession of shoguns as the head became known as a shogunate. Hojo Masako's (Yoritomo's wife) family, the Hōjō, seized power from the Kamakura shoguns.[56] In 1199, Yoritomo died suddenly at the age of 53, and the 18-year-old Minamoto no Yoriie took over as second shogun. To support the young Yoriie, the decisions of the shogunate were made by a 13-man council, including Hojo Tokimasa and his son Hojo Yoshitoki, but this was effectively dismantled shortly afterwards when one of the key members lost his political position and two others died of illness.[57][58] REFERENCES: Shogun (将軍, shōgun; English: /ˈʃoʊ.ɡʌn/ SHOH-gun,[1] Japanese: [ɕoː.ɡɯɴ, -ŋɯɴ] ⓘ[2]), officially seii taishōgun (征夷大将軍; Japanese: [seꜜi.i | tai.ɕo(ꜜ)ː.ɡɯɴ, seꜜː-, -ŋɯɴ][2] lit. 'Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force Against the Barbarians'),[3] was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868.[4] Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country,[5] except during parts of the Kamakura period and Sengoku period when the shoguns themselves were figureheads, with real power in the hands of the shikken (執権) of the Hōjō clan and kanrei (管領) of the Hosokawa clan. In addition, Taira no Kiyomori and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were leaders of the warrior class who did not hold the position of shogun, the highest office of the warrior class, yet gained the positions of daijō-daijin (太政大臣, Chancellor of the Realm) and kampaku (関白, Imperial Regent), the highest offices of the aristocratic class. As such, they ran their governments as its de facto rulers.[6][7][8] The office of shogun was in practice hereditary, although over the course of the history of Japan several different clans held the position. The title was originally held by military commanders during the Heian period in the eighth and ninth centuries. When Minamoto no Yoritomo gained political ascendency over Japan in 1185, the title was revived to regularize his position, making him the first shogun in the usually understood sense.