History of Japan
Kinkaku-ji
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The Muromachi period (室町時代, Muromachi jidai^?, also known as the Muromachi era, the Ashikaga era, or the Ashikaga period) is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1337 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi bakufu　or Ashikaga bakufu), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration (1333–1336) of imperial rule was brought to a close. The period ended in 1573 when the 15th and last shogun of this line, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, was driven out of the capital in Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga.

From a cultural perspective, the period can be divided into the Kitayama and Higashiyama periods (later 15th - early 16th).

The early years from 1336 to 1392 of the Muromachi period are known as the Nanboku-chō or Northern and Southern Court period. This period is marked by the continued resistance of the supporters of Emperor Go-Daigo, the emperor behind the Kemmu restoration. The years from 1465 to the end of the Muromachi period are also known as the Sengoku period or Warring States period.

Ashikaga bakufu [link]

Emperor Go-Daigo's brief Kemmu restoration for various reasons disappointed the samurai class. Ashikaga Takauji obtained the samurais' strong support, and deposed Emperor Go-Daigo. In 1338 Takauji was proclaimed shogun and established his government in Kyoto. However, Emperor Godaigo escaped from his confinement, and revived his political power in Nara. The ensuing period of Ashikaga rule (1336–1573) was called Muromachi from the district of Kyoto in which its headquarters were located by third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1378. What distinguished the Ashikaga bakufu from that of Kamakura Bakufu was that, whereas Kamakura had existed in equilibrium with the Kyōto court, Ashikaga took over the remnants of the imperial government. Nevertheless, the Ashikaga bakufu was not as strong as that in Kamakura had been, and was greatly preoccupied with civil war. Not until the rule of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (as third shogun, 1368–94, and chancellor, 1394–1408) did a semblance of order emerge.

Muromachi samurai (1538)

Yoshimitsu allowed the constables, who had had limited powers during the Kamakura period, to become strong regional rulers, later called daimyō. In time, a balance of power evolved between the shogun and the daimyō; the three most prominent daimyō families rotated as deputies to the shogun at Kyoto. Yoshimitsu was finally successful in reunifying the Northern Court and the Southern Court in 1392, but, despite his promise of greater balance between the imperial lines, the Northern Court maintained control over the throne thereafter. The line of shoguns gradually weakened after Yoshimitsu and increasingly lost power to the daimyō and other regional strongmen. The shogun's influence on imperial succession waned, and the daimyō could back their own candidates. In time, the Ashikaga family had its own succession problems, resulting finally in the Ōnin War (1467–1477), which left Kyoto devastated and effectively ended the national authority of the bakufu. The power vacuum that ensued launched a century of anarchy (see Provincial Wars and Foreign Contacts).

Economic and cultural developments [link]

A ship of the Muromachi period (1538).

Contact with the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) China was renewed during the Muromachi period after the Chinese sought support in suppressing Japanese pirates in coastal areas of China. Japanese pirates of this era and region were referred to as wokou, by the Chinese (Japanese wakō). Wanting to improve relations with China and to rid Japan of the wokou threat, Yoshimitsu accepted a relationship with the Chinese that was to last for half a century. In 1401 he restarted the tribute system, describing himself in a letter to the Chinese Emperor as "Your subject, the King of Japan". Japanese wood, sulfur, copper ore, swords, and folding fans were traded for Chinese silk, porcelain, books, and coins, in what the Chinese considered tribute but the Japanese saw as profitable trade.^{[citation needed]}

During the time of the Ashikaga bakufu, a new national culture, called Muromachi culture, emerged from the bakufu headquarters in Kyoto to reach all levels of society. Zen Buddhism played a large role in spreading not only religious but also artistic influences, especially those derived from painting of the Chinese Song (960-1279), Yuan, and Ming dynasties. The proximity of the imperial court to the bakufu resulted in a commingling of imperial family members, courtiers, daimyō, samurai, and Zen priests. Art of all kinds—architecture, literature, Noh drama, comedy, poetry, the tea ceremony, landscape gardening, and flower arranging—all flourished during Muromachi times.

Shintoism [link]

Music scene during the Muromachi period (1538).

There also was renewed interest in Shinto, which had quietly coexisted with Buddhism during the centuries of the latter's predominance. In fact, Shinto, which lacked its own scriptures and had few prayers, had, as a result of syncretic practices begun in the Nara period, widely adopted Shingon Buddhist rituals. Between the eighth and fourteenth centuries, Shintoism was nearly totally absorbed by Buddhism, becoming known as Ryōbu Shinto (Dual Shinto). The Mongol invasions in the late thirteenth century, however, evoked a national consciousness of the role of the kamikaze in defeating the enemy. Less than fifty years later (1339–43), Kitabatake Chikafusa (1293–1354), the chief commander of the Southern Court forces, wrote the Jinnō Shōtōki. This chronicle emphasized the importance of maintaining the divine descent of the imperial line from Amaterasu to the current emperor, a condition that gave Japan a special national polity (kokutai). Besides reinforcing the concept of the emperor as a deity, the Jinnōshōtōki provided a Shinto view of history, which stressed the divine nature of all Japanese and the country's spiritual supremacy over China and India. As a result, a change gradually occurred in the balance between the dual Buddhist–Shinto religious practice. Between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, Shinto reemerged as the primary belief system, developed its own philosophy and scripture (based on Confucian and Buddhist canons), and became a powerful nationalistic force.

Provincial wars and foreign contacts [link]

The Ōnin War (1467–1477) led to serious political fragmentation and obliteration of domains: a great struggle for land and power ensued among bushi chieftains and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century. Peasants rose against their landlords and samurai against their overlords as central control virtually disappeared. The imperial house was left impoverished, and the bakufu was controlled by contending chieftains in Kyoto. The provincial domains that emerged after the Ōnin War were smaller and easier to control. Many new small daimyō arose from among the samurai who had overthrown their great overlords. Border defenses were improved, and well fortified castle towns were built to protect the newly opened domains, for which land surveys were made, roads built, and mines opened. New house laws provided practical means of administration, stressing duties and rules of behavior. Emphasis was put on success in war, estate management, and finance. Threatening alliances were guarded against through strict marriage rules. Aristocratic society was overwhelmingly military in character. The rest of society was controlled in a system of vassalage. The shōen (feudal manors) were obliterated, and court nobles and absentee landlords were dispossessed. The new daimyō directly controlled the land, keeping the peasantry in permanent serfdom in exchange for protection.

Economic effect of wars between states [link]

Most wars of the period were short and localized, although they occurred throughout Japan. By 1500 the entire country was engulfed in civil wars. Rather than disrupting the local economies, however, the frequent movement of armies stimulated the growth of transportation and communications, which in turn provided additional revenues from customs and tolls. To avoid such fees, commerce shifted to the central region, which no daimyō had been able to control, and to the Inland Sea. Economic developments and the desire to protect trade achievements brought about the establishment of merchant and artisan guilds.

Western influence [link]

Nanban ships arriving for trade in Japan. 16th century painting.

By the end of the Muromachi period, the first Europeans had arrived. The Portuguese landed in southern Kyūshū in 1543 and within two years were making regular port calls, initiating the century-long Nanban trade period. The Spanish arrived in 1587, followed by the Dutch in 1609. The Japanese began to attempt studies of European civilization in depth, and new opportunities were presented for the economy, along with serious political challenges. European firearms, fabrics, glassware, clocks, tobacco, and other Western innovations were traded for Japanese gold and silver. Significant wealth was accumulated through trade, and lesser daimyō, especially in Kyūshū, greatly increased their power. Provincial wars became more deadly with the introduction of firearms, such as muskets and cannons, and greater use of infantry.

Christianity [link]

A Japanese votive altar, Nanban style. End of 16th century. Guimet Museum.

Christianity had an impact on Japan, largely through the efforts of the Jesuits, led first by the Navarrese Saint Francis Xavier (1506–1552), who arrived in Kagoshima in southern Kyūshū in 1549. Both daimyō and merchants seeking better trade arrangements as well as peasants were among the converts. By 1560 Kyoto had become another major area of missionary activity in Japan. In 1568 the port of Nagasaki, in northwestern Kyūshū, was established by a Christian daimyō and was turned over to Jesuit administration in 1579. By 1582 there were as many as 150,000 converts (two per cent of the population) and 200 churches. But bakufu tolerance for this alien influence diminished as the country became more unified and openness decreased. Proscriptions against Christianity began in 1587 and outright persecutions in 1597. Although foreign trade was still encouraged, it was closely regulated, and by 1640 the exclusion and suppression of Christianity had become national policy (see Tokugawa Period, 1600–1867, this ch.; Religious and Philosophical Traditions, ch. 2).

Events [link]

• 1336: Ashikaga Takauji captures Kyoto and forces Emperor Go-Daigo to move to a southern court (Yoshino, south of Kyoto)
• 1338: Ashikaga Takauji declares himself shogun, moves his capital into the Muromachi district of Kyoto and supports the northern court
• 1392: The southern court surrenders to shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and the empire is unified again
• 1397: Kinkaku-ji is built by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

Ryōan-ji Karesansui

• 1450: Ryōan-ji is built by Hosokawa Katsumoto.
• 1467: The Ōnin War is split among feudal lords (daimyō)
• 1489: Ginkaku-ji is built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa
• 1542: Firearms are introduced by a shipwrecked Portuguese
• 1546: Hōjō Ujiyasu who had won the Battle of Kawagoe becomes ruler of the Kantō region
• 1549: The Catholic missionary Francis Xavier arrived in Japan
• 1555: Mōri Motonari, who had won the Battle of Miyajima, becomes ruler of the Chūgoku region
• 1560: Battle of Okehazama
• 1568: The daimyō Oda Nobunaga enters Kyoto and ends the civil war
• 1570: The Archbishopric of Edo is established and the first Japanese Jesuits are ordained
• 1570: Battle of Anegawa
• 1573: The daimyō Oda Nobunaga overthrows the Muromachi bakufu and extends his control over all of Japan
• 1573: Battle of Mikatagahara
• 1575: Battle of Nagashino

See also [link]

• Kitayama period
• Higashiyama period
• Nyōbō kotoba

References [link]

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies. - Japan

v t e Shoguns of the Ashikaga shogunate -- Chronology, Dates, Paternity Related topics: Muromachi period - Hana no Gosho - Ashikaga clan - Seii Taishogun 1st Takauji • (b. 1305 - 1358) • (r. 1338 - 1358) • son of Sadauji 2nd Yoshiakira • (b. 1330 - 1368) • (r. 1358 - 1367) • son of Takauji 3rd Yoshimitsu • (b. 1358 - 1408) • (r. 1367 -1395) • son of Yoshiakira 4th Yoshimochi • (b. 1386 - 1428) • (r. 1395 -1423) • son of Yoshimitsu 5th Yoshikazu • (b. 1407 - 1425) • (r. 1423 -1425) • son of Yoshimochi 6th Yoshinori • (b. 1394 - 1441) • (r. 1428 - 1441) • son of Yoshimitsu 7th Yoshikatsu • (b. 1433 - 1443) • (r. 1442 - 1443) • son of Yoshinori 8th Yoshimasa • (b. 1435 - 1490) • (r. 1449 - 1474) • son of Yoshinori 9th Yoshihisa • (b. 1465 - 1489) • (r. 1474 - 1489) • son of Yoshimasa 10th Yoshitane • (b. 1465 - 1522) • (r. 1490 -1493), (r. 1508 -1521) • son of Yoshimi 11th Yoshizumi • (b. 1478 - 1513) • (r. 1493 - 1508) • son of Masatomo 12th Yoshiharu • (b. 1510 - 1550) • (r. 1521 - 1545) • son of Yoshizumi 13th Yoshiteru • (b. 1535 - 1565) • (r. 1545 - 1565) • son of Yoshiharu 14th Yosihide • (b. 1538 -1568) • (r. 1564 - 1568) • son of Yoshitsuna 15th Yoshiaki • (b. 1537 - 1597) • (r. 1568 -1573) • son of Yoshiharu

Go-Shirakawa
Emperor of Japan
Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Reign	1155–1158
Born	October 18, 1125
Died	April 26, 1192 (aged 66)
Buried	Hōjū-ji no Misasagi (Kyoto)
Predecessor	Konoe
Successor	Nijō
Consort	Fujiwara no Kinshi

Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇 Go-Shirakawa-tennō) (October 18, 1127 – April 26, 1192) was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158.^[1]

This 12th century sovereign was named after the 11th century Emperor Shirakawa and go- (後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he is sometimes called the "Later Emperor Shirakawa". The Japanese word "go" has also been translated to mean the "second one;" and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Shirakawa, the second," or as "Shirakawa II."

Genealogy [link]

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his imina)^[2] was Masahito-shinnō (雅仁親王).^[3]

He was the fourth son of Emperor Toba.^[4] His mother was Shōko (璋子), the daughter of Fujiwara Kinzane (藤原公実)
Major consorts and children

• Empress (chūgū): Tokudaiji (Fujiwara) ??
• Consort (shinnō-hi): Minamoto Atsushiko (?) (源懿子)
  • First son: Imperial Prince Morihito (守仁親王) (Emperor Nijō)
• Court Lady: Sanjō (Fujiwara) Sōko (?) (三条（藤原）琮子)
• Court Lady: Taira no Shigeko (平滋子)
  • Seventh son: Imperial Prince Norihito (憲仁親王) (Emperor Takakura)
• Consort: Fujiwara Naruko ?? (藤原成子)
  • Third son: Prince Mochihito (以仁王)

Events of Go-Shirakawa's life[link]

• August 22, 1155 (Kyūju 2, 23rd day of the 7th month): Emperor Konoe died at the age of 17 years without leaving any heirs.^[5]

• August 23, 1155 (Kyūju 2, 24th day of the 7th month): In the 14th year of Konoe-tennō 's reign (近衛天皇14年), the emperor died; and despite an ensuring dispute over who should follow him as sovereign, contemporary scholars then construed that the succession (senso) was received by a younger brother, the 14th son of former-Emperor Toba. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Go-Shirakawa is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui).^[6]

He accumulated power steadily after the Hōgen Rebellion; his reign commenced in 1155. In 1158, he abdicated, but continued to hold power as a cloistered emperor. He attempted to decrease the influence of the Fujiwara clan and increased the power of the samurai. His policy allowed Taira no Kiyomori to seize power, and at the end of his life he allowed Minamoto no Yoritomo to establish the Kamakura shogunate in Kamakura, in the province of Sagami, modern-day Kanagawa. The establishment of the Shogunate (or Bakufu) was the beginning of samurai control of Japan for 700 years until the Meiji Restoration in the middle of the 19th century.

Retired Emperor Toba expected him to be on the throne. When his brother, Emperor Konoe, died in 1155, Go-Shirakawa became emperor with support of Toba and a powerful lord Fujiwara no Tadamichi, since they were against Retired Emperor Sutoku and did not want his son to be the next emperor. They expected Go-Shirakawa to keep the throne until his son, the future Emperor Nijō would be old enough succeed him. The coronation of Go-Shirakawa made the political tension between Toba and Sutoku stronger. At the beginning of Go-Shirakawa's reign Toba continued to reign as a cloistered emperor until his death.

• July 20, 1156 (Hōgen 1, 2nd day of the 7th month): The former-Emperor Toba died at the age of 54.^[7]

In 1156 Toba died and soon afterwards the Hōgen Rebellion arose. Go-Shirakawa gained the support of samurai including Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Taira no Kiyomori, and they defeated the armies of Sutoku. After the rebellion, Go-Shirakawa ruled Japan by himself.

Emperor Go-Shirakawa's retirement was complicated by a bit of unwanted drama in 1159.

In 1158 he abdicated to his son Nijō and became cloistered emperor, through the reigns of five emperors (Emperor Nijō, Emperor Rokujō, Emperor Takakura, Emperor Antoku, and Emperor Go-Toba) until his death in 1192.

Taira no Kiyomori and Go-Shirakawa were on good terms initially. Kiyomori began trade with China and supported Go-Shirakawa, not just militarily but also financially. Two samurai clans, the Taira and the Minamoto, stood against each other, and the Heiji Rebellion occurred in 1159.

• 1169 (Kaō 1, 6th month): Emperor Go-Shirakawa entered the Buddhist priesthood at the age of 42. He took the Buddhist name of Gyōshin.^[8]

The Minamoto lost and the Taira seized power. With Kiyomori's power at its peak, the good relationship between Kiyomori and Go-Shirakawa ended. Go-Shirakawa attempted a coup d'état to expel Kiyomori in 1177 but failed. Kiyomori forced Go-Shirakawa to stay in Toba-in, the former palace of his father, Emperor Toba, in 1179. In 1178 Kiyomori made Imperial Prince Tokihito crown prince. Tokihito was his grandson, the child of Emperor Takakura and empress consort Taira no Tokuko, who was a daughter of Kiyomori.

Go-Shirakawa planned to regain power, and secretly sent his son Prince Mochihito to deliver a message to the Minamoto in which Go-Shirakawa proclaimed the Taira as the enemy of the court and requested that the Minamotos fight against them. In 1180 Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa started the first rebellion. It failed, but several other samurai followed their attempt. In 1181 Kiyomori died and the decline of the Taira began. Go-Shirakawa began ruling again as cloistered emperor. In 1183 Minamoto no Yoshinaka from Musashi province defeated the Taira and entered Kyōto. After internal struggles within the Minamoto clan, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a brother of Yoritomo finally destroyed the Taira clan entirely in 1185 at the Battle of Dan-no-ura.

Go-Shirakawa came to bad terms with Yoritomo, and between them Yoshitsune was sacrificed. Yoritomo considered Yoshitsune disloyal to him and finally in 1189 Yoshitsune died in the battle of Mutsu province. At the same time the Ōshū Fujiwara clan, the Fujiwara clan in Mutsu province, was destroyed because they supported Yoshitsune against Yoritomo, who claimed then the title of chief of all samurai. After the death of Yoshitsune, Go-Shirakawa and Yoritomo reconciled and Go-Shirakawa allowed Yoritomo found a new shogunate.

Tomb of Emperor Go-Shirakawa in Kyoto

• 1192 (Kenkyū 3, 13th day of the 3rd month): The former-Emperor Go-Shirakawa died at the age of 66.^[9] He had been father or grandfather to five emperors—Nijō, the 78th emperor; Rokujō, the 79th emperor; Takakura, the 80th emperor; Antoku, the 81st emperor; and Go-Toba, the 82nd emperor.^[10]

The Imperial Household has designated Hōjū-ji no Misasagi at Kyoto as the emperor's official mausoleum.^[11]

[edit] Kugyō

Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras.

In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Go-Shirakawa's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:

• Kampaku, Fujiwara Tadamichi, 1099–1164.^[5]
• Daijō-daijin, Sanjō Saneyuki, 1079–1162.^[5]
• Sadaijin, Fujiwara Yorinaga, 1120–1156.^[5]
• Udaijin
• Nadaijin
• Dainagon

Eras of Go-Shirakawa's reign[link]

The years of Go-Shirakawa's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.^[12]

• Kyūju (1154–1156)
• Hōgen (1156–1159)

See also[link]

• Emperor of Japan
• List of Emperors of Japan
• Imperial cult

Notes[link]

Japanese Imperial kamon — a stylized chrysanthemum blossom

References[link]

• Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). Gukanshō: The Future and the Past. Berkeley: University of California Press. 10-ISBN 0-520-03460-0; 13-ISBN 978-0-520-03460-0; OCLC 251325323
• Helmolt, Hans Ferdinand and James Bryce Bryce. (1907). The World's History: A Survey of Man's Progress. Vol. 2. London: William Heinemann.OCLC 20279012
• Kitagawa, Hiroshi and Burce T. Tsuchida, ed. (1975). The Tale of the Heike. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press. ISBN 0-86008-128-1 OCLC 164803926
• Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC 194887
• Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691
• Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns. New York: Columbia University Press. 10-ISBN 0-231-04940-4; 13-ISBN 978-0-231-04940-5; OCLC 59145842

v t e Monarchs of Japan (List) Family Tree Imperial House Legendary period Jimmu Suizei Annei Itoku Kōshō Kōan Kōrei Kōgen Kaika Sujin Suinin Keikō Seimu Chūai Jingū♀ Kofun period Ōjin Nintoku Richū Hanzei Ingyō Ankō Yūryaku Seinei Kenzō Ninken Buretsu Keitai Ankan Senka Asuka period (552–710) Kinmei Bidatsu Yōmei Sushun Suiko♀ Jomei Kōgyoku♀ Kōtoku Saimei♀ Tenji Kōbun Tenmu Jitō♀ Monmu Genmei♀ Nara period (710–794) Genmei♀ Genshō♀ Shōmu Kōken♀ Junnin Shōtoku♀ Kōnin Kammu Heian period (794–1185) Kammu Heizei Saga Junna Ninmyō Montoku Seiwa Yōzei Kōkō Uda Daigo Suzaku Murakami Reizei En'yū Kazan Ichijō Sanjō Go-Ichijō Go-Suzaku Go-Reizei Go-Sanjō Shirakawa Horikawa Toba Sutoku Konoe Go-Shirakawa Nijō Rokujō Takakura Antoku Go-Toba Kamakura period (1185–1333) Tsuchimikado Juntoku Chūkyō Go-Horikawa Shijō Go-Saga Go-Fukakusa Kameyama Go-Uda Fushimi Go-Fushimi Go-Nijō Hanazono Go-Daigo Northern Court (1333–1392) Kōgon Kōmyō Sukō Go-Kōgon Go-En'yū Go-Komatsu Muromachi period (1333–1573) Go-Murakami Chōkei Go-Kameyama Go-Komatsu Shōkō Go-Hanazono Go-Tsuchimikado Go-Kashiwabara Go-Nara Ōgimachi Momoyama period (1573–1603) Ōgimachi Go-Yōzei Edo period (1603–1868) Go-Yōzei Go-Mizunoo Meishō♀ Go-Kōmyō Go-Sai Reigen Higashiyama Nakamikado Sakuramachi Momozono Go-Sakuramachi♀ Go-Momozono Kōkaku Ninkō Kōmei Meiji Prewar period (1868–1945) Meiji Taishō Shōwa Postwar period (1945–present) Shōwa Akihito (current) ♀ - Empresses

Fuyuko Matsui (松井冬子, Matsui Fuyoko^?, born January 20, 1974) is a female Japanese artist, specializing in Nihonga paintings with a 'grotesque' or supernatural element. Her art has been widely exhibited in Japan and she has been featured on TV and magazines. She was one of the featured artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo's "Annual 2006" exhibition and at the Yokohama Museum of Art's "Nihonga Painting: Six Provocative Artists" in August 2006. Since then she has been concentrating on graduating from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts & Music.

Despite its often shocking aspects, she claims that her art is part of the tradition of Japanese art going back centuries. For example, her painting "Insane Woman under the Cherry Tree" (2006) is inspired by "Ogress under Willow Tree,” a painting by Soga Shohhaku (1730–1781), the iconoclastic Edo-period painter, who was influenced by the art of the Muromachi Era painter Soga Jasoku (d. 1483).

Part of her interest in the past comes from her background. She grew up in Mori, Shizuoka Prefecture in a house that had been in her family for 14 generations.

External links[link]

• "Fuyuko Matsui official site". http://www.matsuifuyuko.com/. 

• "Young, fresh and traditional Japanese artists". C.B.Liddell. 2006-03-09. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fa20060309a1.html/index.html. 

• "Pinpricks in the Darkness: The Beautiful and Disturbing Art of Fuyuko Matsui". C.B.Liddell. 2007-10-09. http://www.culturekiosque.com/art/interview/fuyuko_matsui.html. 

• "My space of Matsui Fuyuko - a dedicated site". 2008-08-30. http://www.myspace.com/matsuifuyuko. 

Hōjō Tokimune 北条 時宗
8th Shikken
In office 1268 – December 17, 1284
Personal details
Born	June 5, 1251(1251-06-05)
Died	April 20, 1284(1284-04-20) (aged 32)
Spouse(s)	Kakusanni (覚山尼)
Relations	Siblings: Hōjō Tokisuke, Hōjō Munemasa (時輔, 宗政, 宗頼)
Children	Hōjō Sadatoki (北条貞時)
Religion	Shinto
Title	Shikken, Tokuso, Rensho (執権, 得宗, 連署)
Clan name	Heishi, Hōjō Clan, Adachi House (平氏、北条氏, 安達氏)
Given names	Masatoshi, Sagamitaro, Tokimune (正寿, 相模太郎, 時宗)
Posthumous names	Houkouji (宝光寺殿道杲)

Hōjō Tokimune (北条 時宗^?, June 5, 1251 – April 20, 1284) of the Hōjō clan was the eighth shikken (officially regent, but de facto ruler of Japan) of the Kamakura shogunate (reigned 1268–84), known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class.

Life [link]

Born as the eldest son of the regent and Tokuso Tokiyori of the Adachi House, Tokimune was groomed to become the next ruler of Japan, and became a shikken at age 18.

It is due to him that Zen Buddhism became firmly established in Kamakura, then later in Kyoto, and in the whole of Japan, especially among the warrior class.

In 1271, he banished Nichiren to Sado Island.

Defiance of Mongols [link]

The Mongols had sent a threatening letter and emissaries to Japan in January 1268, after discussing the letter, Tokimune decided to have the emissaries sent back with no answer. They resent emissaries time and time again, March 7, 1269, Sept 17, 1269, Sept 1271 and May 1272. But Tokimune had the emissaries of Kubilai Khan driven away, without even permission to land each time. Soon after came the first invasion in 1274. But even after the failed invasion, five emissaries were sent in September 1275 sent to Kyūshū, refusing to leave without reply. Tokimune responded by having them sent to Kamakura and then beheading them.^[1] The graves of 5 executed Mongol emissaries exists to this day in Kamakura at Tatsunokuchi.[2] Then again on July 29, 1279, 5 more emissaries are sent, and again beheaded, this time in Hakata. Expecting an invasion, on Feb 21, 1280, Imperial Court orders all temples and shrines to pray for victory over the Mongol Empire. Kubilai gathered up troops for another invasion in 1281, which again was a failure due to typhoon.

Zen Advice [link]

The Mongol invasion had been stopped by a typhoon (Kamikaze or "divine wind"), and the resistance of the new warrior class known as samurai. Tokimune planned and led the defence. Tokimune wanted to defeat cowardice, so he asked Bukko (his Zen master) for advice. Bukko replied he had to sit in meditation to find the source of his cowardice in himself.

When the Mongols invaded Japan Tokimune went to Bukko and said: "Finally there is the greatest happening of my life." Bukko asked, "How do you plan to face it?" Tokimune shouted "Katsu!" ("Victory!") as if he wanted to scare all the enemies in front of him. Bukko responded with satisfaction: "It is true that the son of a lion roars as a lion!"

When Tokimune died, Bukko said he had been a bodhisattva, looked at people's welfare, betrayed no signs of joy or anger and studied Zen so that he reached enlightenment.

Citations in modern media [link]

NHK's 2001 taiga miniseries named Hōjō Tokimune highlighted the dramatic events just prior to Tokimune's birth and up to his death in 1284. Tokimune was portrayed by Kyogen actor, Motoya Izumi.

References [link]

1. ^ [1]

See also [link]

• Taiheiki
• Mongol invasions of Japan
• Bushido