Minamoto

Ancient Japanese clan, the members of which were the first ruling shoguns 1192-1219. Their government was based in Kamakura, near present-day Tokyo. After the death of the first shogun, Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199), the real power was exercised by the regent for the shogun; throughout the Kamakura period (1192-1333), the regents were of the Hōjō family, a branch of the Taira.

The Minamoto claimed descent from a 9th-century emperor. Minamoto Yoriyoshi (988-1075) was a warlord who built up a power base in the Kanto region when appointed by the court to put down a rebellion there. During the 11th and 12th centuries the Minamoto and the Taira were rivals for power at the court and in the country. The Minamoto emerged victorious in 1185 and Yoritomo received the patent of shogun 1192. Zen teaching and Buddhist sculpture flourished during their shogunate.