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Siege of Kamakura (1333)
Encyclopedia
The 1333 siege of Kamakura was a battle of the Genkō War
, and marked the end of the power of the Hōjō clan
, which had dominated the regency
of the Kamakura shogunate
for over a century. Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo
and led by Nitta Yoshisada
entered the city from multiple directions and destroyed it; in the end, the Hōjō leaders retreated to Tōshō-ji
, the Hōjō family temple
, where they committed suicide with the rest of the clan.
before reaching the outskirts of Kamakura
. After the Battle of Bubaigawara
ended two days prior, the Hōjō forces rushed back to Kamakura to consolidate defenses. Nitta aggressively pursued and divided his forces into three prongs, thus completely surrounding the landward sides of the city. Only the seaward side, which was fortified by Hōjō ships, remained open.
), each with guarded checkpoints. Nitta Yoshisada attacked from the east and the north through the Gokuraku Pass, the Kewaizaka Pass and the Kamegayatsu Pass, dividing his forces in three. However, after many hours of fighting, little progress had been made towards the city, particularly on the western passes near Gokuraku-ji
, which was guarded with rows upon rows of wooden shielding. Nitta realized the Gokuraku-ji could be bypassed by marching around the cape, where the Inamuragasaki
promontory juts out into the water. However, the waters were fortified by Hōjō
ships making the approach impossible without heavy losses. According to the chronicles, Nitta threw his sword into the sea as an offering to the Sun Goddess of Ise Amaterasu
, and the sea parted as if by a miracle clearing a beach wide enough for Nitta's army to traverse.
Thus the imperial loyalists were able to enter the city, and began to force back the Hōjō forces. The Hōjō were eventually forced to retreat to a cave behind the Tōshō-ji
, where they committed suicide.
Genko War
The —also known as the —was a civil war in Japan which marked the fall of the Kamakura shogunate and end of the power of the Hōjō clan. The war thus preceded the Nanboku-chō period and the rise of the Ashikaga shogunate...
, and marked the end of the power of the Hōjō clan
Hojo clan
See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...
, which had dominated the regency
Shikken
The was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...
of the Kamakura shogunate
Kamakura shogunate
The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...
for over a century. Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo
Emperor Go-Daigo
Emperor Go-Daigo was the 96th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession....
and led by Nitta Yoshisada
Nitta Yoshisada
was the head of the Nitta family in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period, capturing Kamakura from the Hōjō clan in 1333....
entered the city from multiple directions and destroyed it; in the end, the Hōjō leaders retreated to Tōshō-ji
Tosho-ji
was the Hōjō clan's family temple in Kamakura during the Kamakura period. Its founder was Taikō Gyōyū and it was constructed in 1237 by Hōjō Yasutoki in memory of his mother, who had her tomb there. According to the Taiheiki, from its foundation until the end of the Kamakura shogunate every regent...
, the Hōjō family temple
Bodaiji
A , in Japanese Buddhism is a temple which, generation after generation, takes care of a family's dead giving them burial and performing ceremonies in their soul's favor. The name is because in Japan the term , which originally meant just Buddhist enlightenment , has also come to mean either the...
, where they committed suicide with the rest of the clan.
Background
For ten days, Nitta had been leading the imperial loyalists on a rapid cross country campaignKozuke-Musashi Campaign
The Kōzuke-Musashi campaign was a rapid and direct assault during the Japanese Genkō War by Nitta Yoshisada that led up to the Siege of Kamakura in 1333. It consisted of a number of battles over a brief period...
before reaching the outskirts of Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
. After the Battle of Bubaigawara
Battle of Bubaigawara
The was part of the decisive Kōzuke-Musashi Campaign during the Genkō War in Japan that ultimately ended the Kamakura Shogunate. Fought in present day Fuchū on May 15 and 16, 1333, it pitted the anti-shogunate imperial forces led by Nitta Yoshisada against the forces of the Hōjō...
ended two days prior, the Hōjō forces rushed back to Kamakura to consolidate defenses. Nitta aggressively pursued and divided his forces into three prongs, thus completely surrounding the landward sides of the city. Only the seaward side, which was fortified by Hōjō ships, remained open.
The Battle for Kamakura
The hills surrounding the shogunal capital of Kamakura contained seven passes, (the so-called Seven Entrances or MouthsKamakura's Seven Entrances
The city of Kamakura, Kanagawa in Japan, is closed off on three sides by very steep hills and on the fourth by the sea: before the construction of several modern tunnels and roads, the so-called Seven Entrances , or were its main links to the rest of the world...
), each with guarded checkpoints. Nitta Yoshisada attacked from the east and the north through the Gokuraku Pass, the Kewaizaka Pass and the Kamegayatsu Pass, dividing his forces in three. However, after many hours of fighting, little progress had been made towards the city, particularly on the western passes near Gokuraku-ji
Gokuraku-ji (Kamakura)
is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect located in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It was founded in 1259 by Ninshō and has been restored and rebuilt many times since then.-See also:...
, which was guarded with rows upon rows of wooden shielding. Nitta realized the Gokuraku-ji could be bypassed by marching around the cape, where the Inamuragasaki
Inamuragasaki
is a cape at the western end of Yuigahama in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The cape divides Yuigahama from Shichirigahama and Enoshima. Its name seems to stem from its shape, similar to a stack of rice at harvest time...
promontory juts out into the water. However, the waters were fortified by Hōjō
Hojo clan
See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...
ships making the approach impossible without heavy losses. According to the chronicles, Nitta threw his sword into the sea as an offering to the Sun Goddess of Ise Amaterasu
Amaterasu Omikami
, or is apart of the Japanese myth cycle and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. the name Amaterasu derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great August kami who...
, and the sea parted as if by a miracle clearing a beach wide enough for Nitta's army to traverse.
Thus the imperial loyalists were able to enter the city, and began to force back the Hōjō forces. The Hōjō were eventually forced to retreat to a cave behind the Tōshō-ji
Tosho-ji
was the Hōjō clan's family temple in Kamakura during the Kamakura period. Its founder was Taikō Gyōyū and it was constructed in 1237 by Hōjō Yasutoki in memory of his mother, who had her tomb there. According to the Taiheiki, from its foundation until the end of the Kamakura shogunate every regent...
, where they committed suicide.