Overview
After the Minamoto clan's victory over the Tairas, the emperor gave the title shogun to the clan's military leader Yoritomo. In Kamakura, Yoritomo established a shogunate that shared civil and military rule with the imperial court at Kyoto. The next 200 years brought waves of conflict and change to Japan. First, the Minamoto family lost its influence to members of the Hojo family, who ruled as agents in the name of the Minamoto shoguns. Then in 1333, the military government in Kamakura fell to the superior force of another clan, the Ashikaga.
Excerpt adapted from the "World, History of" and "Japan" articles, The World Book Encyclopedia, © 1999