Hojo Tokimune
Shikken (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate who twice repelled the Yuan dynasty's invasions of Japan.
Life
Hojo clan
Hojo Tokimune came from the Hojo clan, which held real power in the shogunate, and in 1268, at the age of eighteen, became the 8th shikken.
Mongol invasions of Japan
Kublai Khan repeatedly sent envoys demanding that Japan submit as a vassal; Tokimune refused every time and had Yuan envoys executed. When the Yuan dynasty sent invasion forces twice, in 1274 (the Bun'ei Invasion) and 1281 (the Koan invasion), he mobilized the warriors of Kyushu to defend the coast and build stone walls. Both times the Yuan forces withdrew after encountering storms, which the Japanese called the "divine wind" (kamikaze).
Seon Buddhism
A devout follower of Zen, he invited Wuxue Zuyuan from Song China and founded Engaku-ji. He died in 1284 at only thirty-three.
Legacy
Hojo Tokimune led the defense against the Yuan invasions, but afterward the shogunate could not reward the warriors who had fought, sowing the seeds of its decline.
Did you know? Mugaku Sogen (Wuxue Zuyuan), the Song dynasty Zen monk he invited to Japan, had a profound influence on the development of Zen in Japan.
Key dates
- 1268Became shikken
- 1274Bun'ei Invasion
- 1276Built a stone wall along Hakata Bay
- 1281Koan invasion
- 1282Founded Engaku-ji
- 1284Died