down a pattern of rule in Japan that would last for some seven centuries. Throughout most of Japanese history, the power of the emperor, tenno, has been either limited or purely symbolic. Still, all Japan's effective rulers, from the Fujiwara and Hojo re... ... middle of paper ... ...llowing among the samurai, now a leading social class in Japan. Despite several decades of peace and economic expansion, widespread rumors predicting impending political coups fueled a growing discord among the
During the era of the shogunates, the central government of Japan was weak and feudal rulers ruled over society and the land. The shogunate or bafuku was an administrative government established to allow the military commander in chief of the country, the Shogun, to enforce his military authority over the land under his proprietorship. The Shogun did not have direct control of the political and social systems, nor the entire land of the country, and did not attempt to overthrow the emperor. However