An Introduction to the Kamakura Period and its Role in Transforming Japanese Art

Portrait of Yoritomo of the Minamoto clan

The Kamakura period dates back to 1185 and lasted till 1333. During this time, two opposing clans with great armies of samurai (warriors) fought each other in order take control over Japan's government who was ruled by a weakened emperor. Yoritomo, who was the leader of the Minamoto clan eventually defeated the Taira clan and was appointed as shogun (general in chief) by the emperor. This newly appointed position made Yoritomo in charge of all military in the Kyoto area and gave him great political power as well.      

During the late Heian Period and the beginning of the Kamakura period, Pure Land Buddhism, also known as Shin Buddhism or Amidism, was spreading across Japan and became widely popular even today. Pure Land Buddhist beliefs adopted basic Buddhist teachings, but focused more on devoting oneself to Amida, one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas. Think of Pure Land Buddhism as a very flexible religion, where priests would develop different sects of ideology for Pure Land Buddhism. That way all the different sects of this religion would appeal to different people of different levels of education. Devotion to Amida meant that the trust and loyalty by chanting the mantra “Namu Amida Butsu” would help gain entrance to the Pure Land (a heaven or paradise) at death. Pure Land Buddhist art became popular through sculptures and raigo paintings as a way of devotion and admiration of Amida.

Hanging scroll portrait of Zen master Lanxi Daolong

Zen Buddhism started to gain popularity later on in the Kamakura period, which was brought over from China. Zen Buddhism was mastered in China and was introduced when Chinese emigrants came to Japan,but also Japanese monks returning from China to learn more about Buddhism. When they came back they had learned different types of teachings and did not hesitate in practicing them. Zen was a lot like the original Buddhist teachings, which focused on meditation as a way to individual enlightenment. However, Zen Buddhism did not rely on spiritual deities or chanting. During the Kamakura period, much of Japan's society was dominated by samurai warriors, who had a more realistic outlook on life rather than past Japanese eras. So when China introduced Zen a new style of Buddhist art was introduced. This new art style emphasized realism which later on would help representing events, people, and legends through sculptures and paintings. This would reinforce and educate people of the Japanese culture, and pass along traditions and legends. The end of the Kamakura era would ultimately plant the seeds of Japan's future politically and culturally. Japanese art would later be a combination of old traditional art styles and adopted foreign art styles.

Sources:

Pure Land info here
Yoritomo Image here
Lanxi Portrait here