Literature and Buddhism in the Kamakura period

The Kamakura period (1185–1333) was a period of great change in the political, cultural, and social life of Japan, beginning with the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate by Minamoto no Yoritomo. During this period, the samurai rose to the top of political power, and with the development of the feudal system, literature is also visible.Instead of the aristocratic and elegant literature of the Heian period, the Kamakura market was dominated by military tales, historical chronicles, and Buddhist philosophical works. In general, all events and feelings in human life are the main topic of literature.In 1192, the great leader of the "eastern" (Kanto) samurai detachments - Minamoto Yoritomo, after a long struggle, declares himself sei-taishogun, that is, the "supreme military leader" of Japan, thus the true and hereditary becomes a ruler. becomes the true and hereditary ruler of the whole country. Nevertheless, the Heian kings retain their supreme authority, but in fact begin to play almost exclusively the role of the "high priests" of their people - the supreme ministers of Shintoism. The Heian monarchy was replaced by a "shogunate" - a military system of government.The new management system also had an impact on literature. Now new genres have started to appear in it. First, the circle of readers has completely changed. Literature based on a new life, new state forms and a new culture, literary works characteristic of samurai culture began to be created. The student began to belong to a different social environment with a unique worldview. The boundaries of this circle have also expanded significantly.They began to attract an unprecedented number of readers in Japan. Literature began to be read not only by new people, but also lost its previous, essentially more exotic character and acquired a "wide" readership. A new author, a new reader, a new environment revived the new literature. And the main reason for this was the day.