Minamoto no Yoritomo

Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199) was a significant Japanese military leader and the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate, the first shogunate in Japan. After a tumultuous period of clan conflicts, he emerged as a powerful figure during the Genpei War, leading the Minamoto clan to victory against the Taira clan. In 1185, he gained control of Japan's political and military systems, establishing a new government in Kamakura that decentralized power from the emperor. Yoritomo's leadership marked the beginning of samurai rule in Japan, shaping the country’s feudal era and influencing its history for centuries.