Lindsey’s Reviews > A History of Japan to 1334 > Status Update

Section 1 relates the economic struggles of the Bakufu after the Mongol invasions. The Bakufu’s resources were spread to their limit in fighting the Mongols. Making matters worse, defenses were maintained in preparation for another potential attack until Kublai Khan’s death in 1294. This state of preparation was maintained for a little over 2 decades. Furthermore, influential Hōjō leaders Masamura and Tokimune died in 1273 and 1284 respectively. There was a lack of men who had the capabilities to take over, so it fell to Tokimune’s son Sadatoki, a youth of 14 years.

Many vassals spent lavishly during the Mongol invasions and now requested rewards from the Bakufu, who were unable to do so. Additionally, the powerful shrines and monasteries that prayed for Japanese victory demanded compensation. Non-vassal warriors who participated in the fighting also demanded assistance. The Bakufu prioritized the claims of the religious bodies, but even then could only fulfill a small number of them. In 1294, after years of stress, the Bakufu decreed that no more rewards would be granted for service in the fighting of 1274 and 1281. Naturally, this upset the many uncompensated warriors.

The Bakufu’s failure to compensate the warriors played a part in their decline, but there were earlier seeds as far back as the 1230’s. One of these was the tendency for vassals to mortgage or sell their property, which weakened the system of loyalty the Bakufu depended upon for survival. In addition, the expanding economy after the Genpei War lead to the growth of a mercantile class which caused issues for most warriors. Warriors relied upon a fixed income, but both the price and standard of living were steadily rising, leading many of them to become indebted. Even with edicts of relief for these warriors, it was not enough to quell their economic woes.