45 Minamoto no Yoritomo [2] (an omission) To accurately summarize the thirty-five-year rule by the three Genji generations, we must take into account their good points. When these are considered, Yoritomo's brief leadership of thirty-five years was a significant phase in Japanese history. To his credit, Yoritomo had an intuitive understanding of the essence of the Japanese nation: he revered the imperial court, and regarded himsilf as a subject; for him, to serve the imperial sovereign was not only natural, but also a real pleasure. When the Genji pursued the Heike to Yashima and Dan-no-ura Bay, Yoritomo was most concerned about the infant Emperor Antoku who was the custody of the Heike. Hoping for his safe return, he gave detailed instructions. In a letter addressed to his younger brother Noriyori he wrote: "I am most anxious about the Emperor. Take all necessary measures to ensure his safety." Then he reported: "Again, the safety of Emperor must be ensured." In the summer of the 1st year of Bunji era (1185), an outlaw called Tamai no Shirou Sukeshige in the Province of Owari (Aichi Prefecture) ignored an imperial subpoena in a matter of disobedience to the imperial command. He also delivered insults against the court. Hearing the report of the incident, Yoritomo said: "Anyone who disobeys the imperial command may not live in Japan. It also means that he disobeys the eastern government, so he may not enter Kamakura. He should immediately be banished from the country." In other words, Yoritomo gave a deportation order. What a spectacular verdict ! This was not just lip service, but an order from the ruler of Japan. According to custom the ruler's order was put into action immediately, and those who disobeyed were put to death. Therefore such words must have had a profound impact on the Japanese people. Thus Yoritomo gave severe punishments to others who were disrespectful of the imperial court. He himself complied with imperial decrees most obediently, not hesitating for a moment to execute a difficult command. In the spring of the 5th year of Bunji era (1189) he was commanded to raise construction funds for the inner palace. He started his reply: "I received the decree on my knees." He continued to asate that he would serve the need of the imperial court at all times. In this manner he always submitted completely and willingly to frequent imperial demands, never replying that he had already fulfilled them. It was customary to rebuild the Grand Shrine of Ise, renewing it every twenty years. In the spring of the 2nd year of Kenkyuu era (1191), a Steward refused to raise funds for this purpose. When the omperial court reported this to Yoritomo, he answered: "In all such matters of disobedience to the imperial court, punishment must be carried out according to the law. If given the decree, I shall punish them. Even if it were myself, I should be admonished accordingly; hence for my vassals, there is absolutely no excuse for delay." At this time, the fate of the Japanese nation was in Yoritomo's hands. The people observed his ideology, beliefs, and behavior. If he had ignored this issue of the essence of the nation, assumed a haughty attitude towards the imperial court, and were insolent towards the Grand Shrine of Ise, the entire warrior class wuold have followed suit. They could have rebelled against the imperial court. However, Yoritomo received the imperial decrees on his knees, swore that he would obey all imperial commands, and ordered deportation for those who disobeyed. Such forceful determination stabilized the nation; his words and attitude bound the behavior of not only the subsequent three Genji Shouguns, but also the members of the Bakufu in Kamakura. Many years later, the Ashikaga and Tokugawa Bakufu came into power. But they established their governments with Yoritomo's rule as a model. Thus, to view Japanese history in its entirety, Yoritomo influenced all the subsequent governments that came into power during the Muromachi and Edo periods (1333-1867). Thanks to his excellent judgement in the late 12th century, the subsequent civilian and military governments did not overstep their mandate to change the essential structure of the Japanese nation.

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