Home Region: Northeast Asia (East Asia)

Kamakura Shogunate

1185 CE 1333 CE

D G SC WF R CC

EQ 2020 jp_kamakura / JpKamak

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General Description

The Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE) begins with the victory of the Minamoto family over the Taira clan in the Gempei War. In 1192 CE, Minamoto military victory received official recognition when Minatomo no Yoritomo was appointed shogun (great general) by the emperor. ^[1] Although the emperor in Kyoto remained the nominal ruler, as the first shogun, Yoritomo managed to avoid court influence and intrigues by locating his base of operations close to his traditional support base in Kamakura, near present day Tokyo, from which the period takes its name. ^[2] ^[1] The Kamakura Shogunate marks the beginning of Japan’s medieval era, which saw the rise of warrior rule combined with a feudal system of landholding and administration. ^[2] While the borders to the east, west and south remained roughly constant, the exact extent of the polity’s territory to the north was not rigidly defined. ^[3]
The ’peak’ of the Kamakura Shogunate could be considered to coincide with the reign of the Hōjō regent Hōjō Yasutoki (r. 1224-1242 CE), who was responsible for institutionalizing the way the bakufu (military government) mediated disputes and governed. ^[4] The period ends in 1333 CE with the overthrow of the shogunate and the restoration of the Emperor Go-Daigo. ^[5]
Population and political organization
The shogunate, also known as the bakufu (literally ’tent headquarters’), issued in a new period of military governance. However, many of the older institutions inherited from the Heian period persisted, albeit in weakened form. ^[1] The degree to which the imperial court lost its power is still somewhat uncertain, and some scholars have argued that there was more cooperation between the court and shogunate than previously thought. ^[6] The central political relationship now became that between the lord and his vassals: loyalty, either willing or enforced, formed the basis of governance. ^[7] The shogun rewarded loyalty with grants of estates and offices. Vassals collected taxes but retained a portion, depleting the revenue of the central government. Warriors became the political, social and economic elite, drawing their economic power from their landholdings. ^[8]
Echoing developments in the preceding Heian period, when imperial power was tempered by that of powerful regents, the shogun became functionally subordinate to hereditary regents from the Hōjō family (who lacked the necessary social rank to become shoguns in their own right) after the death of Yoritomo in 1199. ^[9] In 1274 and 1281 CE, there were two failed Mongol invasions; this external threat may have helped to mute any internal dissent until the restoration of Emperor Go-Daigo. ^[10]
The historian William Wayne Farris gives an estimate of between five and six million for the population of the Kamakura Shogunate. ^[11]

[1]: (Henshall 2012, 35) Kenneth Henshall. 2012. A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

[2]: (Deal 2005, 3) William E. Deal. 2005. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[3]: (Batten 1999, 173-74) Bruce Batten. 1999. ’Frontiers and Boundaries of Pre-Modern Japan’. Journal of Historical Geography 25 (2): 166-82.

[4]: (Mass 2008, 74) Jeffrey P. Mass. 2008. ’The Kamakura Bakufu’, in The Cambridge History of Japan, Vol. 3: Medieval Japan, edited by Kozo Yamamura, 46-88. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[5]: (Deal 2005, 4) William E. Deal. 2005. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[6]: (Henshall 2012, 35-36) Kenneth Henshall. 2012. A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

[7]: (Deal 2005, 88) William E. Deal. 2005. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[8]: (Deal 2005, 2, 4) William E. Deal. 2005. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[9]: (Deal 2005, 4-5) William E. Deal. 2005. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[10]: (Henshall 2012, 37-38) Kenneth Henshall. 2012. A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

[11]: (Farris 2006, 9, 100) William Wayne Farris. 2006. Japan’s Medieval Population: Famine, Fertility, and Warfare in a Transformative Age. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Suprapolity Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Scale of Supracultural Interaction

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

1 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

Religion

1 Religion Genus

1 Religion Family

1 Alternate Religion Genus

1 Alternate Religion Family

1 Alternate Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

3 Population of the Largest Settlement

1 Polity Territory

2 Polity Population

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

1 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Merit Promotion

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

1 Examination System

Law

1 Professional Lawyer

1 Judge

1 Formal Legal Code

1 Court

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Food Storage Site

1 Drinking Water Supply System

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

1 Canal

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

1 Mines or Quarry

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Nonwritten Record

1 Non Phonetic Writing

1 Mnemonic Device

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Token

1 Precious Metal

1 Paper Currency

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

2 Article

Information / Postal System

1 Postal Station

1 General Postal Service

1 Courier

Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

1 Wooden Palisade

1 Stone Walls Non Mortared

1 Stone Walls Mortared

1 Settlements in a Defensive Position

1 Modern Fortification

1 Moat

1 Fortified Camp

1 Earth Rampart

1 Ditch

1 Complex Fortification

1 Long Wall

Military use of Metals

1 Steel

1 Iron

1 Copper

1 Bronze

Projectiles

1 Tension Siege Engine

1 Sling Siege Engine

1 Sling

1 Self Bow

1 Javelin

1 Handheld Firearm

1 Gunpowder Siege Artillery

1 Crossbow

1 Composite Bow

1 Atlatl

Handheld weapons

1 War Club

1 Sword

1 Spear

1 Polearm

1 Dagger

1 Battle Axe

Animals used in warfare

1 Horse

1 Elephant

1 Donkey

1 Dog

1 Camel

Armor

1 Wood Bark Etc

1 Shield

1 Scaled Armor

1 Plate Armor

1 Limb Protection

1 Leather Cloth

1 Laminar Armor

1 Helmet

1 Chainmail

1 Breastplate

Naval technology

1 Small Vessels Canoes Etc

1 Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases

2 Crisis Consequence

Power Transitions

12 Power Transition

Instability Events Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura) was in:
(1185 CE 1333 CE)	Kansai

Home NGA: Kansai

General Variables

Identity and Location Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	53 S	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Original Name	Kamakura Shogunate	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Capital	Kyoto	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Temporal Bounds Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	1225 CE
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Duration	[1185 CE ➜ 1333 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	none	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Supracultural Entity	none	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Japan - Kemmu Restoration	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	-	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Preceding Entity	continuity; Kansai - Heian Period [continuity] Update here
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Degree of Centralization	confederated state	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Language Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Japonic	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Language	Middle Japanese	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Religion Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Shinto	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Religion Family	Japanese State Shinto	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Alternate Religion Genus	Buddhism	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Alternate Religion Family	Japanese Buddhism	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Alternate Religion	Uncoded Undecided	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	[100,000 to 175,000] people	1200 CE
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Population of the Largest Settlement	[100,000 to 200,000] people	1250 CE
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Population of the Largest Settlement	[100,000 to 200,000] people	1300 CE
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Polity Territory	295,000 km²	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Polity Population	[5,500,000 to 6,300,000] people	1200 CE
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Polity Population	[5,700,000 to 6,200,000] people	1300 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	5	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Religious Level	2	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Military Level	[4 to 5]	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Administrative Level	[6 to 7]	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Professions Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Merit Promotion	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Examination System	Absent Inferred	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Law Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Judge	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Court	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Irrigation System	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Uncoded Undecided	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Port	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Canal	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Bridge	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Information / Writing System Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Script	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Unknown	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Unknown	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Philosophy	Absent Inferred	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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History	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Fiction	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Calendar	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Information / Money Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Uncoded Undecided	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Precious Metal	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Article	Present	1185 CE 1226 CE
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Article	Absent	1226 CE 1333 CE
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Information / Postal System Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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General Postal Service	Unknown Suspected	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Courier	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Information / Measurement System Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Present Inferred	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moat	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Fortified Camp	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Ditch	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Complex Fortification	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Long Wall	20 km	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Military use of Metals Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Iron	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Copper	Present Inferred	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Bronze	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Projectiles Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Sling	Present Inferred	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Self Bow	Present Inferred	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Javelin	Unknown Suspected	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Crossbow	Present Inferred	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Composite Bow	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Atlatl	Absent Inferred	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Handheld weapons Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Sword	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Spear	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Polearm	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Dagger	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Battle Axe	Unknown Suspected	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Animals used in warfare Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Elephant	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Donkey	Unknown Suspected	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Dog	Unknown Suspected	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Camel	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Armor Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Unknown Suspected	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Shield	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Scaled Armor	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Plate Armor	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Limb Protection	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Laminar Armor	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Helmet	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Chainmail	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Breastplate	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Naval technology Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Unknown Suspected	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Absent	1185 CE 1333 CE
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Human Sacrifice Kamakura Shogunate (jp_kamakura)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More