The Shokyu War(承久の乱)(1221), also known as the Jokyu War or Jokyu Disturbance, was fought between the forces of Emperor Go-Taba and those of the Hojo family regents, who the Emperor was trying to overthrow. The main battle was at Uji, just outside Kyoto; this was the third battle to be fought there in less than half a century.

In the beginning of the 13th century, the Emperor Go-Toba found his attempts at political maneuvers blocked by the Kamakura shogunate. Seeking independence, and the power rightfully his as Emperor of Japan, Go-Toba gathered allies in 1221, and planned to effect an overthrow of the shogunate. These allies consisted primarily of members of the Taira clan, and other enemies of the Minamoto, the victors in the Genpei War, and clan of the Shoguns.

In May of 1221, Go-Toba decided on lines of succession, without consulting the shogunate. He then invited a great number of potential allies from amongst the eastern warriors of Kyoto to a great festival, thus revealing the loyalties of those who rejected the invitation. One important officer revealed his loyalty to the shogunate by doing so, and was killed. On June 6, the Imperial Court declared Hojo Yoshitoki , the regent, to be an outlaw, and three days later the entirety of eastern Japan had officially risen in rebellion.

Hojo Yoshitoki , regent and representative of the shogunate, decided to launch an offensive against the Emperor's forces in Kyoto, using much the same three-pronged strategy as was employed a few decades earlier. One came from the mountains, one from the north, and the third, commanded by Yoshitoki's son Yasutoki, approached via the Tokaido road.

These forces faced meager opposition on their way to the capital; the Imperial commanders were simply outfought. When Emperor Go-Toba heard of this string of defeats, he left the city for Mount Hiei, where he asked for aid from the sohei, the warrior monks of Mount Hiei. They declined, citing weakness, and the Emperor returned to Kyoto. The remnants of the Imperial army fought their final stand at the bridge over the river Uji, where the opening battle of the Genpei War was fought, 41 years earlier. Yasutoki's cavalry pushed through, scattering the Imperial forces, and pressed on to Kyoto.

The capital was taken by the Shogun's forces, and the Emperor's rebellion was put to an end. Emperor Go-Toba was banished to the Oki Islands, from where he never returned.

References

• Sansom, George (1958). 'A History of Japan to 1334'. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.

See Also

• List of wars
• Military history of Japan