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The Taira and the Minamoto once again clashed in 1180 beginning the Gempei War which ended in 1185. The victorious Minamoto no Yoritomo once again established the superiority of the samurai and in 1190 visited Kyoto and in 1192 became Seii Taishogun, establishing the Kamakura Shogunate.

Over time, powerful samurai clans became warrior nobility (buke) who were only nominally under court aristocracy (kuge). When samurai begun to adopt aristocratic customs like calligraphy, poetry and music, some kuge also begun to adopt samurai skills. In spite of various machinations and brief periods of rule by various emperors, the real power was in the hands of the shogun and warriors. (Read the article)

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Originally these warriors were little else than hired soldiers in the employ of the emperor and noble clans. But slowly they gathered enough power to eventually usurp the power of the emperor and establish the first samurai dominated government.

As the regional clans allied with each other and gathered manpower and resources, they formed a hierarchy centered around a toryo, or chief. This chief was a distant relative of the emperor and lesser member of one of three noble families, the Fujiwara, Minamoto, or the Taira. Though originally sent to provincial areas for a 4 year term as a magistrate, after completion of their term, knowing that they would only be able to take only sideline roles in the government, they decided to stay and not to return to Kyoto. Their sons inherited their positions and continued to lead the clans in putting down rebellions throughout Japan during the middle and later Heian. (Read the article)

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During the Heian period, samurai came to refer especially to the guards of the imperial palace and to those who carried swords. These forerunners of what we now know as samurai had ruler-sponsored equipment and were required to hone their martial skills in all times.

The actual armies of the emperor on the other hand, were nothing but groups of conscripts assigned to provincial areas of Japan in case of war or rebellion. They were modeled after continental Chinese armies and were composed by a third of the able-bodied adult male population, however, in contrast to the imperial guards, each soldier had to supply his own weapons and support himself. (Read the article)

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Japanese armor was only worn by the shogun, highest military class, samurai and emperors. Japanese samurai armor and samurai swords are both powerful, unique works of art made by skilled craftsmen. Each suit of Japanese armor (Kikou), Japanese Helmet (Kabuto) and Japanese Sword (Katana) has a soul or chi as well as a personality all of its own. These stunning works of Japanese art were (and still are) made by hand.

Today paper replicas of Japanese armor are made as a hobby. In addition, real armor is made for display in museums, restaurants, etc.

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The armor worn by the samurai over the centuries was incredibly varied yet throughout the samurai age the principles of the armor remained largely the same save for a few subtle changes. The suit consisted of a kabuto (helmet) for the head; a do (cuirass) for the torso; a pair of sode (shoulder guards); one or two kote (armored sleeves) for the arms; a kusazuri (armored skirt or apron) to protect the upper thighs; and a pair of suneate (shin guards.) Haidate (thigh guards) were added in around the 14th century and by the 16th the mempo (face mask) was brought in. (Read the article)

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