The Kamakura period (1185-1333) was the first period in which samurai dominated politics and culture. The Minamoto family established themselves as shoguns or heads of military governments which claimed authority over the entire land. Their capital was located in the city of Kamakura near to present-day Tokyo. The period saw not only the rise to dominance of the samurai class, but considerable cultural development and the establishment of eastern Japan as one of the major areas of power.
