ABSTRACT
In discussing Kamakura society, this chapter notes that although many sources continue to characterize the era as "feudal", it was not. Zen Buddhism differs from the Pure Land and Nichiren Sects in that it emphasizes self-reliance, while they emphasize reliance on external powers. Although at the beginning of the Kamakura era it was considered unfair to shoot the horse from under one's adversary, later in the period warriors deliberately aimed at the underbelly of the opponents' horses. With the national emergency represented by the Mongol invasions, however, the Kamakura Bakufu instituted inheritance practices that severely undercut the rights of women. By the end of the Kamakura period, jito had acquired proprietary rights over the shoen and emerged as a new landholding class. Zen Buddhism was the third significant Buddhist movement to emerge in the Kamakura period. Each contributed something unique and significant to Japanese history and culture.
