The military government centered at Kamakura is often referred to as a

• A. Kyoto court
• B. Kamakura shogunate
• C. Edo regime
• D. Nara bureau

Answer: (B)

In medieval Japan, real political power often ran through a military government known as the shogunate, or bakufu. The first and best-known example formed in Kamakura after the Genpei War, when Minamoto no Yoritomo established a ruler’s office there to command the samurai, oversee land and taxes, and run the state’s military and civil functions. The emperor in Kyoto remained the ceremonial figurehead, while the samurai-led administration in Kamakura handled governance. That arrangement is why this regime is called the Kamakura shogunate. The Kyoto court represents the imperial side, the Edo regime refers to a much later Tokugawa government in Edo (Tokyo), and Nara bureau isn’t a correct term for this period or structure.