National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This is a letter written by Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147 – 99), the first Shogun of the Kamakura shogunate. Since the Kamakura shogunate was established in Kamakura, Yoritomo communicated with the Imperial Court in Kyoto by letter. This letter was addressed to Sadaiben (court official) Fujiwara no Kanemitsu.
This letter was included also in "Azuma Kagami" (episode of April 30, 1186) and constitutes valuable material in that the letter shows Yoritomo's political ideas. He wrote that politics based on a council system should be sought and even an order from Emperor Goshirakawa should be reversed if not appropriate. It clearly shows Yoritomo's attitude toward the Court and the then Court-Shogunate relationships.