pt that of its emperor. Korean monarchs sought legitimacy by gaining approval from the Chinese emperor. Japanese shoguns sought legitimacy, not from any foreign ruler, but from their own emperor. Because almost any shogun had the power to interfere with imperial succession, the emperor selected shoguns as political rulers on a regional basis. Since these military men who ruled local populations were not related to the imperial family, their legitimacy depended heavily on the perception they were ruled by the emperor. This form of government rule has been referred to as "centralized feudalism." The Kamakura Shogunate set down the pattern for a new, land-based feudal government that was much simpler than the previously adopted Chinese system and worked much more efficiently for the Japanese. Yoritomo's real power rested on his personal band of warrior vassals, called "honorable house men," gokenin, which he had built up on the Kanto Plain. After confiscating lands from the defeated Taira clan, he added a large number of estates throughout the country. He also gained the power to make appointments to provincial posts in some sixteen provinces. Thus, Yoritomo could reward his vassals with new appointments in the estates and provincial governments under his control. Although the ultimate right to posts in the provinces or estates and income from them derived from the Heian-kyo court, Yoritomo became directly responsible for the protection of many of these posts and appointments to some of them. Many samurai originally outside the Kanto region sought to protect their positions by commending their properties to Yoritomo's protection and accepting vassalage as his gokenin. In time of war, these men would fight and risk their lives for the shogun. The shogun could then reward them with land, a symbol of great honor. With the personal loyalty of some two thousand scattered families, including the Hojo, Hiki, Miura, Wada, Hatakeyama, Kajiwara, Ad...
