cline of morals and discipline. Estate stewards and constables patrolled the provinces to ensure tight control and loyalty to the shogun. The Hojo promoted native culture and Buddhism brought to Japan by Chinese monks and craftsmen who sailed into Sagami Bay to introduce their culture through Kamakura. At a time when the ancient religion was beginning to take on a more Japanese flavor, new Buddhist sects found a large following among the samurai, now a leading social class in Japan. Despite several decades of peace and economic expansion, widespread rumors predicting impending political coups fueled a growing discord among the governing clans. A series of natural disasters hit Japan during the early thirteenth century that included typhoons, floods and earthquakes. Magnifying the impact of these events were fear-provoking comet-sightings that came amidst periods of famine and rampant plague. The compounding effect of all these occurrences gradually pushed the citizens to a state of near panic. Perhaps the worst threat to Japan during this period came not from nature, but from the far side of the broad East China Sea. By 1259 the Mongols under Kublai Khan had conquered China. Looking for new worlds to conquer, Kublai Khan began to cast his eyes towards the island nation of Japan. ...
