TTHE GRADUAL RISE OF A WARRIOR ELITE over the course of the Heian period finally brought an end to the domination of the Fujiwaras and other Heian aristocratic families. In 1156 civil war broke out between the Taira and Minamoto warrior clans based in western and eastern Japan, respectively. Both clans relied on skilled warriors, later called samurai, who were rapidly becoming a new social class. A samurai and his lord had a double bond: in return for the samurai’s loyalty and service, the lord granted him land or income. From 1159 to 1181 a Taira named Kiyomori dominated the court, taking the position of prime minister and marrying his daughter to the emperor. His relatives became governors of more than thirty provinces. Still, the Minamoto clan managed to defeat the Taira, and the Minamoto leader, Yoritomo, became shogun, or general-in-chief. With him began the Kamakura Shogunate (1185–1333). This period is often referred to as Japan’s feudal period because it was dominated by a military class whose members were tied to their superiors by bonds of loyalty and supported by landed estates rather than salaries.