Minamoto no Sanetomo (
1192-
1219) was the third
shogun in the
Kamakura Bakufu founded by
Minamoto Yoritomo. He succeeded his brother
Yoriie who died soon after inheriting the post from
Minamoto Yoritomo.
In his youth, Sanetomo course studied swordsmanship and horsemanship, as well as military strategy. Surrounded by the powerful Hojo family, he also had direct experience of the struggles of national politics. However, he was primarily interested in the aesthetic culture of the court. He trained in the traditions of court poetry, largely through correspondence with the famous Fujiwara no Teika. When he was not yet out of his teens, Sanetomo compiled over six hundred of his poems for Teika's review in 1213. This personal collection would come to be known as the Kinkai wakashu ("The Collection of the Kamakura Minister"), a title that included a direct reference to his court office of "daijin", which he was granted in 1218. One of his poems appears in Teika's collection Hyakunin Isshu.
The following year he was assassinated by his nephew who was convinced that Sanetomo had murdered his father, Yoriie, the second Kamakura shogun.