. "How can she make so shameless a request? And why did Nitta,
who is himself a samurai, permit her to do so?" Wrapping the letter
around his sword, he plunged the blade into his body and fell dead.

While Nitta was winning this signal victory, others were in arms for the
mikado elsewhere, and everywhere the Hojo power went down. The people in
all sections of the empire rose against the agents of the tyrants and
put them to death, many thousands of the Hojo clan being slain and their
power utterly destroyed. They had ruled Japan from the death of
Yoritomo, in 1199, to 1333. They have since been execrated in Japan, the
feeling of the people being displayed in their naming one of the
destructive insects of the island the Hojo bug. Yet among the Hojo were
many able rulers, and under them the empire was kept in peace and order
for over a century, while art and literature flourished and many of the
noblest monuments of Japanese architecture arose.

Go-Daigo was now recalled from exile and replaced on the imperial
throne. For the first time for centuries the mikado had come to his own
and held the power of the empire in his hands. With judgment and
discretion he might have restored the old government of Japan.

But he lacked those important qualities, and quickly lost the power he
had won. After a passing gleam of its old splendor the mikadoate sank
into eclipse again.

Go-Daigo was ruined by listening to a flatterer, whom he raised to the
highest power, while he rewarded those who had rescued him with
unimportant domains. A fierce war followed, in which Ashikaga, the
flatterer, was the victor, defeating and destroying his foes. Go-Daigo
had pronounced him a rebel. In return he was himself deposed, and a new
emperor, whom the usurper could control, was raised to the vacant
throne. For three years only had the mikado remained supreme. Then for a
long period the Ashikagas held the reins of power, and a tyranny like
that of the Hojo existed in the land.

_THE TARTAR INVASION OF JAPAN._

In all its history only one serious effort has been made to conquer the
empire of Japan. It ended in such dire disaster to the invaders that no
nation has ever repeated it. During the thirteenth century Asia was
thrown into turmoil by the dreadful outbreak of the Mongol Tartars under
the great conqueror Genghis Khan. Nearly all Asia was overrun, Russia
was subdued, China was conquered, and envoys were sent to Japan
demanding tribute