Yoritomo's direct family line died out and the bakufu, concerned by this, requested that the Imperial Court appoint an Imperial Prince shogun, but Chiten no kimi (the retired emperor in power), the Emperor Gotoba refused this and as a result of a series of complicated moves, a Sekkan-ke (the families which produced regents) infant, FUJIWARA no Yoritsune, who was distantly related to Yoritomo, was welcomed as a new shogun = Kamakura-dono.
頼朝の直系が断絶し、困惑した幕府は、朝廷へ親王将軍を要望したが、治天の君・後鳥羽天皇はこれを拒否し、曲折の末、頼朝の遠縁に当たる摂関家の幼児藤原頼経が新将軍＝鎌倉殿として迎え入れられた。