Kusunoki Masashige

Kusunoki Masashige was a Japanese warrior and commander who supported Emperor Go-Daigo during the overthrow of the Kamakura shogunate and the turbulent Kenmu Restoration. Emerging from Kawachi Province, he became famous for using fortified mountain positions, mobility and local terrain to resist much larger shogunate forces. His defence of Chihaya in 1333 helped sustain the imperial rebellion until other military leaders turned against the Kamakura government.

After Go-Daigo attempted to restore direct imperial rule, political conflict drove Ashikaga Takauji into rebellion against the court. Masashige remained loyal to the emperor even when he disagreed with imperial strategy. In 1336 he reportedly urged a more cautious plan against Takauji but obeyed orders to fight at Minatogawa, where his force was defeated and he died. Later Japanese political culture transformed Masashige into an emblem of self-sacrificing loyalty to the sovereign.

In Helen Craig McCullough’s The Taiheiki, Emperor Go-Daigo’s attempts to overthrow Hōjō rule bring exile, rebellion and restoration, while commanders including Kusunoki Masashige, Nitta Yoshisada and Ashikaga Takauji shift allegiance as the political settlement collapses into renewed war.