Kusunoki Masashige

Kusunoki Masashige
Statue of Kusunoki Masashige outside Tokyo's Imperial Palace
The same statue from a different angle, close-up.

Kusunoki Masashige (楠木 正成?, 1294 - July 4, 1336) was a 14th century samurai who fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in his attempt to wrest rulership of Japan away from the Kamakura shogunate and is remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty.

Contents

Tactician

A brilliant tactician and strategist, Kusunoki's cunning defense of two key Loyalist fortresses at Akasaka and Chihaya helped allow Go-Daigo to briefly return to power. However, one of the loyalist generals, Ashikaga Takauji, betrayed Go-Daigo and led an army against Kusunoki and the remaining loyalists. Kusunoki suggested to the Emperor that they take refuge on sacred Mount Hiei and allow Takauji to take Kyoto, only to swoop down from the mountain, and with the help of the monks of Mount Hiei, trap Takauji in the city and destroy him.

Disaster

Go-Daigo was unwilling to leave the capital however, and insisted that Kusunoki meet Takauji's superior forces in the field in a pitched battle. Kusunoki, in what would later be viewed as the ultimate act of samurai loyalty, obediently accepted his Emperor's foolish command, left his death poem with his young son Masatsura[1] and knowingly marched his army into almost certain death. The battle, which took place at Minatogawa in modern-day Chūō-ku, Kobe, was a tactical disaster. Kusunoki, his army completely surrounded, down to only 73 of the original 700 horsemen, committed suicide along with his brother Masasue, 11 close clan members, and 60 others. According to legend, his brother's last words were Shichisei Hōkoku! (七生報國; "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country!") and Kusunoki Masashige agreed. There are two accounts of arguments that Kusunoki Masashige made to emperor Go-Daigo. One was that they regroup and attack from two sides, the other was that they bring back general Takauji to their side thus balancing the scales. Both arguments were ignored.

Legacy

His son, Masatsura, served the emperor's successor, the 12-year-old Go-Murukami, in a relationship of reciprocal trust and devotion mirroring the figure of his father Kusunoki and keeping the flame of loyalist resistance alive.[2] Masatsura died alongside his brother Masatoki and cousin Wada Takahide in a battle that saw the end of the Kusunoki clan and there followed a less-than-ideal scramble for power and gain among the Courts.[2]

Kusunoki Masashige's successful defense of Chihaya castle is believed to have helped turn the tide against the Kamakura bakufu/shogunate (military rule and the first shogunate). Partly because he held out so long in his castle, Ashikaga Takauji revolted and came to the aid of the emperor, and thus ended the Kamakura bakufu. However, Ashikaga Takauji quickly learned that he did not like following the emperor's commands, and revolted again to establish his own Ashikaga bakufu (the second, middle shogunate). He was able to establish his own shogunate after defeating Kusunoki Masashige and the commander in chief Yoshisada in the final battle. Kusunoki Masashige tried to intervene and bring Ashikaga Takauji back to the emperor's side, but the emperor rejected this plan.

Legend

After the full-scale introduction of Neo-Confucianism as a state philosophy by the Tokugawa Shogunate, Kusunoki Masashige, once-called a traitor by the Northern Court, was resurrected with Emperor Go-Daigo as a precursor of Sinocentric absolutists, based upon the Neo-Confucian theories. During the Edo period, scholars and samurai who were influenced by the Neo-Confucian theories created the legend of Kusunoki and enshrined him as a patriotic hero, called Nankō (楠公) or Dai-Nankō (大楠公), who epitomized loyalty, courage, and devotion to the Emperor. Kusunoki later became a patron saint of sorts to the World War II kamikaze, who saw themselves as his spiritual heirs in sacrificing their lives for the Emperor.

References

  1. ^ [1] Stephen R. Turnbull, The Samurai:A Military History p. 56
  2. ^ a b Ibid p. 97 and 98

External links

Stephen R. Turnbull, The Samurai: A Military History, Routledge.[2]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kusunoki Masashige — Masashige Kusunoki Statue équestre de Masashige Kusunoki, à l extérieur du palais impérial de Tōkyō. Masashige Kusunoki (楠木 正成, 1294? 1336) est un chef militaire de l époque Nanboku chō. Samouraï de modeste extraction, il a combattu pour le… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kusunoki Masashige — Statue von Kusonoki Masahige nahe dem Kaiserpalast in Tokio …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kusunoki Masashige — Este artículo está titulado de acuerdo a la onomástica japonesa, en que el apellido precede al nombre. Estatua de Kusunoki Masashige en el exterior del Palacio Imperial de Tokio . Kusunoki Masashige (楠木 正成 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Kusunoki Masashige — ▪ Japanese warrior born 1294?, Japan died July 4, 1336, Minato gawa, Settsu province, Japan       one of the greatest military strategists in Japanese history. Kusunoki s unselfish devotion and loyalty to the emperor have made him a legendary… …   Universalium

  • Kusunoki, Masashige — (1294 1336)    Otherwise known as dai nanko. An adviser and supporter of emperor Go daigo, he was one of the heroes who achieved a temporary restoration of the emperor Kemmu against the Ashikaga shogunate …   A Popular Dictionary of Shinto

  • Kusunoki Masatsura — Kusunoki Masatsura, the son of Kusunoki Masashige continues his father s struggle against the Ashikaga forces. This print shows the final stage of the battle of Shijonawate in 1348. In this Japanese name, the family name is Kusunoki . Kusunoki… …   Wikipedia

  • Kusunoki Masanori — (楠木正則)(d. 1390) was a samurai who fought for the Southern Court in Japan s Nanboku cho Wars, and is famed for his skills as a leader and military strategist, though he later sought a diplomatic solution and was regarded a traitor by many of his… …   Wikipedia

  • Masashige Kusunoki — Statue équestre de Masashige Kusunoki, à l extérieur du palais impérial de Tōkyō. Masashige Kusunoki (楠木 正成, 1294? 1336) est un chef militaire de l époque Nanboku chō. Samouraï de modeste extraction, il a combattu pour le compte de l empereur Go… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Masashige Kusunoki — Statue von Kusonoki Masahige nahe dem Kaiserpalast in Tokio Kusunoki Masashige (jap. 楠木 正成; * 1294 in Akasaka, Provinz Kawachi (heute: Chihaya Akasaka, Präfektur Ōsaka); † 5. Juli 1336 am …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kusunoki Masaie — In this Japanese name, the family name is Kusunoki . Kusunoki Masaie (楠木 正家?, died 1348) was a samurai leader of Japan s Nanboku chō period who fought for Emperor Go Daigo against the Kamakura shogunate. Masaie took command of the Kusunoki family …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”