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Nitta Yoshisada

Type Figure Region Japan Time 1301–1338 Also known as Nitta Yoshisada、源义贞、Minamoto no Yoshisada、新田義貞

Nitta Yoshisada (1301–1338), late Kamakura to early Nanboku-chō warrior, head of the Nitta clan of Kozuke, who captured Kamakura in 1333 and remained…

Timeline

  1. 1301–1330Nitta manor, Kozuke Province · Kozuke ProvinceFrom Nitta manor in Kozuke Province, of the Seiwa Genji Nitta line. Because his ancestors failed to respond promptly to Minamoto no Yoritomo, the Nitta clan long suffered neglect under the Kamakura shogunate. As an adult Yoshisada led clansmen and retainers, accumulating military strength among the Kantō gokenin.
  2. 1331–1333Kamakura · KamakuraDuring the Genkō War he was first summoned by the shogunate, then secretly ordered by Prince Moriyoshi and Emperor Go-Daigo to return to Kozuke and raise troops. In May 1333 he advanced from Musashi, and tradition holds he cast his sword into the sea at Inamurazaki to pray for the tide, bypassing defenses to enter Kamakura; Hōjō Takatoki committed suicide and the shogunate fell.
  3. 1333–1336Kyoto · KyotoAfter the shogunate's fall he was appointed Governor of Echigo along with posts in Kozuke, Harima and elsewhere. When Ashikaga Takauji rebelled, Yoshisada served the emperor against him; in 1336 he failed to coordinate with Kusunoki Masashige, who died at Minatogawa, and Yoshisada retreated with the emperor to Yoshino, beginning the Nanboku-chō split.
  4. 1336–1338Fujishima, Echizen Province · Echizen ProvinceHe built up a Southern Court base in Hokuriku, fighting Ashikaga forces under Shiba Takauji, Hosokawa Akisada and others. In 1338, while besieging Kuromaru Castle, his horse was struck by an arrow and he was surrounded and killed. His death at Fujishima deprived the Southern Court's Kantō–Hokuriku front of its commander.

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