Kusunoki Masashige

Timeline

1. 1331–1332Akasaka Castle · Kawachi ProvinceDuring the Genkō Disturbance, Emperor Go-Daigo secretly ordered loyalist action; Masashige rose in arms at Akasaka Castle in Kawachi, resisting the Kamakura shogunate's large forces with a smaller army. According to records such as the Taiheiki, he made good use of surprise attacks and terrain, repeatedly defeating shogunate forces and becoming a symbol of the anti-shogunate movement; after the emperor's capture and exile he continued guerrilla resistance.
2. 1333–1335Kyoto · KyotoIn 1333 Masashige joined forces with Ashikaga Takauji and others, taking part in the destruction of the Kamakura shogunate. After the emperor's return to the capital, Masashige was appointed Governor of Kawachi and entrusted with defense of the capital region. During the Kenmu Restoration he advocated measured rewards and punishments and remained wary of Takauji's growing power, but disagreements within the court sowed the seeds of future conflict.
3. 1336Minatogawa · Settsu ProvinceTakauji counterattacked Kyoto from Harima; Masashige and his brother Masanori deployed their forces at Minatogawa. Facing the superior combined forces of Takauji and Naoyoshi, Masashige, knowing the odds were against him, nonetheless obeyed the imperial decree to give battle; in May 1336 he was defeated and the brothers died for their country. His loyal exploits, spread through the Taiheiki, became an important symbol of later imperial loyalism.