* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kusunoki Masanori
楠木正儀
Kusunoki Clan Head and Supreme Commander of the Southern Court
- Era
- Nanboku-cho Period
- Lifespan
- c. 1330–c. 1389
Description
Life and Origins
Kusunoki Masanori was a warrior of the Nanboku-chō period and the third son of Kusunoki Masashige, the loyal retainer of Emperor Go-Daigo who died in the Battle of Minatogawa. He is said to have been born in the early 1330s. In Kenmu 3 (1336), his father Masashige was defeated by the forces of Ashikaga Takauji at the Battle of Minatogawa and took his own life. Further, when his brother Masatsura and Masatoki were killed in the Battle of Shijōnawate in Shōhei 3 (1348), Masanori came to bear, at a young age, the heavy responsibility of head of the Kusunoki family and commander-in-chief of the Southern Court.
Campaigns to Take Kyoto as Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Court
Masanori led Southern Court forces based in the three provinces of Kawachi, Izumi and Settsu, and repeatedly fought the Ashikaga shogunate on the Northern Court side. Particularly notable were his campaigns to retake Kyoto. Beginning with the first campaign in Shōhei 7 (1352), he carried out incursions into Kyoto four times in total, up to the fourth in Shōhei 16 (1361). In the fourth campaign, he occupied Kyoto together with Hosokawa Kiyouji and others, but withdrew without fighting in the face of the shogunal forces' renewed effort. He is also known as a commander who adopted new tactics centered on the spear.
Activities as a Peace Advocate and the Shōhei Ittō
Alongside his military operations, Masanori energetically sought peace between the Northern and Southern Courts. During the Kannō no Jōran (Kannō Disturbance), he served as the Southern Court's point of contact in peace negotiations between the two courts that advanced through the mediation of Ashikaga Tadayoshi, but the negotiations broke down. In the same year, the shogun Takauji submitted to the Southern Court, and the Shōhei Ittō (Shōhei unification), a temporary reunification of the Northern and Southern Courts, was established in Shōhei 6 (1351). However, the following year the Southern Court took control of Kyoto, the unification collapsed, and fighting flared again. Emperor Go-Murakami placed deep trust in Masanori, to the extent that, though a man of the warrior class, he was granted the office of rinji bearer, which is ordinarily held only by court nobles in the emperor's close circle.
Surrender to the Northern Court and Its Background
After the enthronement of Emperor Chōkei, political conflict with the mainstream faction within the court deepened, and Masanori surrendered to the shogunate side in Shōhei 24 (1369). This 'betrayal' was criticized in prewar education, but recent research has reassessed it as action based on a consistent conviction held by him as a member of the peace faction within the Southern Court. In the shogunate he was highly valued by the kanrei Hosokawa Yoriyuki, and was appointed shugo (provincial constable) of Kawachi, Izumi and the Sumiyoshi District of Settsu.
Return to the Southern Court and Later Years
When Hosokawa Yoriyuki fell from power, Masanori returned to the Southern Court and was appointed sangi (imperial councillor). Today he is highly regarded as one of the figures who carried out the peace negotiations that laid the groundwork for the unification of the Northern and Southern Courts in Meitoku 3 (1392). His date of death is estimated to be around 1388 to 1389.
Later Assessment
In the Edo period he received a lower evaluation than his father Masashige and brother Masatsura for their loyalty and valor, and was seldom discussed even within the 'Kusunoki Sandai' (the three Kusunoki generations). However, with the deepening of research on the Nanboku-chō period since the late Shōwa period, his proper standing is taking shape as a strategist and diplomat who supported the Southern Court to the very end. Together with his father Masashige and brother Masatsura, he is once again drawing attention as one of the three Kusunoki generations.
Notable Swords
- tachi 'Tatsu-no-o' (a favorite blade transmitted by the war chronicle Ashikaga Chiranki)