* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kusunoki Masashige
楠木正成
The Paragon of Loyalty
Description
The Birth of Kusunoki Masashige
Born in Kawachi Province in Einin 2 (1294), Kusunoki Masashige is revered as a symbol of loyalty in Japanese history, having served Emperor Go-Daigo with unwavering devotion until the very end as a faithful subject of the Southern Court. His military brilliance and indomitable spirit of loyalty presented an ideal of what a loyal subject should be to later generations of Japanese, and he continues to be revered more than seven hundred years later.
Devotion to Emperor Go-Daigo
Masashige first came to prominence during the Genhō Disturbance of Genhō 1 (1331). Responding to Emperor Go-Daigo's call to overthrow the shogunate, Masashige raised an army at Akasaka Castle in Kawachi Province. Though his force numbered merely five hundred or so, he brilliantly withstood a siege against the tens of thousands of troops dispatched by the Kamakura shogunate through ingenious stratagems.
Exploits at the Siege of Chihaya Castle
The siege of Chihaya Castle, which followed Akasaka Castle, was the battle that demonstrated Masashige's military genius to the realm. Chihaya Castle was a mountain fortress utilizing the steep terrain of the Kongō mountain range, and with a force of merely some thousand troops, Masashige confounded the shogunate forces numbering a million. Deploying rolling boulders as falling-rock attacks, employing the ingenious stratagem of pouring scalding water and excrement, executing diversionary tactics with straw dummies—having completely mastered the fortress's terrain, Masashige unleashed an endless succession of unconventional tactics. The siege continued for several months, and the shogunate forces ultimately failed to capture Chihaya Castle. Masashige's tactics are evaluated as pioneering later guerrilla warfare.
Shifting Times
Masashige hailed from Kawachi Province and was said to have had close ties with the Kawachi swordsmiths of the time. Kawachi had long been an important center of sword production, crafting robust practical blades influenced by the Yamato tradition. The tachi attributed to Masashige was a battle-ready sword possessing the bold, magnificent style characteristic of the Nanbokuchō period. The Nanbokuchō era was an age when warfare became the norm, and large blades such as nodachi and naginata grew fashionable. Masashige, too, is said to have favored robust swords that prioritized effectiveness in actual combat, following the trends of his age.
Thoughts on Blades
Though the Kenmu Restoration came to pass, conflict with Ashikaga Takauji was inevitable. In Engen 1 (1336), when Takauji led a great army toward Kyoto, Masashige counseled the Emperor to withdraw from Kyoto and relocate to Mount Hiei. Yet the Emperor's attendants rejected this counsel and ordered Masashige to meet Takauji at Minatogawa. Though Masashige perceived that this battle was destined to end in defeat, he marched forth, remaining steadfast in his loyalty to the Emperor.
His Final Hour at Hyogo's Minatogawa
The Battle of Minatogawa became Masashige's final battleground. Before overwhelming numerical superiority, Masashige's forces were annihilated, and Masashige, together with his younger brother Kusunoki Masasue, took his own life at Minatogawa. According to tradition, at this moment Masashige spoke to Masasue, saying, "Let us be reborn seven times and destroy the enemies of the throne," and Masasue replied, "Though we be reborn seven times, we shall uphold this same resolve." This vow of "Shichishō Hōkoku" (serving the nation through seven lives) has been transmitted to later generations as the quintessence of Japanese loyalty.
Symbol of Loyalty
Following the Meiji Restoration, Masashige was deified as "Dai-Nankō" and his contributions to the Kenmu Restoration were once again celebrated. The equestrian statue of Kusunoki Masashige erected before the Imperial Palace in Meiji 33 (1900) depicts him in full armor astride his horse, bearing his tachi—an image beloved by the Japanese people as a symbol of their spirit of loyalty. The martial strategies Masashige employed and the sword he bore transmit to this day the figure of a warrior who upheld loyalty in an age of upheaval that was the Nanbokuchō period.
Notable Swords
- Nankō's tachi (heirloom)
- Kawachi-forged blades