Kusunoki Masashige

Kusunoki Masashige (Japanese楠木 正 成, * 1294 in Akasaka, Province of Kawachi (now Chihaya - Akasaka, Osaka Prefecture ); † July 5, 1336 on the river Minato ) is now one of the biggest folk heroes in Japan and is very admired. In him the Kobe Minatogawa Shrine was dedicated. He is also represented on the Japanese wounded medal.

Rise

During a dream saw Emperor Go - Daigo the south-facing empty throne standing under a tree. He tried to interpret his dream and put the character for tree and southern side by side and they gave the word kusunoki, which translated means camphor tree. He immediately sent out monks caught up with the inquiries about this name. And really, there was a Kusunoki: Kusunoki Masashige was brought up in a Buddhist monastery and had a castle on the mountain Congo. He was a scion of the once mighty Tachibana clan. Since he was not a vassal of the military government, he joined Go- Daigo immediately, as this rebelled against the Hōjō ( Genko rebellion ). But Kusunoki announced Go- Daigo, that it would not be easy and you may have to face some setbacks.

Warfare

While Kusunoki fought with his rebels against the shogunate, Go- Daigo was captured and exiled to the Oki Islands, which are located 80 km off the coast of Honshu. Kusunoki was then shut up in his castle. He ordered his men to dig a hole where all previously fallen soldiers were burned. Kusunoki and his henchmen disguised themselves and were able to flee into smaller groups so before the warriors of the Bakufu. The troops of the Bakufu, but believed the burned bodies were Kusunoki and his fighters.

Kusunoki Masashige and his people, however, began to attack small groups of the Bakufu. On Kusunokis head and the head of Prince Morinaga ( the son of Emperor Go- Daigo ) were exposed to high rewards.

The greatest battle took place in 1333. One tradition has tried approximately 100,000 men, the fortress of Chihaya, where was Kusunoki with 2,000 warriors take. Kusunoki used his fortress to ward off traps, felled trees and barriers the attacks of the Bakufu several weeks. During this time Kusunokis warriors built several human-like clay figures, which they set up one night. You asked this before and behind the fortress the best archers. And indeed, the Bakufu fell for this ruse and lost more than 300 warriors. So Kusunoki held the fort for about 10 weeks, while Go- Daigo was able to leave the island by boat.

The Bakufu recognized the seriousness of the situation and sent Ashikaga Takauji with a large army to the west. This decided, however, to go to Go- Daigo. On June 19, 1333 they moved into Kyoto and defeated the local Bakufu. The military government now had to give up the siege of the fortress of Chihaya. So Go- Daigo was reinstated as emperor and gave his son, Prince Morinaga, the title of Shogun.

End

Go- Daigo took care of in the following reign not enough to his samurai, especially not Takauji. This no longer followed the commands Go- Daigo and appointed himself shogun. In 1336 he defeated an army that had sent the emperor, but was later beaten by Kusunoki to flight. Takauji fled and started to build a new army with which he moved against the Emperor again in May 1336. On July 5, 1336 it came to the decisive Battle of Minatogawa. Ashikaga 35,000 fighters were offset by about 17,000 Go- Daigo- warriors. The imperial army was divided in two. Part withdrew suddenly, so that Kusunoki was on her. Attacked from two sides, Kusunokis men tried desperately to fight back until the evening almost completely wiped out the army and Kusunoki was severely wounded.

Kusunoki Masashige withdrew after the battle along with his brother Masasue back to a farm. They conducted there seppuku. He Nanko -san temple was built on the spot where he died in honor.

The story of Ashikaga Takauji, Emperor Go - Daigo, Nitta Yoshisada and Kusunoki Masashige of the Genko rebellion until the establishment of the Northern and Southern imperial court are described in detail in the forty -volume epic Taiheiki.

During the nationalist exaggerated Meiji and Taishō period he was stylized as a national hero, the - loyal to the Emperor - in a hopeless situation for these sacrifices ( jibakutei ). 1944/45, he was therefore the " patron saint " of the kamikaze pilots.