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Nanboku-chō Period
The Nanboku-chō period (南北朝時代, ''Nanboku-chō jidai'', "North and South court period", also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period), spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate of Japanese history.During the early period, there existed a Northern Imperial Court, established by Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto, and a Southern Imperial Court, established by Emperor Go-Daigo in Yoshino. Ideologically, the two courts fought for 50 years, with the South giving up to the North in 1392. However, in reality the Northern court was under the power of the Ashikaga shogunate and had little real independence. The destruction of the Kamakura shogunate of 1333 and the failure of the Kenmu Restoration in 1336 opened up a legitimacy crisis for the new shogunate. Institutional changes in the estate system ('' shōen'') that formed the bedrock of the income of nobles and warriors altered the status of the var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Yoshino
is a mountain located in the town of Yoshino in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan that is a major religious and literary site. It is renowned for its cherry blossoms and attracts many visitors every spring, when the trees are in blossom. In 2004, Mount Yoshino was designated as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name ''Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range''. Mount Yoshino is famous for having more than 30,000 sakura flowering cherry trees. These trees have inspired Japanese ''waka'' poetry and folk songs for centuries, including a ''waka'' in the 10th century poetry compilation ''Kokin Wakashū''. Yoshino is also the subject of several poems in the ''Ogura Hyakunin Isshu''. The 12th century CE Japanese Buddhist poet Saigyō writes of Mount Yoshino's cherry blossoms. Yoshino's cherry trees were planted in four groves at different altitudes, in part so they would come into bloom at different times of the spring. A 1714 account explained ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shugo
, commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to the emergence of the ''daimyōs'' (大名, feudal lords) in the late 15th century, as ''shugo'' began to claim power over lands themselves, rather than serving simply as governors on behalf of the shogunate. The post is said to have been created in 1185 by Minamoto no Yoritomo to aid the capture of Yoshitsune, with the additional motivation of extending the rule of the shogunate government throughout Japan. The ''shugo'' (military governors) progressively supplanted the existing ''kokushi'' (civil governors), who were appointed by the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Officially, the ''gokenin'' in each province were supposed to serve the ''shugo'', but in practice, the relationship between them was fragile, as the gokenin were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kō No Moronao
was a Japanese samurai of the Nanboku-chō period who was the first to hold the position of ''Shitsuji'' (''Shōgun''s Deputy). He was appointed by Ashikaga Takauji, the first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate. As Deputy, he served not only an administrative governmental function, but also as general of the Shogun's armies. He fought for the Ashikaga against the loyalist forces of the Southern Court during the wars of the Nanboku-chō period and killed its generals Kitabatake Akiie and Kusunoki Masayuki.Frédéric, Roth (2005:560) Moronao was an iconoclast with no intention of following tradition, particularly insofar as the Emperor was concerned. On the subject, he once said: What is the use of a King? Why should he live in a Palace? And why should we bow to him? If for some reason a King is needed, let us have one made of wood or metal, and let all the live Kings be banished. The Taiheiki, an epic dedicated to the events of this period, describes the Kō brothers a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kannō Disturbance
The , also called ''Kannō no juran'', was a civil war which developed from antagonisms between ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Takauji and his brother, Ashikaga Tadayoshi, thus dividing and weakening the early Ashikaga shogunate.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric ''et al.'' (2005). ''Japan encyclopedia'', p. 474. These events are labeled ''Kannō'' after the Japanese era or ''nengō'' which was proclaimed by the Northern Court during the years 1350 through 1351 in the Nanboku-chō period of Japanese history. One of the main effects of the Disturbance was the re-invigoration of the Southern Court's war effort due to the flow of renegades from Kyoto who followed Tadayoshi to the Southern capital of Yoshino, near Nara. Resurgence of the Southern Court The events Takauji was nominally ''shōgun'' but, having proved not to be up to the task of ruling the country, for more than ten years Tadayoshi governed in his stead.iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashikaga Tadayoshi
"Ashikaga Tadayoshi" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 624. was a general of the Northern and Southern Courts period (1337–92) of Japanese history and a close associate of his elder brother Takauji, the first Muromachi ''shōgun''. Son of Ashikaga Sadauji and Uesugi Kiyoko, daughter of Uesugi Yorishige, the same mother as Takauji, he was a pivotal figure of the chaotic transition period between the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates.Yasuda (1990:22) Tadayoshi is today considered a military and administrative genius and the true architect of many of his elder brother's successes.Encyclopædia Britannica Online accessed on August 11, 2009 In contemporary chronicles he is rarely called with his name, but is instead called eith ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kitabatake Akiie
was a Japanese court noble, and an important supporter of the Southern Court during the Nanboku-chō Wars. He also held the posts of Commander-in-Chief of the Defense of the North, and Governor of Mutsu Province. His father was Imperial advisor Kitabatake Chikafusa. Biography In 1333, Akiie was ordered to accompany the six-year-old eighth son of Emperor Go-Daigo, Prince Norinaga (also read as ''Noriyoshi''), to Mutsu, where the Prince became Governor-General of Mutsu and Dewa. These two large provinces constituted much of the north-eastern end of Honshū, the area now known as Tōhoku. In April 1333, he was appointed to the post of '' Chinjufu-shōgun'', or Commander-in-Chief of the Defense of the North. This was a position that had been held by Minamoto no Yoshiie two hundred years earlier. A number of families formed a league under his direction, supporting the Southern Court; these included the samurai families of Yūki, Date, Nambu, Soma, and Tamura. The Soma and s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kyūshū
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands. Kyushu has a land area of and a population of 14,311,224 in 2018. In the 8th-century Taihō Code reforms, Dazaifu was established as a special administrative term for the region. Geography The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano, Mount Aso at , is on Kyushu. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs. The most famous of these are in Beppu, on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso in central Kyushu. The island is separated from Honshu by the Kanmon Straits. Being the nearest island to the Asian continent, historically it is the gateway to Japan. The total area is which makes it the 37th largest island in the world. It's slightly larger than Taiwan island . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jinnō Shōtōki
is a Japanese historical book written by Kitabatake Chikafusa. The work sought both to clarify the genesis and potential consequences of a contemporary crisis in Japanese politics, and to dispel or at least ameliorate the prevailing disorder. The text begins with these statements as prologue: History Chikafusa had been a careful student of the book '' Nihon Shoki'' (日本書紀, ''"The Chronicles of Japan"''), and this background is reflected in the narrative structure of his ''Jinnō Shōtōki''. He was also well acquainted with Watarai Ieyuki (度会家行), a prominent Shinto priest at the Ise Shrine. Watarai's life of study had added significantly to clarifying the theory of Ise Shinto, and this point-of-view is reflected in the tone of ''Jinnō Shōtōki.'' The work as a whole was written in the years 1338–1341 at Oda fortress in Hitachi Province, Japan (present-day Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture) then amended in 1343 at Seki fortress. It is believed that th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kitabatake Chikafusa
was a Japanese court noble and writer of the 14th century who supported the Southern Court in the Nanboku-cho period, serving as advisor to five Emperors. Some of his greatest and most famous work was performed during the reign of Emperor Go-Daigo, under whom he proposed a series of reforms, amounting to a revival or restoration of political and economic systems of several centuries earlier. In addition to authoring a history of Japan and a number of works defending the right of Go-Daigo's line to the throne, Kitabatake fought in defense of the Southern Court as a member of the Murakami branch of the Minamoto clan.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1962). ''Sovereign and Subject,'' pp. 139–241. Politics Kitabatake, in his writings, held a strong distaste for the Ashikaga clan, the ruling family at the time who held the position of ''shōgun'' and maintained a rival Imperial court known as the Northern Court. This disdain came not only because they were warriors rather ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prince Morinaga
(1308 – August 12, 1335) was a Japanese prince and monk. He was the son of Emperor Go-Daigo and his consort Minamoto no Chikako. Moriyoshi was named by his father as the head abbot of the Enryaku-ji temple on Mount Hiei. Go-Daigo attempted to seize power in 1331 during the Genkō War. Prince Moriyoshi joined forces with Kusunoki Masashige. Moriyoshi tenaciously defended Mount Yoshino. Masashige's heroics defending Chihaya, together with Moriyoshi's efforts to rally troops, brought a large number of warriors to the loyalist cause. By 1333, the rival warlords Ashikaga Takauji and Nitta Yoshisada had both joined the cause; Yoshisada would lay siege to Kamakura in the same year. When the city finally fell, Regent Hōjō Takatoki fled to Tōshō temple, where he and his entire family committed suicide. This marked the end of Hōjō power. Restored to the throne, Go-Daigo started the Kenmu Restoration. After refusing to appoint Ashikaga Takauji to the post of '' sei-i taishōgu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Daigo
was the 60th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 醍醐天皇 (60)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Daigo's reign spanned the years from 897 through 930. He is named after his place of burial. Genealogy Daigo was the eldest son of his predecessor, Emperor Uda. His mother was Fujiwara no Taneko (or Inshi), daughter of the minister of the center, Fujiwara no Takafuji.Varley, p. 179. He succeeded the throne at the young age after his father, the Emperor Uda, abdicated in 897. His mother died before his ascension, so he was raised by another Uda consort, Fujiwara no Onshi, daughter of the former '' kampaku'' Fujiwara no Mototsune. Daigo's grandfather, Emperor Kōkō, had demoted his sons from the rank of imperial royals to that of subjects in order to reduce the state expenses, as well as their political influence; in addition, they were given the family name Minamoto. As such, Daigo was not born as a royalty and was named Minamoto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Godaigo
Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 ''Go-Daigo-tennō'') (26 November 1288 – 19 September 1339) was the 96th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後醍醐天皇 (96) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. He successfully overthrew the Kamakura shogunate in 1333 and established the short lived Kenmu Restoration to bring the Imperial House back into power. This was to be the last time the emperor had real power until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.Sansom 1977: 22–42. The Kenmu restoration was in turn overthrown by Ashikaga Takauji in 1336, ushering in the Ashikaga shogunate, and split the imperial family into two opposing factions between the Ashikaga backed Northern Court situated in Kyoto and the Southern Court based in Yoshino led by Go-Daigo and his later successors. This 14th-century sovereign personally chose his posthumous name after the 9th-century Emperor Daigo and ''go-'' (後), translates as "later", and he is thus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
