Kusunoki Masasue (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: 楠木正季, died July 5, 1336) was a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

during the

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 Mur ...

, and the younger brother of

Kusunoki Masashige was a Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty. Kusunoki fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the Genkō War to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore power in Japan to the Imperial Court. Kusunoki ...

. He died alongside his brother as part of the

Battle of Minatogawa The Battle of Minatogawa (), also known as the Battle of Minato River, was a battle of the Nanboku-chō Wars fought near the Minato River in Settsu Province (present day Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture) on 5 July 1336. The Imperial forces loyal to Emp ...

on July 5, 1336. He is famous for his last words ''Shichishō Hōkoku!'' (七生報國; "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country!").

Life

Relatively little is known about Masasue compared to his much more famous older brother. Masasue fought alongside his Masahige throughout the

Kenmu was a Japanese era name of the Northern Court during the Era of Northern and Southern Courts after '' Shōkei'' and before ''Ryakuō.'' Although Kemmu is understood by the Southern Court as having begun at the same time, the era was construed to ...

campaigns, including at the sieges of Akasaka and Chihaya castles, but other than his name, almost nothing is recorded about him in historical chronicles until his death at the Battle of Minatogawa. When Masashige was ordered by

Emperor Go-Daigo 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 ...

to make a stand against the forces of

Ashikaga Takauji was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromac ...

at the

in July 1336, Masasue went with him and perished in the battle. According to the war chronicle ''

Taiheki is a concept of one's bodily tendency in sensitivity, temperament, movement and personality. see Appendix for summary of Taiheki concept. The concept was established by , who was the founder and a teacher of in Japan. Noguchi said that man's ...

'', just before their deaths, Masashige turned to Masasue and said, "It is said that one's last thought in this life determines the goodness or evil of one's next incarnation. Into which of the nine levels of existence would you like to be reborn?" To which Masasue laughed and replied, "It is my wish to be reborn again and again for seven lives into this same existence in order to destroy the enemies of the court!" Masashige then expressed his agreement with this sentiment. This statement would later be encapsulated in the four-character slogan ''shichishō hōkoku'' (七生報國; "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country!").

References

1336 deaths Year of birth unknown Samurai People of Nanboku-chō-period Japan 14th-century Japanese people {{Samurai-stub