Kusunoki Masatoki (

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 ...

: 楠木正時, died February 4, 1348) 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 ...

lord 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 second son 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 was second-in-command during the

Battle of Shijōnawate The 1348 Battle of Shijōnawate () was a battle of the Nanboku-chō period of Japanese history, and took place in Yoshino, Nara. It was fought between the armies of the Northern and Southern Court of Japan. Overview On February 4, 1348, the war ...

, and died in battle in 1348, along with his older brother,

Kusunoki Masatsura , along with his father Masashige and brothers Masanori and Masatoki, was a supporter of the Southern Imperial Court during Japan's Nanbokucho Wars. Masatsura was one of the primary military leaders who revived the Southern Court in the 1340s. ...

Life

On February 4, 1348, the

began between

of the Southern Court and

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 onl ...

of the Northern Court. He died in the war with his elder brother, Masatsura. His ''

imina in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name, in that order. Nevertheless, when a Japanese name is written in the Roman alphabet, ever since the Meiji era, the official policy has been to cater to Western expecta ...

'' name is unknown, but he is referred to as "Jirō". This is all that is known about this person from the primary sources, and even his death age is unknown.Fujiwara no, Kinsada (1903). ''新編纂図本朝尊卑分脈系譜雑類要集''. 11. Japan: Yoshikawa Kobunkan. p. 343. doi:10.11501/991593. As a secondary historical source written around his time, his ''imina'' name can be confirmed to be "Masatoki", according to ''Sonpi Bunmyaku'' by Tōin Kinsada. In addition, in ''Kanshinji Bunsho'', there are two letters dated 1349 and 1350, respectively. According to the documents of

Kanshin-ji is a Buddhist temple located in the Teramoto neighborhood of the city of Kawachinagano, Osaka Prefecture, in the Kansai region of Japan. It is one of the head temples of the Kōyasan Shingon-shū branch of Shingon Buddhism. The temple has s ...

, these letters were written by Masatoki, but considering the dates, they are believed to have been written by his brother, Masanori. In 1889, Shijonawate Shrine was established, and Masatoki became one of its worshiped deities. According to the shrine documents, he held the court rank of Senior Fourth Rank. However, it is unknown if this is historically accurate.

References

1348 deaths Samurai {{Samurai-stub People of Nanboku-chō-period Japan 14th-century Japanese people