was a Japanese samurai of the
Nanboku-chō period
The , also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period, was a period in Japanese history between 1336-1392 CE, during the formative years of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate. Ideologically, the two courts fought for 50 ...
who was the first to hold the position of ''
Shitsuji'' (''Shōgun''s Deputy). He was appointed by
Ashikaga Takauji
also known as Minamoto no Takauji was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. ...
, the first ''
shōgun
, officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...
'' 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
The were a set of four emperors ( Emperor Go-Daigo and his line) whose claims to sovereignty during the Nanboku-chō period spanning from 1336 through 1392 were usurped by the Northern Court. This period ended with the Southern Court definitivel ...
during the wars of the
Nanboku-chō period and killed its generals
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 ad ...
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
The (Chronicle of Great Peace) is a medieval Japanese historical epic (see '' gunki monogatari'') written in the late 14th century and covers the period from 1319 to 1367. It deals primarily with the Nanboku-chō, the period of war between the ...
, an epic dedicated to the events of this period, describes the Kō brothers as avid villains. Moronao in particular is accused of violence, greed and lewdness.
Because of this reputation, in the ''
bunraku
is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers), the (chanters) ...
'' and ''
kabuki
is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
'' play ''
Kanadehon Chūshingura
is an 11-act bunraku puppet play composed in 1748. It is one of the most popular Japanese plays, ranked with Zeami Motokiyo, Zeami's ''Matsukaze'', although the vivid action of ''Chūshingura'' differs dramatically from ''Matsukaze''.
Medium
Du ...
'', which depicts the vendetta of the
47 ''rōnin'', his name is used to represent
Kira Yoshinaka
(October 5, 1641 – January 30, 1703) was a Japanese ''kōke'' (master of ceremonies). His court title was ''Kokushi (officials), Kōzuke no suke (上野介)''. He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the forty-seven ...
.
Both Moronao and his brother
Moroyasu during their careers were extremely useful to Takauji, but because of their violent and imperious characters they also made him many powerful enemies. Most importantly, Moronao was bitterly opposed to Takauji's younger brother
Tadayoshi and his policies.
This enmity would be the main trigger of the
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 ...
, an extremely divisive and damaging civil war between Takauji and Tadayoshi with very serious repercussions for the whole country.
Although he ultimately won, Takauji was initially defeated in March 1351 by Tadayoshi and a truce was agreed upon with the help of
Zen
Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...
master
Musō Soseki
was a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk and teacher, and a calligrapher, poet and garden designer. The most famous monk of his time, he is also known as , an honorific conferred on him by Emperor Go-Daigo.''Musō Soseki'', Kyoto University His mother ...
, who was close to both sides. One of the conditions imposed by Tadayoshi was that the Kō brothers would retire from politics forever and become monks, which they did. Moronao became a Zen monk and Moroyasu a member of the
Nenbutsu
250px, Chinese Nianfo carving
The Nianfo ( zh, t= 念佛, p=niànfó, alternatively in Japanese ; ; or ) is a Buddhist practice central to East Asian Buddhism. The Chinese term ''nianfo'' is a translation of Sanskrit '' '' ("recollection of the ...
fraternity. They later left
Hyōgo for Kyoto accompanied by Takauji, but they would never arrive. The Kō were captured and then executed with many dozens of their family at the
Mukogawa River by forces led by Uesugi Akiyoshi on 25 March 1351 (''
Kannō 2, 27th day of the 2nd month'') in revenge for their killing of Akiyoshi's father Shigeyoshi.
[Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten] Takauji, powerless, had to deliver them to Akiyoshi.
References
* Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten (岩波日本史辞典), CD-Rom Version. Iwanami Shoten, 1999–2001.
* Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). ''Japan Encyclopedia.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou.
The pres ...
.
OCLC 48943301
* Owada, Tetsuo, Sugawara Masako and Nitō Atsushi. (2003). ''Nihonshi Shoka Keizu Jimmei Jiten'' (日本史諸家系図人名辞典/ 監修小和田哲男). Tokyo: Kōdansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning'', '' Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Young Magazine'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'', ...
. ;
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ko no, Moronao
Ko no Moronao
1351 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Kabuki characters