Kusunoki Masashige (楠木 正成, 1294-1336, also Nankō or Dai-Nankō) was a 14th century samurai who fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in his attempt to wrest rulership of Japan away from the Kamakura shogunate, then under the leadership of the Hojo clan. Events Catholicos of Armenia returns to Sis Pope Boniface VIII becomes Pope Births Charles IV of France Deaths John I of Brabant Roger Bacon – English philosopher and scientist Kublai Khan Categories: 1294 ... Events End of the Kemmu restoration and beginning of the Muromachi period in Japan. ... (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860 photograph. ... Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇) (November 26, 1288 - September 19, 1339) was the 96th Emperor of Japan. ... Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Largest City Tokyo Emperor Akihito Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 60th 377,835 km² 0. ... The Kamakura shogunate (鎌倉幕府) was a feudal military dictatorship ruled by the shoguns of the Minamoto family from 1185 to 1333. ... The Hojo clan (北条氏) in History of Japan is a family of regents of the Kamakura Shogunate. ...

A brilliant tactician, Kusunoki's cunning defense of two key loyalist fortresses at Akasaka and Chihaya helped allow Go-Daigo to briefly return to power. However, one of the loyalist generals, Ashikaga Takauji, betrayed Go-Daigo and led an army against Kusunoki and the remaining loyalists. Kusunoki suggested to the Emperor that they take refuge on sacred Mount Hiei and allow Takauji to take Kyoto, only to swoop down from the mountain, and with the help of the monks of Mount Hiei, trap Takauji in the city and destroy him. Go-Daigo was unwilling to leave the capital however, and insisted that Kusunoki meet Takauji's superior forces in the field in a pitched battle. Kusunoki, in what would later be viewed as the ultimate act of samurai loyalty, obediently accepted his Emperor's foolish command and knowingly marched his army into almost certain death. The battle, which took place at Minatogawa in modern-day Chūō-ku, Kobe, was a disaster. Kusunoki, his army completely surrounded, committed suicide along with 600 of his surviving troops. According to legend, his last words were Shichisei hokoku! (七生报国; "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country!") Akasaka (赤坂町; -cho) is a town located in Akaiwa District, Okayama, Japan. ... Ashikaga Takauji (Jp. ... Mount Hiei (Jp. ... Location of Kyoto, on the main island of Japan Kyoto (Japanese: 京都市; Kyōto-shi) is a city in Japan that has a population of 1. ... Port Tower at night Kōbe (Japanese: 神戸市; -shi) is a city in Japan, located on the island of Honshu. ...

During the Meiji period, educational reformers resurrected the legend of Masashige Kusunoki and enshrined him as a national hero who epitomized loyalty, courage, and devotion to the Emperor. Kusunoki became a patron saint of sorts to the World War II kamikazes, who saw themselves as his spiritual heirs in sacrificing their lives for the Emperor. History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei The Meiji period (Japanese: Meiji Jidai 明治時代 ) (1868–1912... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... A Japanese Zero about to hit the USS Missouri. ...