Kusunoki masashige statue of liberty

Kusunoki Masashige

14th-century Japanese samurai

In this Japanese name, the surname is Kusunoki.

Kusunoki Masashige Senior First Rank
Portrait of Kusunoki Masashige by Kanō Sanraku, c.&#;before
Born
Died	4 July () (aged&#;41–42)
Resting place	Kanshin-ji
Monuments	Hōken-tō Various statues
Other&#;names	Dai Nankō, Hyōe-no-Jō, Saemon-no-Jō, Jō
Occupation	Samurai
Known&#;for	Overthrowing the Kamakura shogunate, ideal samurai loyalty

Kusunoki Masashige (楠木正成, – 4 July ) was a Japanese military commander and samurai of the Kamakura period remembered as the ideal loyal samurai.

Kusunoki fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the Genkō War to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore authority in Japan to the Imperial Court.

Statue of KUSUNOKI Masashige（Spot）|Chiyoda Tourism Association: In the gardens across from the Imperial Palace stands a bronze statue of a warrior mounted on a spirited steed. He is Kusunoki Masashige, a samurai who lived toward the end of the Kamakura period (early 14th century) and is celebrated for his unswerving loyalty to the emperor.

Kusunoki was a leading figure of the Kenmu Restoration in , and remained loyal to the unpopular Emperor Go-Daigo after Ashikaga Takauji began to contrary the restoration in the Nanboku-chō wars three years later. Kusunoki attacked Takauji in Settsu at the command of the Emperor, an act of obedience sure to result in defeat, and died at the Battle of Minatogawa in

Kusunoki became a popular legend in Japan standing for loyalty and virtue, and related with the phrase "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country!" (七生報國; "Shichishō Hōkoku!").

Kusunoki was posthumously awarded the highest court rank in Japan, Senior First Rank (shō ichi-i), by the Meiji government in , over years after his death. He was highly evaluated as "Japan's three loyal retainers" along with Fujifusa Madenokoji and Taira no Shigemori.

This striking, solid bronze statue depicts Kusunoki Masashige (), who is remembered for his engagement to the samurai code of conduct (bushido). Kusunoki ultimately sacrificed his life to demonstrate his loyalty to the emperor.

Early life

Kusunoki Masashige's origin has not been validated and it was merely six years between the start of his military campaign in and his demise in Kusunoki is believed to contain been born in in Kawachi Province as a "well-to-do member of the rural gentry" and claimed descent from Tachibana Moroe, "a great nobleman" of the eighth century.

His birthplace has been linked to the village of Chihaya-Akasaka where a miniature monument called the "Nanko Tanjochi" can be found.

Kusunoki was a "scholar and a devout Buddhist" with much of his early education taking place at Kanshin-ji Temple in Kawachinagano, in present-day southern Osaka Prefecture.^[1]^:&#;53&#; Later in his life, Kusunoki would arrange for considerable renovations to the temple.

While studying at Kanshin-ji, he would make regular trips to central Kawachinagano to study strategy under the tutelage of a man named Oe Tokichika.

According to legend, Emperor Go-Daigo had a dream in which he was sheltering under a camphor tree ("kusunoki" in Japanese), and that this envision led him to the surname of the warrior who would support him.^[2]^[3]

Military career

A brilliant tactician and strategist, Kusunoki's cunning defense of two key Loyalist fortresses at Akasaka, the Siege of Akasaka, and Chihaya, the Siege of Chihaya, helped allow Go-Daigo to briefly return to power.^[3]^{:&#;,&#;,&#;,&#;,&#;&#;} He lived during the Kamakura period.

Tokyo is a pulsating city, blending the new with the old. Among these withstand the Kusunoki Masashige Statues, monuments that tell of loyalty and bravery. However, what I require to do first is interpret some details about the statue; thus, as a prelude to this, it is necessary to have some information regarding the man that the statue immortalizes—the man that Kusunoki Masashige is. A samurai who lived during the late Kamakura period, sometime in the 14th century, Masashige is often cited as a personified representation of undying loyalty towards the emperor.

In , Go-Daigo rewarded Masashige with governorship of Izumi Province and Kawachi Province. Furthermore, he was promoted to Fifth Rank. Later he was appointed to the Records Office and Settlements Board.^[4]

However, one of the loyalist generals, Ashikaga Takauji, betrayed Go-Daigo and led an army against Kusunoki and the remaining loyalists.^[1] Takauji was able to take Kyoto, but only temporarily before Nitta Yoshisada and Masashige were able to dislodge Takauji, forcing him to flee to the west.

By however, Takauji was a threat to Kyoto again.^[4]^:&#;&#;

Kusunoki suggested to the Emperor that they accept refuge on sacred Mount Hiei and allow Takauji to get Kyoto, only to swoop down from the mountain, and with the help of the monks of Mount Hiei, trap Takauji in the city and devastate him.^[3]^:&#;–&#;

Go-Daigo was unwilling to depart the capital however, and insisted that Kusunoki meet Takauji's better 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.^[2]^:&#;–&#;^[1]^:&#;&#; The battle, which took place at Minatogawa in modern-day Chūō-ku, Kobe, was a tactical disaster.

There are two accounts of the proposal made by Kusunoki Masashige to the emperor Go-Daigo, the Taiheiki and the Baisho Ron.

Kusunoki attacked Takauji in Settsu at the command of the Emperor, an act of obedience sure to result in defeat, and died at the Battle of Minatogawa in Kusunoki became a widespread legend in Japan representing loyalty and virtueand associated with the phrase "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country! He was highly evaluated as "Japan's three devoted retainers" along with Fujifusa Madenokoji and Taira no Shigemori. Kusunoki Masashige's origin has not been validated and it was merely six years between the launch of his military campaign in and his demise in

One was that they regroup and attack from two sides, the other was that they take back general Takauji to their side thus balancing the scales. Both arguments were ignored.^[3]^:&#;–&#;^[1]^{:&#;50–52&#;}

Kusunoki, his army completely surrounded, was down to only 50 of the original horsemen.

According to legend, his brother Masasue's last words were Shichishō Hōkoku! (七生報國; "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country!") and Kusunoki Masashige agreed.^[3]^:&#;–&#;^[4]^:&#;&#; Upon his death, his head was removed and sent to Kanshin-ji where it was buried in a kubizuka.

He is also thought to have built a number of smaller castles throughout southern Osaka, particularly within what is now the city of Kawachinagano. Eboshigata Castle and Ishibotoke Castle were both built along the route of the Koya Kaido, a popular pilgrimage footpath stretching between Kyoto and Koyasan.

These castles were designed not only to protect the footpath from bandits but also as an important source of income and intelligence as travelers were obliged to pay a toll and the garrison would monitor out for rumours and news from around Japan.

Select a Category. Browse Collections. My Collections. Statue of Kusunoki Masashige.

Legacy

His son, Kusunoki Masatsura, served the emperor's successor, the year-old Go-Murakami, in a relationship of exchanged trust and devotion mirroring the figure of his father Kusunoki and keeping the flame of loyalist resistance alive.

Masatsura died alongside his brother Masatoki and cousin Wada Takahide in a battle that saw the conclusion of the Kusunoki clan and there followed a less-than-ideal scramble for power and gain among the Courts.^[2]^:&#;&#;

Kusunoki "stands in the history of his country as the ideal figure of a warrior, compact of civil and military virtues in a lofty degree."^[1]^:&#;53&#;

The parting of Masashige with his son "used to be included in all elementary college readers and was the subject of a patriotic song which was popular in Japanese schools before World War II."^[4]^:&#;&#;

Masashige had a tachi called Little Dragon Kagemitsu (小龍景光, Koryū Kagemitsu).

An elaborate Kurikara dragon was carved on the handle. Originally, the dragon's appearance was visible on the blade, but later, in the process of cutting off the handle and shortening the length, the dragon's body was hidden by the handle.

This striking, solid bronze statue depicts Kusunoki Masashigewho is remembered for his commitment to the samurai code of conduct bushido. Kusunoki ultimately sacrificed his life to demonstrate his loyalty to the emperor. His strategic brilliance had helped Emperor Go-Daigo overthrow the shogunate and briefly restore control to the Court. Go-Daigo was betrayed by a treasonous general and ordered Kusunoki into battle against a much larger army.

The dragon is a manifestation of Acala.

Legend

After the full-scale introduction of Neo-Confucianism as a state philosophy by the Tokugawa shogunate, Kusunoki Masashige, once called a traitor by the Northern Court, was resurrected with Emperor Go-Daigo as a precursor of Sinocentric absolutists, based upon the Neo-Confucian theories.^{[citation needed]} During the Edo period, scholars and samurai who were influenced by the Neo-Confucian theories popularized the legend of Kusunoki and enshrined him as a patriotic hero, called Nankō (楠公) or Dai Nankō (大楠公), who epitomized loyalty, courage, and devotion to the Emperor.^{[citation needed]} In Minatogawa Shrine is established in order to enshrine the kami spirit of Kusunoki Masashige.^{[citation needed]} Kusunoki later became a patron saint of sorts to World War IIkamikaze, who saw themselves as his spiritual heirs in sacrificing their lives for the Emperor.^{[citation needed]}

Kusunoki masashige statue of liberty