Biographies XCVI: Kusunoki Masashige, Masatsura, the Wada Brothers and Others

Kusunoki Masashige

¶Kusunoki Masashige was a man of Kawachi province and a descendant of Tachibana-no-Moroe, Sadaijin, Minister of the Left. For generations his family had lived on the western side of Mount Kongō (Note: following the Taiheiki). His father's name was Masayasu (Note: following the genealogies. Several genealogies are transmitted today, and they differ from one another and contain errors. They were probably compiled by men of later ages, but since there is no other material to rely on, one version is followed for the time being). His mother had prayed to Bishamonten, the guardian deity Vaiśravaṇa, at Mount Shigi before conceiving Masashige, and so his childhood name was Tamon (Note: following the Taiheiki). When he grew up he became Hyōe-no-jō, Third-Rank Officer of the Palace Guards (Note: following the Baishōron and the Taiheiki; whether of the Left or the Right Guards is unknown).

¶In the first year of Genkō (1331), Emperor Go-Daigo, avoiding the forces of Hōjō Takatoki, withdrew to Kasagidera temple. But on every side few were willing to take the emperor's part, and he was deeply troubled. One night he dreamed that in the front garden of the Shishinden there stood a single great tree, whose branches reaching toward the south were the most luxuriant, and that beneath it a seat facing south had been set up, with the hundred officials ranged in rows. Suddenly two boys with their hair bound up like horns knelt before him, pointed to the seat, and said in tears, "Nowhere under heaven is there a place that can hold Your Majesty. Only this seat is one on which you may sit." When he awoke, he realized that if one writes "south" beside "tree," the character for "kusunoki," the camphor tree, is formed, and he thought: "A man of the Kusunoki clan will surely appear and restore me to the southern-facing throne." He summoned the temple priest Kaigen (Note: for Kaigen, following the Konshōin text of the Taiheiki) and asked him, and Kaigen answered that the dream meant Kusunoki Masashige. The emperor said, "That dream must surely mean this," and sent Fujiwara-no-Fujifusa to summon Masashige.

¶Masashige went at once to the temporary palace. Through Fujifusa the emperor sent word: "You have answered the summons and come at once; this is truly commendable. Today's affairs depend entirely upon you. If you have a plan, set out in detail how the court may win victory." Masashige replied: "The rebels are committing violence and tyranny, and so they are bringing calamity upon themselves. If Heaven's punishment is brought to bear on them, they cannot fail to be defeated. The warriors of the east are brave but lack stratagem; if one contends with them by strength, the troops of Musashi and Sagami may be called without a rival in the realm. But if they are subdued by stratagem, they can easily be mastered. Still, victory and defeat are the common lot of the soldier, and we may meet with some small reverse, but I beg Your Majesty not to let it trouble your heart. So long as your servant lives, how could the matter fail?" Then he took his leave and returned to Akasaka castle. The castle measured about two chō on each side, with level ground on three sides, and had only five hundred defenders, but he levied the stores of the people of his domain to supply provisions (Note: following the Taiheiki). The plan was that, should anything happen at the temporary palace, the emperor would be received in this castle (Note: following the Masukagami). The rammed-earth walls had just been completed (Note: following the Taiheiki) when the rebel commander Ōsaragi Sadanao and others captured Kasagi and, riding on that momentum, pressed forward in a single sweep (Note: supplied by comparing the Hōryaku Kanki, the Genkō Nikki Uragaki, and the Kōmyōji Zōsho Zanpen). Their force numbered some three hundred thousand.

¶Masashige had already had his younger brother Masasue (Note: also written Masauji) and Wada Masatoo lead three hundred soldiers and lie in ambush in the mountains beside the castle. The rebels, seeing how small the castle was, despised it and said to one another, "One could lift it with one hand." They closed in on the walls at once and attacked in a rush. The defenders shot arrows like rain, and more than a thousand of the rebels were killed or wounded. The rebels, startled and daunted, fell back, took off their armor and removed the saddles from their horses, intending to make camp. Masasue and his men saw this, divided their troops into two parties, raised a battle cry, and advanced. The garrison also sallied out in successive vanguards and fought desperately together. The rebels fled in confusion, throwing down their arms and horse-gear along the road and scattering; but before long they came back to the attack and surrounded the castle in many rings. Masashige had prepared a contrived wall in advance, and when the rebels swarmed up from every side, each trying to be first, he had the ropes cut, and then had great trees and great stones hurled down on them, crushing more than seven hundred men. The rebels pressed on again, holding shields over their heads, and hooked the walls with iron grappling hooks until they had nearly pulled them down, but from within the castle boiling water was poured on them with long-handled ladles. The rebels were all scalded, and from then on they set up palisades, drew back and held their ground, turning to a strategy of exhausting the castle by a long siege.

¶Now, because Masashige had built the castle in haste, the provisions he had stored were not great. At this point he took counsel with his officers and men and said: "We have won repeated victories, yet the rebels' spirit is in no way broken. Within we are short of provisions, and without we have no relief. Since we aim to raise a great deed before all the realm, death itself is nothing to us. Yet to be cautious when the moment comes, and to bring a matter to completion by careful planning, is also what the wise prize. If we now feign death for once, the rebels will surely withdraw their troops and go home. Once home they will gather their forces again and return, but then we shall be well rested and they worn out, and this is the way to seize victory." All agreed. That night the wind and rain were fierce and the darkness was such that one could not see what lay before one's eyes. Masashige had a great pit dug, had corpses thrown in and buried, and had firewood piled over them. He left one soldier behind, ordering him: "When you judge that I have gone far, set fire and burn the castle." The rest of the troops he divided into small groups of three or five and slipped secretly through the rebels' camp to escape. The rebels noticed nothing at all. When the flames rose, they rushed into the castle, each trying to be first, and, seeing the burnt corpses in the pit, were convinced that Masashige had truly died, and they withdrew their troops and went back to the Kantō. Masashige went into hiding on Mount Kongō.

¶Hōjō Nakatoki and Hōjō Tokimasu sent Yuasa Jōbutsu to hold Akasaka castle. In the second year of Genkō (1332), the emperor was exiled to Oki, and the imperial forces everywhere were all disbanded. In the summer of that year Masashige led five hundred soldiers and attacked Akasaka castle. Jōbutsu ordered the villagers to carry provision rice to the castle by night, but Masashige learned of it, lay in ambush on the road, and seized it. Further, he had weapons wrapped up like rice bales and had three hundred of his soldiers, disguised as porters, carry them into the castle, while other soldiers were sent out to feign pursuit. From inside the castle this was seen, and, thinking the porters were being chased by enemies, the garrison opened the gate and let them in. As soon as the porters entered the castle they put on armor and shouted, the soldiers outside responded, and together they broke through the barrier and attacked all at once, so that Jōbutsu at last surrendered.

¶Masashige added those troops to his own and went about pacifying Izumi and Kawachi, then advanced and took up a position at Watanabe Bridge, so that the whole capital region was greatly shaken. Nakatoki and Tokimasu sent Suda Michiharu and Takahashi Munevasu with more than five thousand soldiers to attack him. Masashige divided two thousand men into three parties and hid them beside Tennōji temple. He had three hundred of his weakest soldiers guard the bridge, all of them on lean horses with poor reins. As soon as the fighting began they fled, luring the rebels on to pursue them recklessly. When the rebels had passed the neighborhood of Tennōji, the hidden troops rose all together, and the rebels fled in utter defeat; scrambling to cross the bridge first, countless numbers of them drowned.

¶A little over a month later, Nakatoki and Tokimasu sent Utsunomiya Kintsuna with five hundred soldiers to attack again. Wada Magosaburō said to Masashige: "The five thousand soldiers of Suda and Takahashi have already been beaten by us. Taking advantage of this victory, what difficulty could there be in beating Kintsuna? I beg you to let us go out and meet him." Masashige answered: "In war it is harmony that counts, not great numbers. Kintsuna is a brave general of Bandō and commands the two bands of Ki and Sei. Moreover, coming after the previous defeat, he has marched out alone and unsupported, and so he must be resolved to die. Even if we hold him off, we shall surely lose much ourselves. The great affairs of the realm will not be finished in this one day. We should spare our strength and prepare for later battles. If we now yield him one stroke and withdraw, and within a few days deceive him with an unexpected stratagem, the hot-blooded soldiers of Bandō will lose their spirit and retire. This is what is called 'to shrink before a small enemy and be bold before a great one,' to bring the enemy's troops to submission without fighting." He abandoned his position and withdrew, and after a few days sent out three hundred soldiers and several thousand peasant levies, had them light great watch-fires, and scattered them like stars over the mountains and fields. This he continued night after night, and as the days went on the numbers grew, so that it seemed he was drawing ever closer. Kintsuna tightened his ranks and kept strict guard, but, believing that the enemy's strength was growing day by day, he finally withdrew his troops in secret.

¶Masashige entered Tennōji again and asked the temple priests to let him see the "Record of the Future" of Jōgū Taishi, Prince Shōtoku. Its text read: "When the ninety-fifth sovereign comes, the realm will be thrown into disorder once and the ruler will not be at peace. Then a fish from the east will come and swallow the four seas, and the moon will sink in the western sky for more than three hundred and seventy days. A bird from the west will come and devour the fish of the east, and the realm will be made one." Masashige rejoiced and said: "The 'ninety-fifth sovereign' of the prophecy is the present emperor. The 'fish from the east that swallows the four seas' is the Sagami Nyūdō, Hōjō Takatoki. The 'bird from the west that devours the fish of the east' means that someone will raise troops and destroy the Kantō. 'The sun sinking in the western sky for more than three hundred and seventy days' refers to the present emperor being in Oki, and his return to the capital and restoration to just government will come next spring." So he presented the priests with a gold-mounted sword and treated his officers and men still more generously. He forbade plundering, and so people far and near gathered to him in hope, and his military strength grew ever greater (Note: following the Taiheiki).

¶Soon Masashige returned to Mount Kongō, built Chihaya castle, and made it his base (Note: following the Masukagami, the Tenshō text of the Taiheiki, and the Hōryaku Kanki). He had Hirano Shōgen guard Akasaka castle (Note: following the Taiheiki; the Shinmeikyō says that Masashige had his brother Gorō guard Akasaka castle). In the spring of the following year, Takatoki again dispatched a great army, sending Nikaidō Sadafuji to surround Prince Moriyoshi at Yoshino. He also had Ōsaragi Takanao attack Chihaya castle and Aso Tokiharu attack Akasaka castle (Note: supplied by comparing the Hōryaku Kanki, the Shinmeikyō, and the Genkō Nikki Uragaki. In the present texts of the Taiheiki there are discrepancies concerning the commanders who attacked Kongō and Akasaka, but here the account of this work is followed).

¶Hirano Shōgen held the castle for more than ten days, but the castle had an underground conduit, and the rebels discovered it. A long drought had also been in progress, and the soldiers suffered from thirst. The rebels then burned the towers with fire arrows, and Shōgen, his strength spent, surrendered. The rebels sent Shōgen to Rokuhara and beheaded him. At about the same time Nikaidō Sadafuji took Yoshino, and Prince Moriyoshi fled south. The forces of Sadafuji and Aso Tokiharu all gathered at Chihaya castle, and the strength of the army grew very great.

¶The castle faced valleys to the east and west, was hidden among peaks to the north and south, and its precipices rose steeply for tens of jin; its circumference was about one ri. The rebels, relying on their huge army, clung to it like ants and attacked the castle in a rush, but within the castle arrows and stones were showered down in great quantity, and the rebels' dead and wounded were beyond counting. In the rebel army twelve officials were ordered to record the course of the fighting, but it is said that even after writing for three days and three nights they could not finish. The rebel army therefore forbade any unauthorized advance and had its camps held firm and the siege continued.

¶There were five springs in the castle, but the water obtained in a day amounted to only about five koku. Masashige, concerned at the shortage of water, had several hundred great water vats made to store water, and mixed yellow earth into them to preserve its quality. Whenever it rained he had the rainwater from the roofs led into the vats, so that water was always abundant. But the rebels suspected that water was being drawn from outside the castle, and had Nagoshi, Echizen-no-kami, lead three thousand soldiers to guard the valley on the east side. Masashige, observing that the guard was somewhat lax, sent out troops at dawn, broke them, and seized their banners and curtains. The next day he had these displayed on the castle wall and had his men call out: "These were left behind yesterday by Lord Nagoshi. We are sorry to trouble the retainers from the capital, but please come and fetch them." Echizen-no-kami, ashamed and furious, led five thousand soldiers, tore up the palisades and attacked. The defenders dropped great trees, and also shot arrows in volleys from the towers. The rebels' dead and wounded were almost their whole number, and in fear they no longer dared to attack.

¶The rebels settled still more firmly into a long siege, so Masashige had several dozen straw dummies made, dressed them in armor, gave them weapons, and set them outside the castle by night. Five hundred stout fellows were secretly hidden behind them. At dawn, with a battle cry, he drew the rebels out and waited for them to attack. After shooting a few arrows, his men hesitated, as if drawing back, and withdrew into the castle. A mist had come down and it was dim, and the rebels did not notice; each trying to be first, they rushed upon the straw dummies. From above the castle great stones were dropped one after another, killing or wounding more than eight hundred.

¶The rebels built flying bridges and tried to leap into the castle, but from within torches were thrown at them all at once and oil was poured on them through bamboo tubes. The bridges burned and fell, the rebels plunged into the valley below the cliff, and those who were burned to death numbered several thousand. At just that time the militia of the neighboring districts, acting on Prince Moriyoshi's command, cut the rebels' supply lines. The rebel army was in great distress and deserters followed one after another. Nakatoki and Tokimasu again sent Utsunomiya Kintsuna to assist Ōsaragi Takanao, and Kintsuna attacked in a sudden rush with a thousand men of his own but could not take the castle. At that time the emperor made his progress to Hōki, and the commanders captured Rokuhara, so the rebels all lifted the siege and left.

¶When the emperor's carriage returned to the capital, Masashige led seven thousand soldiers and went as far as Hyōgo to meet it. The emperor himself spoke words of comfort to Masashige and said: "That so great an enterprise has been accomplished so swiftly is entirely due to your strength." Masashige bowed in thanks and said, "Had I not relied on Your Majesty's august might, how could your servant have escaped the heavy encirclement and come to this day?" The emperor decreed that Masashige should lead the way into the capital. Afterwards Ōsaragi Takanao and others, with their remaining troops, shut themselves up in Nara and planned to attack the capital, but Masashige, together with Minamoto-no-Sadahira, Sakonoe-no-chūjō, Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards, attacked them and made them surrender.

¶In the first year of Kenmu (1334), Masashige attacked the monk Kenpō at Iimoriyama and pacified it (Note: following the Taiheiki). For that merit he was appointed Kebiishi, Police and Judicial Commissioner, and Saemon-no-jō, Third-Rank Officer of the Left Gate Guards, and concurrently Kawachi-no-kami, Governor of Kawachi (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Kenmu Ninenki; for Saemon-no-jō, following the documents of Kongōji temple in Kawachi). He also became Shugo, Protector, of Settsu, Kawachi, and Izumi (Note: following the memorial tablet at Kōganji temple in Hyōgo, Settsu, and the biography of the monk Myōkyoku. The Baishōron makes him protector of Kawachi and Izumi, and the Taiheiki calls him governor of Settsu and Kawachi). He was styled Kawachi-no-Taifu Hōgan, Judge of Kawachi (Note: following the Kenmu Ninenki and the documents of Kongōbuji temple on Mount Kōya). Soon he became a Yoriudo, Official, of the Kirokujo, the Records Office, and served at the Zasso Ketsudansho, the Court of Miscellaneous Claims, taking part in deliberations on rewards for officers and soldiers (Note: following the Kenmu Ninenki).

¶In the second year of Kenmu (1335), when Nitta Yoshisada went east to attack Ashikaga Takauji, Masashige stayed in the capital with the other commanders to hold it. In the first year of Engen (1336), Takauji advanced to attack the court, and Masashige led five thousand soldiers and defended at Uji. But Takauji's army attacked Ōwatari, and the imperial army was defeated. The emperor withdrew to Enryakuji temple, and Masashige, together with the other commanders, guarded the temporary palace, and with Nitta Yoshisada, Yūki Munehiro, Nawa Nagatoshi, and others attacked Takauji.

¶Masashige set fire to Izumoji and advanced from Tadasu no Mori. He had prepared several hundred light shields beforehand, and when he met the rebels he charged at a gallop. The shields were linked together with iron hooks, and behind them his men shot arrows from cover. Then he loosed picked cavalry to exploit the advantage. The rebels collapsed and fell back. On that day the imperial armies won a victory, and Takauji fled west.

¶At dusk, Masashige said to Yoshisada: "Although we have defeated the rebels today, the number we have killed is not very large, and we do not know where Takauji has gone. If we remain in the capital with these few troops, I fear that the soldiers will covet goods and scatter in every direction and we shall not be able to gather them again. We may not be safe from a counterstroke like that of the other day. Moreover the rebels have found a chance to ride on their momentum, and later they will be hard to control. It would be best to pull back our troops now, build up our strength, and drive them out in one stroke to a distance of tens of ri." Yoshisada followed this advice and withdrew his troops. Then Takauji entered the capital again.

¶The next day Masashige sent several dozen monks to the battlefield to search among the bodies, and had them say, weeping falsely, "Yesterday seven generals, Nitta, Kitabatake, Kusunoki and others, fell in battle. We wish to find their remains and bury them." The rebels, hearing this, believed it to be true, took heads resembling those of Yoshisada and Masashige, and exposed them. Masashige, with the other commanders, secretly moved the army and set out by night. He also sent soldiers separately, carrying torches, to proceed west along the mountains, so that their lights stretched on without a break. The rebel army, seeing this from afar, reported to Takauji: "The imperial army has lost its commanders and has now all fled." Takauji posted troops on the roads in all directions to hold the strategic points, but the remaining troops had already relaxed their guard.

¶At dawn the next day Masashige and the others advanced into the capital, set fires, and struck them unprepared. The rebel army collapsed in great disorder, and Takauji at last fled west, throwing away weapons and armor along the road. Masashige, with the other commanders, pursued as far as Teshimagawara, where he fought Ashikaga Tadayoshi. When Masashige led his troops round to the rebels' rear, Tadayoshi withdrew without fighting and escaped across the sea together with Takauji (Note: following the Taiheiki). Masashige returned to the capital and thereupon served at the Musha-dokoro, the Warriors' Office (Note: following the Kenmu Ninenki).

¶In the summer, Takauji and Tadayoshi led a great army and advanced east by both water and land. Yoshisada defended at Hyōgo. The emperor decreed that Masashige should assist Yoshisada. Masashige submitted this memorial: "The rebels have gathered the forces of Kyūshū, and their strength will surely become rampant. Our weary soldiers cannot possibly withstand them. We should recall Yoshisada, move the emperor's carriage to Enryakuji, the Sanmon, and deliberately let the rebels enter the capital. In the meantime your servant will return to Kawachi, summon the troops of the counties of the Home Provinces, close the river mouths and cut off the transport of provisions, and, waiting until the rebels are exhausted and scattered, attack from front and rear together, and so we can overthrow them in one stroke. I suspect Yoshisada's thinking is much the same, but because retreating without a fight would draw the censure of the world, he simply does not dare return. Now in war, one may be beaten at the start, yet aim to be at an advantage in the end. I beg Your Majesty to consider again."

¶But Fujiwara-no-Kiyotada argued, "Masashige should be sent at once, and the decisive battle fought outside the capital," and the emperor followed that opinion. Masashige had no choice but to lead five hundred horsemen up the road, and on reaching Sakurai station he gave his son Masatsura the chrysanthemum-patterned sword once granted him by the emperor, charged him to destroy the rebels and set the realm right, and sent him back to Kawachi. He himself advanced to Minatogawa, deployed there, and faced Takauji's land army. Yoshisada took position at Wada-no-misaki and held off the naval force.

¶Hosokawa Jōzen, Takauji's vanguard, led the fleet toward Konbe, so Yoshisada pulled out his army to go and block it. Meanwhile Takauji's whole army had already landed at Hyōgo. Masashige, seeing this from afar, said to Masasue: "Our army has been cut in two, and the rebels fill the field before and behind. This is the end of all stratagem." He attacked Tadayoshi's camp, fought with all his strength in every direction, and came very near to taking Tadayoshi. But Takauji sent more than six thousand men to cut off the rear of Masashige's army. Masashige turned back and fought repeatedly, but his soldiers were all killed, and he himself received eleven wounds.

¶Masashige withdrew into a farmhouse and asked Masasue, "Today I go to the Nine Springs, the underworld; where would you wish your spirit to dwell after death?" Masasue laughed and replied, "I would wish to be born as a human being seven times over, to destroy the rebels." Masashige nodded in satisfaction, and he and Masasue stabbed each other and died. Thirteen of his kinsmen (Note: sixteen is also said) and some sixty of his remaining soldiers (Note: fifty is also said) all cut their bellies and died as well (Note: following the Taiheiki. The biography of the monk Myōkyoku says that when Masashige's army was defeated, the brothers entered Kōganji temple and killed themselves. It is added here for reference for the time being).

¶The emperor grieved over Masashige's death for a long time and posthumously granted him Senior Third Rank and the post of Sakonoe-no-chūjō, Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the memorial tablet and the biography of the monk Myōkyoku. The Baishōron says the following. After Takauji fled to Tsukushi, the court grew entirely complacent and free of anxiety. Masashige memorialized: "We should execute Yoshisada, call Takauji back, and make peace. If an envoy is needed, your servant will go." But everyone laughed at him. Masashige said privately: "That the court was able to destroy the Hōjō was in truth due to Takauji's merit. There is no officer or soldier in the realm who does not look to him with favor. For that reason, even when the imperial army wins, few rally to it, and even when Takauji is beaten, those who follow him are always many. Takauji will surely win over the western provinces and attack again within a year. We shall not be able to hold him." After the imperial command to attack Takauji had already been issued, Masashige reached Amagasaki in Settsu and memorialized: "In the past, when your servant on his own initiative held Mount Kongō, my cause accorded with reason throughout the land, and so I was able to achieve results. This was because the hearts of the people were with the court. But now, when your servant, as protector of his home province, has received the imperial command and summoned troops, there are even some among my own sons who show reluctance. This means that the people's hearts have already turned from the court, and if we fight we shall surely lose." On reflection, the Baishōron was written by a retainer of the Ashikaga house, and so it quotes Masashige's words in order to cover up Takauji's evil deeds; it is not worthy of belief. It is recorded here together with the rest, and its falsity is already argued).

¶Masasue was called Shichirō and was a Tatewaki, Guard of the Crown Prince's Archers (Note: following the Taiheiki). He served at the Kubodokoro and at the Musha-dokoro (Note: following the Kenmu Ninenki). From the first he followed Masashige in devoted service to the imperial cause and had great merit (Note: following the Taiheiki). Masashige's sons were Masatsura, Masatoki, and Masanori. Masanori has a separate biography.

Kusunoki Masatsura

¶Kusunoki Masatsura was only eleven years old when his father died, but he honored the charge his father had left him and never ceased to yearn after his father's death. Even in children's games he always took his playmates for the enemy and pretended to cut them down, and riding a bamboo hobbyhorse he would pretend to chase Takauji (Note: following the Taiheiki). When he had grown up he became Tatewaki, Kebiishi, and Saemon-no-jō, and concurrently Kawachi-no-kami (Note: supplied by comparing the Kusunoki genealogy, the Kajikawa genealogy, the Taiheiki, and the documents of Kanshinji temple). When Emperor Go-Daigo left Kazan-in and entered Uchiyama, Masatsura went to him together with Wada Jirō and others. When the emperor died, he took up duty as a night guard (Note: shukuei, the guarding of the palace). In the early days of Emperor Go-Murakami's reign, he often sent troops toward Sumiyoshi to provoke the enemy forces (Note: following the Taiheiki).

¶In the second year of Shōhei (1347), Masatsura set out with his army for Kii and besieged Suda castle. Soon he returned to Kawachi, attacked the rebels at Ikejiri, and then attacked Yao castle (Note: following the Wada documents). Ashikaga Takauji had his commander Tsunakawa Akiuji lead three thousand soldiers to attack Kawachi, and had him camp at a place seven ri from Mount Kongō. Hearing that Masatsura was about to attack Yao castle, Akiuji planned to watch for the moment when Masatsura had advanced far afield, go straight to the foot of Mount Kongō, cut off his line of retreat, and slaughter him and his men.

¶Masatsura learned of this, and with seven hundred soldiers pretended to head for Yao, setting fires here and there, but secretly turned back, hid in the woods of Konda, and took up a position there. Akiuji, seeing the smoke from afar, believed that the enemy was really attacking Yao, galloped to the riverbed of Kondagawara, and drew up his army facing west. Suddenly Masatsura charged out behind him with a shout; Akiuji was utterly defeated and fled straight to Tennōji, where he shut himself in (Note: following a variant text of the Taiheiki).

¶Yamana Tokiuji, leading six thousand soldiers, took position at Sumiyoshi to assist Akiuji. Masatsura thought, "If we first defeat the enemy at Sumiyoshi, the troops at Tennōji will withdraw of their own accord without our attacking," and divided his two thousand and more soldiers into five bodies and advanced, setting fire to the houses of the people as he went. But seeing the dust of the enemy army rising on every side, he judged, "The enemy has taken positions on all four sides and their strength is twice ours. It is not wise to divide our force." He joined the five bodies back into one, fought a great battle with Tokiuji's army at Uryūno and defeated it, and the remaining enemy troops broke up in rout. The enemy fled as far as Watanabe Bridge, and those who drowned were beyond counting. Tokiuji was wounded and fled (Note: following the Enta Ryaku and the Taiheiki).

¶Takauji was troubled and afraid at this, and ordered Kō-no-Moronao and his younger brother Moroyasu to send out sixty thousand troops to attack. Masatsura, together with his younger brother Masatoki, Wada Kenshū, and more than one hundred and forty others, swore an oath by drinking sacred water, vowing to die together (Note: for the drinking of sacred water, following the Tenshō text of the Taiheiki).

¶Then he went to the temporary palace and memorialized as follows: "In the past, my late father Masashige exerted his meager strength to drive back a powerful rebel and set Your Majesty's mind at ease. But before long the realm fell into disorder again, the traitors came pressing upon him, and at last he gave up his life at Minatogawa. I was then only eleven years old, but by my father's testament I was sent back to Kawachi and commanded to gather my kinsmen, wipe out the enemies of the court, and restore the realm once more to the influence of the imperial rule. I too have now reached the prime of life, but I constantly fear that, while I wait for the moment to act, I may be struck down by some unforeseen illness. Then above I should be a disloyal subject, and below an unfilial son. Now, when Moronao and Moroyasu are about to attack, this is none other than the time for me to repay my father's kindness. If I cannot take their heads, I shall give them the heads of myself and my brothers. Victory or defeat will be decided in this one battle. I beg to look once upon the dragon countenance before I go out to the field." When he had finished speaking he shed tears.

¶The emperor came in person before Masatsura and said by word of mouth: "In the two battles just past you were victorious both times. Your family's martial merit through the generations is truly worthy of praise. We hear that the rebels are coming again with their whole army, and the course of events must by no means be taken lightly. Still, to advance when it is time to advance is so as not to lose the opportunity, and to withdraw when it is time to withdraw is to ensure safety. You are a limb of Our own body; take great care of yourself." Masatsura bowed his head and withdrew, led his kinsmen to worship at the mausoleum of Emperor Go-Daigo, and declared, "If the battle does not go well, we shall not dare return alive." Then he struck the guard of his sword and rose to his feet (Note: for striking the sword guard, following a variant text of the Taiheiki).

¶On the wall of the Nyoirin-dō hall he wrote the names of the kinsmen who had joined the pact, and after them added a poem (Note: in the Mōri-family text of the Taiheiki the wording of the poem differs slightly). In substance the poem says that, having long resolved not to come back alive, he was leaving his name on the roll of those already numbered among the dead. Then each of them cut his hair and deposited it in the Buddha hall before setting out. The emperor sent Fujiwara-no-Takasuke, Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor, to support them.

¶In the first month of the following year (1348), Kō-no-Moronao invaded Kawachi, divided sixty thousand troops and stationed them at four places, south of Mount Ikoma, Iimoriyama, Toyama, and Shijōnawate. Moronao himself led the remaining army and held back in the rear, while Fujiwara-no-Takasuke, with three thousand soldiers, pretended to head for Iimoriyama in order to draw the enemy forces. Masatsura led three thousand soldiers and advanced from Shijōnawate. The enemy at Iimoriyama saw this from afar and divided their troops to cut him off and attack. Masatsura defeated them with his vanguard. Meanwhile his rear army fought the enemy at Shijōnawate, and the dead and wounded were about equal on both sides. Then the enemy troops from Iimoriyama and Mount Ikoma closed in all at once from front and rear, and the rear army was routed. Masatsura paid no heed to this but advanced straight ahead with three hundred soldiers, fought fiercely, and greatly defeated Moronao's army.

¶By this time more than a hundred of the troops he had gathered had died, and the horses had all taken several arrows. The soldiers dismounted, took position on top of a mound, sat down, and ate. When they had finished eating they advanced on foot, fought still more fiercely, and at last pressed close to Moronao's camp. Ueyama Takamoto, falsely giving his name as Moronao, stood at the head of the line and was killed in battle. The armor he wore was engraved with a pattern of linked rings, which was the crest of the Kō clan. Masatsura was overjoyed and tossed the head into the air and caught it in his hand several times. But soon, learning that it was a fake, he hurled the head to the ground, kicked it, and cursed it, saying: "Are you not Ueyama Takamoto? Still, as an enemy of the court beyond compare, I will praise your courage." Then he cut off the sleeve of his own garment, wrapped the head in it, and set it on top of the mound.

¶On that day, from the hour of the Serpent to the hour of the Monkey, the fighting amounted to some thirty or more engagements, and the dead and wounded numbered several hundred, or some say several thousand. Masatsura's soldiers had also been almost entirely killed, so with the fifty or so who remained he carried his shield on his back and pretended to flee, to draw Moronao out. The enemy saw through this and sent three hundred reserve troops to pursue. Masatsura turned back and fought, took more than fifty heads, and advanced again to press upon Moronao's army. But both Masatsura and Masatoki had received several arrows in their bodies, and the soldiers too were all gravely wounded and unable to fight. Masatsura cried, "This is the end. Do not be taken alive by the rebels," and stabbed himself with Masatoki and died. He was twenty-three years old at the time (Note: the various texts of the Taiheiki give twenty-five, but here twenty-three is fixed on the basis of the Mōri-family text of the Taiheiki, the Enta Ryaku, and the Keizu Yōki). The soldiers who had followed him also all killed themselves.

¶In addition, among his kinsmen, Ki Rokurōzaemon and his two sons (Note: also written Wada Tachibana Rokuzaemon), Noda Shirō and his two sons, Miwa Saia and his son, the brothers Sekichi Ryōen and Kanagishi (Note: Kanagishi is also written Kanaba or Kinpō), Hatakeyama Yozō, Hatakeyama Rokurō, Kawabe Ishikikumaru (Note: Kiku is also written Kusu), Ama Ryōgan, and a certain Konda, twenty-three men in all, with a total of one hundred and forty-three men (Note: five hundred, or three hundred, is also said), all died in battle.

¶At the battle of Uryūno, Masatsura had rescued five hundred drowning enemy soldiers, given them clothing and medicine, nursed them with great care for several days, and sent them home, giving them armor and horses as gifts. Some of the enemy, moved by this kindness, came over and submitted. And at the battle of Shijōnawate, a great many of those who died, died following Masatsura (Note: following the Taiheiki).

¶Once, on his way to Yoshino, Masatsura met a court lady, Ben-no-Naishi, being carried away, whom Kō-no-Moronao had lured out, and he sent soldiers and rescued her. The Naishi was weeping in grief inside her palanquin, but Masatsura cut down all the soldiers escorting her, sent the Naishi back, and reported the matter to the emperor. The emperor decreed that the Naishi be given to Masatsura, but Masatsura declined with a poem. In substance it said that, being one who could not hope to live long in this world anyway, he could not possibly form a passing bond with her (Note: following the Yoshino Shūi). And in this battle of Shijōnawate Masatsura was at last killed in action.

Kusunoki Masaie

¶Kusunoki Masaie became a Kurōdo, Chamberlain, and was appointed Sakonoe-no-shōgen, Third-Rank Officer of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the Imagawa-ki, the Taiheiki, and the documents of Yakuōin temple in Hitachi). In the first year of Engen (1336), he led troops to Hitachi in Masashige's place (Note: following the documents of Yakuōin temple and of Seionji temple in Hitachi), built a castle at Uriuzura, and made it his base. When rebel troops attacked, Masaie met and defeated them, killing the rebel commanders Satake Yoshifuyu and Gotō Motoaki, so that his reputation rose greatly. Irino Shichirō, Jirō, and others joined him (Note: supplied by comparing the documents of Yakuōin and Seionji temples in Hitachi and the Kirihara genealogy). The next year he followed Minamoto-no-Akiie, Chinjufu-shōgun, Commander-in-chief of the Defense Command, in the march westward (Note: following the Imagawa-ki). Later, with Masatsura, he resisted Kō-no-Moronao at Shijōnawate, but, unable to win, fell in battle (Note: following the Taiheiki).

Wada Masatoo

¶Wada Masatoo was called Gorō (Note: following the Taiheiki. In this work he is also written Masataka, but here Masatoo is adopted on the basis of the Kenmu Ninenki). He was a man of Izumi (Note: following the Amano Kongōji documents) and a kinsman of Masashige (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Kenmu Ninenki). In the early years of Genkō he raised arms with Masashige, and his military services were very many (Note: following the Taiheiki). In the Engen years he served at the Musha-dokoro (Note: following the Kenmu Ninenki). Later he was killed in battle at Minatogawa (Note: following the Taiheiki).

Wada Kenshū

¶Wada Kenshū (Note: Ken is also written Gen) shaved his head in childhood and was called Shinbochi, "the newly resolved one." In the Shōhei years he followed Masatsura and fought Hosokawa Akiuji and others at Sumiyoshi, where Kenshū fought with all his strength and cut down several dozen men with his own hand. When the enemy army fled, he pursued and killed Yamana Kaneyoshi. When Kō-no-Moronao came to attack, Kenshū, with his younger brother Masatomo and others, followed Masatsura to the temporary palace at Yoshino to take leave, and with more than a hundred and forty like-minded soldiers, having sworn to die, went out to battle and fought hard at Shijōnawate. Kenshū wielded the naginata with great skill and had no rival wherever he turned. When Masatsura and the others had at last killed themselves and the soldiers who followed them had all fallen, Kenshū alone slipped in among the enemy soldiers, aiming at Moronao, and came within a few paces of him. But Yuasa Tarōzaemon, who had once been one of Masatsura's men but had gone over to Moronao's army, struck at Kenshū's legs from behind, brought him down, and cut off his head. Kenshū glared at Yuasa, his eyes blazing like torches, and even in death did not close them. Yuasa afterwards fell ill, and whether he looked down or up he saw Kenshū with open eyes glaring at him, and after seven days he died (Note: following the Taiheiki). He had a younger brother, Masatomo (Note: following the Shimazu documents and the Taiheiki).

Wada Masatomo

¶Wada Masatomo (Note: variant texts of the Taiheiki also write Masataka, Takaie, Tokimune, Munehide, Yukitada, and so on, but here the present-day text of the Taiheiki is followed) was a Hyōe-no-jō, Third-Rank Officer of the Palace Guards (Note: whether of the Left or the Right Guards is unknown), and was called Shinbyōe (Note: following the Shimazu documents and the Taiheiki). With his elder brother Kenshū he followed Masatsura and fought Kō-no-Moronao at Shijōnawate and greatly defeated him. Hanada Mototoshi (Note: Hanada is also written Hatakeda; the personal name follows the Konshōin text of the Taiheiki) saw Moronao's banner from afar and was about to pursue. Masatomo said, "They are mounted and we are on foot; even if we caught up with them we could not win. If we deliberately flee, they will surely give chase. When they come, we turn back and fight, and we can take Moronao." With the fifty or so soldiers who remained, he withdrew with shields on their backs. Kō-no-Morofuyu led three hundred soldiers in pursuit, but Masatomo turned back and fought and defeated them as well. But soon the soldiers who followed him were all killed, and Masatsura and the others were all dead. Masatomo, intending to report on the course of the battle, advanced alone toward the south. Abo Tadazane then called out fiercely: "Your kinsmen are all dead; why do you try to flee alone?" Masatomo swung his sword and struck at Tadazane. Tadazane wheeled his horse and fled. When Masatomo tried to leave, Tadazane pursued him again. After this had happened several times, some enemy soldiers happened to gallop up and shoot Masatomo. He received seven arrows and was at last struck down by Tadazane (Note: following the Taiheiki).

Wada Masatake

¶Wada Masatake was Izumi-no-kami, Governor of Izumi. When Emperor Go-Daigo died, he entered the night guard together with Masatsura. In the fifteenth year of Shōhei (1360), when the forces of Ashikaga Yoshiakira were about to invade the temporary palace at Amano, Masatake, together with Masanori, held Akasaka castle and defended it. When the enemy surrounded it in many rings, Masanori wished to abandon the castle and fall back to defend Mount Kongō. But Masatake would not agree and said, "Victory and defeat are the common lot of war. To withdraw without fighting is not what a brave man does. Let me lead the troops and try one battle; if we cannot win, it will not be too late to withdraw." Taking advantage of the night, he attacked the enemy camp, but, unable to win, drew his troops back and withdrew. When two enemy soldiers slipped into the castle, Masatake instead had his men recite the watchword and commanded them to move in unison. The enemy soldiers could not respond, and so they were seized and killed. At night he fled to Mount Kongō with Masanori, and he also joined the campaign and attacked Sasaki Hideakira and others and killed them. In the seventeenth year of Shōhei (1362), again together with Masanori, he attacked Minoura Toshisada, Settsu Shugodai, Deputy Protector of Settsu, and put him to flight. Soon, with Ishidō Yorifusa and Masanori, he attacked Akamatsu Mitsunori, advanced to Minatogawa, and burned the houses of the people of Hyōgo. Mitsunori held Tabeta castle and defended it firmly, and so they withdrew their troops and returned (Note: following the Taiheiki). When Masanori later submitted to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Masatake led his kinsmen and attacked him many times (Note: following the Kaei Sandaiki). When the enemy pressed upon the temporary palace at Amano, Masatake defended it together with Fujiwara-no-Takatoshi, the former Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior (Note: following the Kutsuki documents), but the imperial army was in the end unable to gain the advantage. The emperor returned to Yoshino (Note: following the Kyūrei Zōjiki and the Kaei Sandaiki). Nothing is known of Masatake's later fortunes.

Wada Masatada

¶Wada Masatada was called Gorō (Note: following the Hōjō-family text of the Taiheiki). In the seventh year of Shōhei (1352), when the emperor himself led the army, Masatada, together with Kusunoki Masanori, formed the vanguard, attacked Hosokawa Akiuji in the capital, and defeated him. Soldiers of Masatada's command killed Hosokawa Yoriharu. Ashikaga Yoshiakira fled to Ōmi. The emperor's carriage advanced to Otokoyama and took position there. Yoshiakira soon planned to attack the temporary palace with a great army, and Masanori and Masatada were commanded to meet him. At that time Masanori was twenty-three years old and Masatada only sixteen, and because they were still so young everyone feared for them. Masatada went into the presence and memorialized: "Since Genkō our whole house has been almost destroyed by these rebels. Today your servant will strike the rebels for the sake of the country and avenge my father and brother. If I cannot cut down even one of the rebel commanders, I shall not return." Then, with Masanori, he led three thousand soldiers and held Arasakayama. The brave enemy commander Toki Yasusada came forward brandishing his sword. Masatada fought him and cut him down, and then went to the temporary palace and reported it. The emperor praised him greatly. Soon, by imperial command, he went back to Kawachi with Masanori to plan a renewed offensive, but he happened to fall ill and died suddenly (Note: following the Taiheiki).

Hashimoto Masakazu

¶Hashimoto Masakazu (Note: Kazu is also written Sada) was called Hachirō (Note: following the Taiheiki). He was a man of Izumi and a kinsman of Kusunoki Masashige (Note: following the document on the reverse of the Gōda genealogy and the Kaei Sandaiki). Sami Masayasu was Kawachi-no-kami. Jinguji Masamoro was called Tarōbyōe (Note: following the Taiheiki. In this work Sami is written Usami, but here the document on the reverse of the Wada genealogy and the Tenshō and Konshōin texts of the Taiheiki are followed). These two were also kinsmen of Masashige. At the battle of Minatogawa, each took part leading his own followers (Note: following the document on the reverse of the Wada genealogy). When the battle was lost, the three all died in action (Note: following the Taiheiki).

Hashimoto Masashige

¶Hashimoto Masashige was called Kurō and was a Saemon-no-jō. About the time that Kusunoki Masashige was killed in battle in Settsu and Izumi, rebel troops rose in large numbers, and Hatakeyama Kunikiyo besieged Ōtsuka Koremasa in Yagi castle. At this time Masashige was encamped at Tennōji together with Nakanoin, Ushōshō, Minor Captain of the Right Palace Guards (Note: his surname is unknown), and the two led their troops to the rescue. Kunikiyo fled (Note: following the document on the reverse of the Wada genealogy). In the third year of Engen (1338), Minamoto-no-Akiie, Chinjufu-daishōgun, Commanding General of the Defense Command, took the field in Izumi and had his younger brother Akinobu guard Otokoyama (Note: following the Genkō Nikki Uragaki and the Taiheiki). Masashige, together with Wada Masaoki, Sahyōe-no-jō, Third-Rank Officer of the Left Guards, raised troops in response, besieged Tange castle and attacked it for several days, and advanced and burned the fort at Takayasu. Soon Akiie was killed in battle, and Masashige and his companions turned their army back to relieve Otokoyama. Enemy soldiers blocked the road, and Masashige fought his way forward, but before he arrived Otokoyama had fallen. Masashige led picked troops and attacked the enemy positions at Matsubara, Noda, and other places, and defeated them (Note: following the document on the reverse of the Wada genealogy). When Emperor Go-Daigo died, people's hearts were filled with apprehension. Masashige, together with his kinsmen, assisted Masatsura and devoted himself to the imperial cause (Note: following the Taiheiki). In the early years of Shōhei he shaved his head (Note: following the documents of Kanshinji temple). Nothing is known of his later fortunes.

Hashimoto Masataka

¶In the Shōhei years Hashimoto Masataka became a Kebiishi and was called Shinhōgan (Note: following the documents of Kanshinji temple and the Taiheiki; the name Masataka follows the Amano Kongōji documents). Hatakeyama Kunikiyo sent out a great army to advance west and attack the temporary palace. Kusunoki Masanori and Wada Masatake repaired Akasaka castle and held it. Masataka and others were made to build Hiraishi castle, which they defended with more than five hundred soldiers, and the other officers and men each held nearby forts. Soon Kunikiyo divided his troops and attacked, and all the forts fell. Masataka withdrew with Masanori and others and held Mount Kongō. In the sixteenth year of Shōhei (1361), following Masanori, he attacked Ujiakira, the younger brother of Sasaki Hideakira, in Settsu and defeated him. He also took part in the campaign in which the capital was taken again. But soon they abandoned the capital and returned south (Note: following the Taiheiki).

¶Soon afterwards he became Minbu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Popular Affairs. When Masanori went out and submitted, Masataka, together with Wada Masatake and others, took charge of the administration of Kawachi and Izumi (Note: following the documents of Kongōji, the documents of Kanshinji, and the Futami documents). In the Bunchū years the imperial army was repeatedly defeated in battle. The emperor at last left Amano and made a progress to Yoshino (Note: following the Kyūrei Zōjiki, the Kaei Sandaiki, and the Go-Fukashinin-in Kanpakuki). Masatada, Kunai-no-taifu, Senior Assistant of the Palace Ministry, a member of the same clan, and others went over to the enemy and submitted (Note: following the Kaei Sandaiki), but Masataka did not yield. In the fourth year of Tenju (1378) he raised troops in Kii, attacked Hosokawa Narihide, and defeated him. Narihide held a castle and defended it firmly. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu then sent a great army to relieve Narihide. Masataka went out to meet it, but without advantage, and drew off his troops (Note: following the Kaei Sandaiki and the Sekioka-ke Shimatsu). But he attacked the enemy army as it withdrew in defeat, gathered his troops again, and attacked Narihide, so that Narihide fled to Awaji. Masataka returned to Izumi and held Tsuchimaru castle, having his sons and nephews each hold nearby forts. In the fifth year of Tenju (1379) the enemy commanders Yamana Yoshimasa, Yamana Ujikiyo, and others besieged Tsuchimaru castle. He defended it, but without advantage; a certain nephew of his was killed in battle, and in the end he abandoned the castle and fled. The next year he fought Ujikiyo again in Izumi but could not win and fell in battle. Three of his kinsmen and various warriors such as those of Uegami, Shimomura, Kena, Isobe, and Sakurai all fought and died as well (Note: following the Kaei Sandaiki).

Ōtsuka Koremasa

¶Ōtsuka Koremasa was a kinsman of the Kusunoki. He was appointed Kamon-no-suke, Assistant of the Bureau of Housekeeping, and became Izumi Shugodai, Deputy Protector of Izumi. He followed Masashige to the battle of Minatogawa. When the battle was lost and he turned back, the rebel commander Hatakeyama Kunikiyo sent out a great army to challenge him. Koremasa, together with Yagi Hōtatsu and others, defended against it, but his troops were few and could not match the enemy, so he withdrew and held Yagi castle. Kunikiyo advanced and attacked, and the fighting continued for many days. Then Nakanoin, Ushōshō, and Hashimoto Masashige and others came to the rescue, struck from within and without, and greatly defeated them, and Kunikiyo fled. The next year Koremasa, with Hōtatsu and others, led troops to Kawachi, built a fort at Furuichi, and made it his base. Tange Sainen attacked, but he sallied out and drove him off. Soon Hosokawa Yoriuji and Hosokawa Naotoshi also attacked, and he met them near Yachūji temple, and the rebel army fled. Koremasa pursued as far as the west of Fujiidera, fought a bloody battle for several hours, and at last cut down Hosokawa Naotoshi. Then he withdrew his troops to Izumi, held Makioji temple as a fort, and led troops to attack Miyazato castle several times. He had his officers send soldiers to set fire to the houses of the rebels (Note: following the document on the reverse of the Wada genealogy; for Yoriuji and Naotoshi, following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Later, following Masatsura, he resisted the army of Kō-no-Moronao, but he was gravely wounded and his horse fell, so that he could no longer fight. A riderless horse happened to be there, and he mounted it and fled several ri, but when he heard that all his kinsmen had died, he turned his horse back and faced the enemy, and at last fell in battle (Note: following the Taiheiki).