Imperial Princes XIV

[Emperor Go-Daigo: Fifteen Sons]

¶Emperor Go-Daigo had sixteen sons. The court lady Fujiwara-no-Renshi bore the sixth son, Crown Prince Imperial Prince Tsuneyoshi (Note: the Shinmeikyō and the Taiheiki call him the fourth son, and the Tenshō-bon Taiheiki calls him the eighth son; both are mistaken), the seventh son, Imperial Prince Nariyoshi (Note: the Tenshō-bon Taiheiki and the Taiheiki call him the eighth son; both are mistaken), and Emperor Go-Murakami (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki, with the Taiheiki also consulted). The court lady Fujiwara-no-Tameko bore the first son, Imperial Prince Takayoshi, and Imperial Prince Muneyoshi (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Masukagami. The Shakke Kanpanki is mistaken in calling Muneyoshi the eighth son. That the Taiheiki calls him the second son probably arises from his being the younger full brother of Takayoshi). Minamoto-no-Chikako bore the third son, Imperial Prince Moriyoshi (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Saigen'in-bon Taiheiki. The Imagawa-ke-bon calls him the second son, the Mōri-ke-bon, the Tenshō-bon and the Shimazu-ke-bon call him the fourth son, and the Shakke Kanpanki calls him the sixth son; all are mistaken). A lady of the Fujiwara clan bore the second son, Imperial Prince Tokiyoshi (Note: following the Shimazu-ke-bon Taiheiki and the Masukagami) and the fourth son, Jōson Hōshinnō, Imperial Prince in Holy Orders (Note: following the Shimazu-ke-bon Taiheiki). Fujiwara-no-Moriko bore the thirteenth son, Gen'en Hōshinnō (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Shimazu-ke-bon Taiheiki). A lady of the Fujiwara clan bore the twelfth son, Imperial Prince Miyoshi (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu; the Ninna-ji Goden calls him the tenth son) and Imperial Prince Kaneyoshi (Note: following the old-text Go-Daigo-tei Keizu and the Kōin Shōunroku; the Nawa-ke-fu calls him the sixth son, which seems mistaken). A Naishi, Handmaid, of the Fujiwara clan bore the priest Sonshin (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). A lady of the Sugawara clan bore Shōjo Hōshinnō (Note: following the Sugawara genealogy in the Kōin Shōunroku). The Naishi-no-suke, Assistant Handmaid, Fujiwara-no-Chikako bore Imperial Prince Mitsuyoshi (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the old-text Teiō Keizu). A certain imperial princess, a daughter of Emperor Kameyama, bore the priest Kōshō (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu). Shōkeimon'in bore the priest Gensen (Note: following the Account of the Conduct of Zen Master Mumon. Looking at the Kōin Shōunroku, among the mothers of Emperor Go-Daigo's sons there is a person named Shōkunmon'in Konoe. Probably the Account of Conduct mistakenly wrote "Shōkei" for "Shōkun" and dropped the two characters "Konoe." Moreover, the various books are in confusion over the order in which the princes were born and are hard to verify. Here the ordinal of each son is given where there is a basis for it, and the rest is left unexamined).

Imperial Prince Takayoshi

¶In the first year of Karyaku (1326), Imperial Prince Takayoshi came of age and became Nakatsukasa-kyō, Minister of the Central Affairs (Note: following the Masukagami). He was intelligent from childhood and handsome in appearance, so everyone hoped he would become Crown Prince. But Hōjō-no-Takatoki installed Imperial Prince Kuniyoshi, a son of Emperor Go-Nijō, as Crown Prince, and Takayoshi was left despondent (Note: following the Taiheiki, with the Masukagami and the Shin'yō Wakashū also consulted). In the first year of Genkō (1331) he followed the imperial progress to Kasagi (Note: following the Masukagami, the Taiheiki and the Kasagi-dera Engi). He then entered Kusunoki Masashige's castle of Akasaka. When he heard that Kasagi had fallen and the emperor had been confined, he went to the capital of his own accord (Note: following the Masukagami; the Taiheiki says he was captured when Kasagi fell). The rebel forces seized him and held him in the house of Sasaki Tokinobu. In the second year of Genkō he was exiled to Hata in Tosa (Note: following the Masukagami and the Taiheiki). In the third year of Genkō, when the disturbance was pacified, he returned to the capital. In the second year of Kenmu (1335), when Ashikaga Takauji rebelled, Takayoshi was ordered by imperial command to attack him as Tōgoku Kanrei, Governor of the Eastern Provinces, with Nitta Yoshisada assisting him. When Takayoshi's army passed the Sanjō riverbank, a violent wind happened to blow and the golden sun and moon ornaments fastened on the banners fell to the ground. Everyone turned pale and took it as an ill omen. Yoshisada fought Takauji's vanguard at Yahagi and Sagisaka and won victory after victory. Takayoshi led Wakiya Yoshisuke and others to Takenoshita and confronted Takauji's army. But the troops under him had not been drilled in ordinary times and pressed forward each trying to be first. The rebels took advantage of this opening and attacked fiercely, and the imperial army became unsteady and lost its order. Then Ōtomo Sadatoshi and Enya Takasada went over to the rebels and turned to fight the imperial army, and Takayoshi's army was defeated. In the first year of Engen (1336), when Takauji approached the capital, he followed the emperor's progress into Enryaku-ji. In the winter of the same year he assisted Crown Prince Tsuneyoshi in defending Kanegasaki Castle in Echizen, but the rebel attack was fierce and the supply of provisions did not hold out. In the spring of the following year, as the castle was about to fall, Nitta Yoshiaki said to Takayoshi: "I am the son of a warrior house, so to cling idly to life would be contrary to righteousness. But Your Highness is of the imperial family. Even if you fell into the rebels' hands, they would not necessarily do you harm. I beg you not to hold your person lightly." Takayoshi smiled and said: "His Majesty has made me the head and you his limbs. It cannot be that the limbs perish while the head alone remains safe. I ought to fall to the naked blade and avenge my grievance in the Yellow Springs. But I was raised within the palace and am not versed in martial matters; I do not know what the manner of taking one's own life is." Yoshiaki said, shedding tears: "It is done like this." Then he cut open his own belly, laid the blade before Takayoshi, and fell forward. Takayoshi took up the blade, but the hilt was slick with blood and he could not grip it, so he wound the sleeve of his robe around the hilt, pierced his breast, and died. Beginning with Fujiwara-no-Yukifusa, Sakonoe-no-Chūjō, Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards, the officers and men who took their own lives numbered more than three hundred. The rebel army sent Takayoshi's head to the capital, and Takauji ordered the priest Soseki (Musō Soseki) to bury it at Zenrin-ji (Note: following the Taiheiki). Takayoshi had one son and one daughter, but their names have not come down (Note: following the Masukagami. According to this book, when the Prince was at the house of his maternal grandfather Fujiwara-no-Tameyo, Dainagon, Major Counsellor, he secretly lay with Tameyo's daughter, the Dainagon-no-Suke, and had a daughter by her. He also had relations with the Chūgū-no-Mikushige, a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kin'aki, Udaijin, Minister of the Right, and had a son by her. The Genkō Nikki Uragaki, under the eleventh day of the ninth month of the third year of Engen, says that when Sonchō Hōshinnō and Imperial Prince Takayoshi's first son reached Izusaki by boat they met a great wind and drifted to Ii Castle in Tōtōmi. Neither of these two books gives a name. Further, according to the Taiheiki, Imperial Prince Takayoshi had feelings for Fujiwara-no-Kin'aki's daughter and sent letters courting her. The daughter had already been promised to another house, but the Prince's longing did not cease. One day, while he was listening to a lecture on the Jōgan Seiyō, it came to the story in which Emperor Taizong of Tang wished to take the daughter of Zheng Renji into his rear palace, but the daughter had already been promised in marriage and Wei Zheng remonstrated, so he gave it up. The Prince felt ashamed within himself and never spoke of the matter again. The bridegroom's house heard of this and broke off the engagement, and so the daughter was taken in as the Prince's Miyasudokoro, consort. When he was exiled to Tosa, the Prince sent his attendant Hata-no-Gomon to the capital to fetch the Miyasudokoro. When they had come as far as Amagasaki, a man of Tsukushi called Matsura Gorō sent soldiers by night and seized the Miyasudokoro. Takefumi (Hata-no-Gomon) resisted, carried the Miyasudokoro on his back to the harbor, and called for a boat. Gorō deceived Takefumi in the boat and took the Miyasudokoro aboard, and Takefumi went back home to pack his belongings. But Gorō untied the ropes and set off, and Takefumi raised his fan to beckon the boat. The boatmen laughed uproariously, and Takefumi, in a fury, killed himself. When the boat came to the Naruto strait of Awa, the wind and waves suddenly raged. Then Takefumi was seen in armor on horseback, raising his fan to beckon the boat. All aboard were struck with terror. Gorō realized it was Takefumi's spirit and tried to seize the Miyasudokoro and throw her into the sea, but a certain priest remonstrated with him, so he set her adrift in a small boat. The boat drifted ashore at Mushima in Awaji, and the local people pitied her and cared for her. The Prince wondered at Takefumi's long absence, but happened to hear a guard soldier say: 'Last year, when I passed Naruto, a beautiful robe was tangled around the rudder. Surely a court lady met misfortune in a storm and sank into the sea.' When the Prince had the robe brought and looked at it, it was the robe that Takefumi had given the Miyasudokoro when he set out for the capital. The Prince grieved deeply and himself copied out sutras to pray for her repose. When he returned to the capital after the disturbance was pacified, he heard that the Miyasudokoro was at Mushima and sent to fetch her. Afterwards, when he went to Echizen, the Miyasudokoro remained in the capital. When the Prince's head entered the capital, the Miyasudokoro, overcome with grief, attended the funeral and died of sorrow a little more than a month later. But according to the Masukagami, when the Prince was exiled to Tosa the Miyasudokoro had already been dead for a long time, so this story is not adopted).

Imperial Prince Tokiyoshi

¶From childhood Imperial Prince Tokiyoshi was intelligent and of talent beyond the ordinary (Note: following the Masukagami). He excelled at waka and was versed in music, so the people of the time held him in sincere affection (Note: following the Shimazu-ke-bon Taiheiki). The emperor loved him especially. Shōkeimon'in adopted him, and as an Imperial Prince he received the posts of Kōzuke Taishu, Governor-Prince of Kōzuke (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku) and Dazai-no-sotsu, Governor-General of Dazaifu (Note: following the Masukagami and the Shimazu-ke-bon Taiheiki). He was called Kawabata-no-miya (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). In the ninth month of the second year of Gentoku (1330), he died of illness (Note: following the Masukagami and the Chōrakuki).

Imperial Prince Moriyoshi

¶Imperial Prince Moriyoshi was intelligent by nature and was singularly favored by the emperor from his youth. He received the post of Hyōbu-kyō, Minister of Military Affairs. When Crown Prince Kuniyoshi died and the next Crown Prince had not yet been decided, the emperor placed his hopes in Moriyoshi (Note: following the Taiheiki). But Hōjō-no-Takatoki defied the imperial edict and installed Kazuhito, the eldest son of Emperor Go-Fushimi, as Crown Prince, so Moriyoshi could not become Crown Prince (Note: following the Shimazu-ke-bon Taiheiki). He therefore went to the Buddhist temple of Nashimoto, took the tonsure under Jōchin Hōshinnō, and changed his name to Sonun (Note: following the Taiheiki). In the second year of Karyaku (1327) he was granted Third Rank (Note: following the Tenshō-bon Taiheiki), became Zasu, Head Abbot, of Enryaku-ji (Note: following the Taiheiki, the Tendai Zasuki and the Shakke Kanpanki), and lived at Ōtō. The people of the time therefore called him Ōtō-no-miya. The emperor deeply hated Hōjō-no-Takatoki's monopoly of power and always hoped to remove him. In the second year of Gentoku, he ordered by imperial command the repair of the Great Lecture Hall of Enryaku-ji. When it was completed the emperor himself went to congratulate it, made Sonun the Jugan-shi, Officiant of Dedicatory Prayers, for the new hall, and advanced his rank to Second Rank. This was in order to bind together the hearts of the monks and rely on their strength to remove the Hōjō (Note: following the Taiheiki). Sonun secretly planned with Akamatsu Sokuyū, gave up lectures and chanting of sutras, and devoted himself solely to martial matters. His skill with the bow was exquisite and his movements were swift as flight (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Masukagami). Before long the plot leaked, Takatoki was greatly alarmed, and he sought to depose the emperor (Note: following the Taiheiki).

¶In the autumn of the first year of Genkō (1331), Takatoki sent two generals with three thousand troops into the capital. Sonun detected the plan and that same night sent a messenger to report to the throne: "Takatoki is sending troops to move the emperor to a lonely island far out at sea and to kill me, Sonun. I beg Your Majesty to go forth to Nara tonight, borrowing the clothing of a close retainer to wear. Outwardly make it a progress to the main temple (Enryaku-ji) and spread the word that 'the imperial carriage is avoiding the rebels.' When the rebels hear this, they will surely raise their elite troops and attack. Then the monks of the main temple will have no choice but to resist by force. After a few days we can gradually gather the imperial forces of the home provinces and attack from both sides, and the rebels will surely be annihilated. At present the palace guard has not yet assembled and no walls have been built, so if the rebel troops come suddenly, how can we withstand them? The safety or peril of the state hangs on this one move. I beg Your Majesty to adopt my plan at once. Otherwise the great undertaking will be lost." The emperor then went in progress to Mount Kasagi with only a few close retainers, and had Fujiwara-no-Morokata, Dainagon, Major Counsellor, put on the emperor's robes and go to the Saitō of Enryaku-ji. When the monks heard of this they armed themselves and rushed to assemble at the Saitō. In a single night their number reached twenty or thirty thousand (Note: the number of troops follows the Imagawa-ke-bon). Sonun, together with his younger brother Sonchō Hōshinnō, led six thousand warrior monks separately and made camp at Hachiōji. The next day Rokuhara sent troops to attack, and Sonun sent out three hundred warrior monks, repulsed them at Karasaki beach, and killed the rebel general Kaitō Nakaie. But when the monks gathered at the Saitō learned that the imperial progress had been a pretense, they resented having been deceived and gradually left (Note: following the Taiheiki, with the Masukagami also consulted). Sonun's troops too were almost all dispersed, and only a few remained. He therefore lit many torches by night to deceive the enemy's eyes, divided ways with Sonchō, and slipped out secretly. Reaching Nara, he hid himself at Hannya-ji and watched for news of the temporary imperial residence (Note: the Masukagami says he fled into Kusunoki Masashige's castle of Akasaka). But just then the temporary residence also fell, and Naishi Hara-no-Kōsen led troops and surrounded Hannya-ji. It was just dawn, and all his attendants had gone outside. Sonun did not know what to do and took up his sword to kill himself. Beside him stood three Chinese chests in which the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra was kept. One of them already had about half of its sutras taken out, so he leapt into it, covered himself with sutras, pressed the blade to his heart, and lay down. Kōsen's soldiers searched the Buddha hall thoroughly and at last came to the sutra chests as well. But the chest in which Sonun was hiding was only opened, and he escaped suspicion. Sonun thought, "If they search once and do not find me, they will surely come to look again later," and hurriedly moved into another chest. Just as he expected, Kōsen's soldiers came back, pointed to the chest where he had hidden earlier, and said, "We carelessly forgot to examine the inside just now," and tipped the chest over to take out the sutras. Then in jest they said: "It is not the Ōtō-no-miya, only Xuanzang Sanzang of Tang that is here" (Note: this is a pun, "tō" of Ōtō and "Tō" of Tang being close in sound). They laughed loudly and left. Sonun then, together with Kōrinbō Genson, Akamatsu Sokuyū, Kidera Sagami Katsunori, Okamoto Mikawabō Hidezane, and Musashibō Gōun (Note: Katsunori, Hidezane and Gōun follow the Konshō-in-bon), Murakami Yoshiteru, Kataoka Hachirō, Yata Hikoshichi, Hiraga Saburō and others, disguised as shugenja, mountain ascetics, and set out for Kumano. But the roads they traveled were all steep peaks and deep valleys, with no human dwellings at all, and suffering from exhaustion and hunger they took more than ten days to reach Totsukawa at last, where they rested at a temple. His attendants scattered among the villages begging for food and brought back millet rice and horse-chestnut gruel to offer. Three days passed in this way, when Genson happened to visit a house, and a child came out, and he asked the name of the master of the house. The child answered, "He is called Tono Hyōe." Genson had long heard that he was a local magnate, and he peered in from the gate at what was happening inside. From within the house he heard a voice say, "If only there were a good priest of prayer who could cure the illness." Genson, pretending to be a shugenja, said: "I am one who has secluded himself for a thousand days at Mount Nachi and been struck by the three waterfalls for seven days. Now, on pilgrimage to the thirty-three Kannon sacred sites, I lost my way and came as far as here. I beg you, great donor, to take pity on us and lend us lodging." A maidservant then came out and asked: "My master is just now possessed by a spirit. Please free him by prayer." Genson pointed toward the temple and said, "Ask the old master over there. His prayers never fail." The maid begged, "Then please bring him here." Sonun therefore went to that house and recited spells. After a while the sick man recovered, and Hyōe thanked him, saying: "A country house has nothing to offer in thanks. Please stay here for a while and rest from the fatigue of your journey. Yet it is the way of the world that leaving or staying is as the master pleases; if you were to depart suddenly I could never cease regretting it. Please leave this with me as a pledge," and he took all their baggage. The party were glad of this and stayed on for about ten days. One night, while warming himself by the fireside against the cold, Hyōe said in a relaxed manner: "I hear that the Ōtō-no-miya is taking refuge in Kumano. Do you masters know of it? Jōhen, the Kumano Bettō, Chief Steward of Kumano, is a partisan of the Hōjō from the outset, so it is not a suitable place for him to halt. This land is small but is guarded on all four sides by steep terrain. Moreover the local people are simple and fond of arms. In former days Taira-no-Koremori, avoiding disorder, sought shelter in this house and lived out his life in safety. Now, might the Ōtō-no-miya also come here? I would assist him with all my strength." Sonun asked: "If the Ōtō-no-miya were to come here, would you truly work for him?" Hyōe replied: "My house is small, but once I raise a righteous army, the magnates of the eighteen districts of Yoshino, as well as Shishigase, Kaburasaka, Yuasa, Azegawa, Ohara, Imose, Nakatsu and others, will all follow." Sonun then gave Katsunori a glance, and Katsunori moved forward on his knees close to Hyōe and, pointing at Sonun, said, "This is the Ōtō-no-miya himself." Hyōe looked carefully at those on either side and still seemed doubtful, but when he saw Kataoka Hachirō and Yata Hikoshichi remove their hoods and reveal their shaven foreheads, he was astonished, left his seat, and apologized with his forehead to the ground: "Being a rustic, I have been discourteous. Had it not been for what you said just now, I could never have known this was Your Highness's visit." He then built a new mansion to receive Sonun, blocked the key points with palisades and fortified the defenses. Hyōe's uncle Takehara Hachirō heard of this, was greatly pleased, and received him into his own house. Here Sonun let his hair grow, returned to lay life, and changed his name to Moriyoshi (Note: the change of name follows the Baishōron), and took Hachirō's daughter as a wife and favored her. Hachirō was ever more pleased, showed unchanging loyalty, and the people of the neighborhood gradually turned their hearts to him. This year was the second year of Genkō (1332). After several months Jōhen, the Kumano Bettō, heard of this and thought, "The stronghold of Totsukawa cannot be taken by force." So he posted placards on the roads with a reward: "To whoever captures the Ōtō-no-miya, of whatever rank, we will give the Kurumama estate in Ise." Jōhen further offered six million of his private funds, five million for anyone who killed his attendants and three million for anyone who helped bring about his surrender, to be paid that same day. "If I break this promise, may I suffer the punishment of the divine Myōjin," he also wrote. Among the local magnates between Totsukawa and Kumano there were eight clans called "Shōji," but all were greedy and lacking in good faith, and seeing this they conceived thoughts of betrayal. Moriyoshi was troubled and planned to flee to Yoshino, but Hachirō strongly detained him. Before long, however, he heard that Hachirō's son also harbored a double mind, and at last he left Hachirō and went secretly toward Yoshino (Note: "Yoshino" follows the Mōri-ke-bon). On the road he had to pass through enemy territory and could not pass easily. Moriyoshi thought, "If I persuade them sincerely, perhaps I may pass without hindrance," and as a trial sent a messenger to the Imose Shōji. The Shōji did not accept and said: "If I let my lord through, I will surely be called to account from Kamakura later. Give me one or two of your close retainers and let only my lord escape. Otherwise, I want your brocade banner, to display as a trophy and as proof in days to come." Moriyoshi had no choice, gave him the banner, and went on. Murakami Yoshiteru caught up from behind and took the banner back. Moriyoshi was overjoyed. The next day, arriving at Ohara, he heard from a woodcutter along the way: "Ahead there is a man called the Tamaki Shōji who has built palisades on the mountain road and blocks travelers. Unless you lure him out skillfully you cannot pass." So he sent Kataoka Hachirō and Yata Hikoshichi to persuade him. Tamaki hurriedly withdrew inside and did not come out. The two realized the matter would not succeed and tried to run back, but Tamaki sent dozens of horsemen to chase them. The two turned back and fought, first cutting down one rider, but the remaining soldiers shot arrows, and Hachirō was struck by two arrows. Hachirō hastily said to Hikoshichi: "Go. Report quickly to the Prince and have him devise a way to avoid the rebels," and he advanced and fell fighting. When Moriyoshi heard Hikoshichi's report he said, roused, "Things having come to this, what use is avoiding them?" and advanced. Looking out and seeing the rebel troops surrounding the ridge, he laughed and said to those about him: "You need only shoot your arrows. I shall take my own life at leisure. You must strip the skin from my face and cut off my nose and ears so that no one can tell who I am. The rebels will think I am not yet dead. If you do not, the righteous armies of the realm will learn that I am dead and lose heart, and the rebels' strength will grow ever greater." All were stirred, and vied with each other to charge Tamaki's camp. Just then Nonagase Rokurō and Shichirō of Kii came to the rescue with three thousand troops, and Tamaki's troops scattered without fighting. Moriyoshi called Rokurō and said: "I had thought that Totsukawa was narrow and steep and inconvenient for the use of troops. Now I wish to come out between Yamato and Kawachi, take up a place of advantage in the terrain, and plan a recovery. I was just now hard pressed by Tamaki and could scarcely have escaped. Unexpectedly, through your help I have come through ten thousand deaths to one life. But today's matter, there was no time even to inform anyone beforehand; how did you come to know of it? If it were not Heaven's aid, I could not have come here." Rokurō answered: "Yesterday a young boy came to my village and said: 'The Prince will go tomorrow from Totsukawa to Ohara. He will surely meet with misfortune on the way. Go quickly to meet him.' We took him to be the Prince's messenger." Moriyoshi was astonished, marveled that this was the guidance of the gods, and silently felt grateful in his heart. He went on to Makino Castle, and soon proceeded to Mount Yoshino, summoned and gathered the monks, took the temple as a castle, and defended it with three thousand troops (Note: following the Taiheiki). At this time the emperor was at Oki, and Moriyoshi submitted a memorial discussing affairs of state (Note: following the Masukagami). He sent Akamatsu Sokuyū to convey a Ryōji, Prince's Edict, to Harima and had his father Norimura raise troops (Note: following the Taiheiki). He also issued orders to the provinces, and many responded (Note: following the Masukagami). In the spring of the following year, Takatoki sent Nikaidō Sadafuji with a great army to attack. With Iwagikumaru, the Shigyō, Steward of Yoshino, as guide, they fought for seven days and nights, with casualties beyond counting, and the rebel army was greatly distressed. But Iwagikumaru at night sent soldiers into the castle from behind the mountain and set fire, throwing the castle into confusion. Sadafuji responded and attacked suddenly from front and rear. Our troops were taken unawares and many were cut down. Moriyoshi took up a bisentō, a long glaive, and with twenty-odd men on either side fought furiously in every direction. The rebel troops faltered and drew back. Moriyoshi had received seven arrows in his armor and two sword wounds in his cheek and arm; bleeding, he withdrew to the curtained enclosure, called for wine, and exchanged cups of farewell with his officers and men. Hiding a great cup, he drank three cups standing, and Kidera Katsunori, impaling a rebel's head on the point of his sword, sang and danced to cheer him. Murakami Yoshiteru, seeing that the outer castle had already fallen, urged Moriyoshi to escape by a side road, but that road too was blocked by the enemy, and he barely managed to get away. The details of this are in Yoshiteru's biography. Soon Sadafuji heard that Moriyoshi was on Mount Kōya and sent a great army to search every corner of the mountain, but the monks hid him, and unable to capture him he withdrew. Meanwhile Nitta Yoshisada sent a secret messenger asking for a Prince's Edict for the royalist cause, and Moriyoshi gave it. The text of that edict was entirely modeled on the form of a Rinji, imperial edict. Yoshisada was greatly pleased. Before long the emperor went in progress to Mount Senjō, and the imperial army greatly recovered its strength. Moriyoshi went to Mount Shigi in Kawachi and lived in the Bishamon-dō. Hearing that the troops of Akamatsu Norimura were struggling in their attack on Kyoto, he further ordered the monks of Enryaku-ji to help Norimura. When Yoshisada soon destroyed Takatoki and Ashikaga Takauji and others recovered the capital, the emperor's carriage returned to the capital, and soldiers from all quarters gathered at Mount Shigi like clouds. Moriyoshi intended to lead them to the capital to have an audience, and a day was fixed, but in the end it was not carried out. Now when Takauji had taken control of the capital, he hated Moriyoshi's prestige and secretly plotted to provoke him and remove him. It happened that men under Moriyoshi's retainer Den Hōin Ryōchū committed plunder in the capital, and more than twenty were captured and executed. Moriyoshi heard of this and was furious, and finally planned to kill Takauji, gathered more troops, and had weapons made ready. At that time the officers and men who had gathered in the capital for the royalist cause heard that some punitive action was about to take place, each felt fear, and the state of the world became unsettled. The emperor sent Fujiwara-no-Kiyotada, Sangi, Counsellor, to deliver an edict: "The disorder has only just subsided and near and far all have submitted. We intend to lay down arms and cultivate letters, and begin a new reign together with the people. You, the Prince, are gathering troops on your own authority; what do you intend to attack? Return to your former state, hand down the Dharma lamp, and answer Our aim of reviving Our reign." Moriyoshi answered the edict: "I respectfully receive Your Majesty's clear edict. Your servant will promptly withdraw his arms and retire to his former calling. Yet that the great calamity has been extinguished today and the myriad people rejoice and rely on it is wholly due to the sacred, divine and martial might of Your Majesty, but I also believe there has been some labor of your servant's humble service. However, the remnants of the rebels have not yet all been wiped out; they lie hidden in distant border regions, watching for an opening and thinking of rebellion. Your servant foolishly thinks that though the realm has been pacified, military preparation should not be relaxed suddenly. For this reason I made my preparations strict, guarding against the unforeseen. If I were to answer Your Majesty's clear edict, I do not know whom to entrust with the defense of the frontiers. What your servant has recently seen is that Ashikaga Takauji, Jibu-no-taifu, Assistant Minister of Civil Administration, relying on the awe of Heaven, boasts of a trifling merit, harbors in his heart arrogance and a will to usurp. If this is not removed while his strength is still small, it will produce yet another Takatoki. Your servant has heard that the Buddha saves living beings by two methods, shōju, acceptance, which receives all, and shakubuku, subjugation, which drives them away by force. To be gentle, patient under insult and put compassion first is shōju; to be stern and wrathful and to give weight to punishment is shakubuku. In former days the two sovereigns Tenmu and Kōken doffed their monastic robes and again took the throne. If even sovereigns did so, how much more should subjects. I beg that by Your Majesty's grace you lend your servant the title of a general and grant me the task of punishing the wicked. On Your Majesty's behalf I would strike down the lawless and extinguish calamity and disorder before they sprout." The emperor answered: "We have not heard that Ashikaga Takauji yet has a crime. Once he is executed, the hearts of the officers and men will leave Us, and who will serve Us? The Prince must not start matters lightly and lose the hearts of the people. If you would hold fast to your principles and calm the shrines and mausolea, We shall commend your aim and grant you the title of general as you wish." Thus Moriyoshi was appointed Seii Taishōgun, Barbarian-Subduing Generalissimo. Moriyoshi entered the palace to give thanks for the appointment, with several thousand soldiers following, their saddles and armor shining along the road. The emperor gave Moriyoshi the fief of Hōjō Yasuie. After this Moriyoshi gradually sank into wine and women, his popularity gradually declined, and he hated Takauji's conduct all the more and plotted to remove him without fail. He secretly tried to order the provinces to levy troops, but did not obtain the emperor's permission and it was dropped. He also kept many rogues, skilled archers and swordsmen, so that his followers, relying on his favor, committed violence, broke the night curfew and roamed about, and even killed innocent passersby. Takauji saw that Moriyoshi would in the end do him harm, and allied himself with the emperor's favorite, Sanmi-no-tsubone Fujiwara-no-shi (the Lady of Third Rank, of the Fujiwara clan), and had her cast suspicion of rebellion on Moriyoshi. He had her present to the emperor a document in which Moriyoshi ordered the gathering of troops, and had Fujiwara-no-shi lay it out. The emperor had in any case not been pleased that Moriyoshi had defied his edict, but because Moriyoshi's merit was the greatest he had granted his requests. When he received Takauji's memorial, however, he flew into a violent rage (Note: following the Taiheiki).

¶In the winter of the first year of Kenmu (1334), on the pretext of a waka gathering held within the palace, the emperor summoned Moriyoshi, ordered warriors to seize him, confined him in the Baba-dono, and executed more than thirty of his attendants (Note: according to the Baishōron, the emperor wished to remove Takauji and gave secret edicts to Moriyoshi, Kusunoki Masashige and Nawa Nagatoshi, but when the time came he heard that Takauji's troops were strong and called it off. The emperor then made a progress to Kitayama, but soon Takauji heard that Moriyoshi was coming to attack, gathered still more troops to guard himself, and also appealed to the emperor. The emperor had no choice but to place the blame on Moriyoshi. This account is not trustworthy and is not adopted). Moriyoshi grieved and was indignant, but had no means to make his innocence clear, and relying on a court lady with whom he was on close terms he submitted a memorial: "Your servant, though bearing guilt, appeals against a wrong that has no basis. My tears fall and my heart is dark, grief is locked in my breast and my words are short, but I only beg Your Majesty's merciful consideration. Ever since the Jōkyū disturbance the warrior house has held power and the court has lost its government. Your servant could not bear to watch this in silence, and cast off the monastic robe of compassion and patience and put on the hard armor that subdues hateful enemies. Within I committed the offense of breaking the precepts, without I bore the reproach of shamelessness. Yet I forgot myself for my sovereign and fought to the death together with the rebels. At that time it was not that the court lacked men of ability, but some did not stir their will, and some merely waited idly for the time. Your servant alone, without the aid of military force, planned to raise troops and strike the rebels. For this reason the rebel party took your servant for the ringleader, extended their pursuit and arrest everywhere, and placed a reward of ten thousand households on my head. Within the four seas under Heaven I had no place to put my body. By day I lay in mountains and valleys with moss for a mat, by night I went round the villages treading on frost, running the risk of stroking the dragon's whiskers and treading on the tiger's tail, and at last devised plans within the tent, destroyed the rebels beneath the battle-axe, brought the dragon carriage (the emperor) back to the capital, and made Your Majesty's reign for ever accord with Heaven; if this was not your servant's loyal service, whose was it? Yet now the reward for merit has not even been discussed, and the charge of guilt has suddenly come down. Prostrate, I have heard the charges, and all of them are groundless falsehoods. Why can I not even receive an examination? Looking up to Heaven I appeal, but sun and moon do not shine on an unfilial son; prostrate on the ground I wail, but mountains and rivers do not bear a disrespectful subject. The bond of righteousness between father and son is cut, and Heaven and Earth have both abandoned me. If I receive an imperial edict and am permitted the death penalty, I would for ever have my name struck from the imperial house and promptly return to the monastic life. As Shensheng died and the state of Jin fell into disorder, and as Fusu was put to death (Note: the source text has a garbled character here) and the world of Qin tottered, slander that seeps in gradually and calumny that cuts to the skin begin from small things and extend to great calamity. O Heaven, why do you not look at the present in the light of past examples? Unable to restrain unbearable grief, prostrate I make this memorial." But the officials, wary of those within and without, did not present it to the throne. At length, by imperial edict, Moriyoshi was exiled to Kamakura (Note: the year follows the Genkō Nikki Uragaki. This book gives the second year of Kenmu). Takauji's younger brother Tadayoshi sent troops to receive Moriyoshi, and on his arrival at Kamakura confined him by digging an earthen cell in the Nikaidō valley. In the autumn of the second year of Kenmu, when Hōjō Tokiyuki raised troops and attacked Kamakura, Tadayoshi fled. At that time he said to Fuchibe Yoshihiro: "The Prince is a deep enemy of our house. You go and dispose of him." Yoshihiro then went to the earthen cell. Inside the cell it was dark, and Moriyoshi was just reading a Buddhist sutra by lamplight, but when he saw Yoshihiro come, he started up and said, "You mean to kill me?" and advanced to seize his sword. Yoshihiro struck at his knee and brought him down and tried to cut his throat. Moriyoshi drew in his head and bit the blade, breaking off about an inch of the point, but Yoshihiro drew his short sword and stabbed twice into his heart, and he was finally killed. He was twenty-eight years old (Note: calculated back from the Tendai Zasuki's entry that he was twelve in the second year of Karyaku). Yoshihiro carried back the head and meant to show it to Tadayoshi, but its face looked as if alive and still held the sword's point in its mouth. Yoshihiro found it uncanny, threw the head away, and left. A lady-in-waiting searched for it and found it in a bamboo thicket, its eyes still not closed. She therefore gathered the remains, cremated them, and carried back the ashes. When the people of the realm heard of this they mourned the wrongful death (Note: following the Taiheiki. That the remains were cremated and the ashes carried back is according to the Tenshō-bon). He had a son, Mutsuyoshi.

Mutsuyoshi

¶Mutsuyoshi's mother was a younger sister of Minamoto-no-Chikafusa (Kitabatake Chikafusa) (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Hōreki Kanki. The name "Mutsuyoshi" follows the Saisaiyōki; the old-text Teiō Keizu writes "Okiyoshi"). He had a valiant spirit from childhood (Note: following the Taiheiki). He was raised as a son of Emperor Go-Daigo and became an Imperial Prince (Note: following the Aso Shrine documents). When Emperor Go-Murakami took the throne, he was appointed Seii Taishōgun (Note: following the Taiheiki). In the summer of the second year of Kōkoku (1341), Chikafusa received him in Hitachi and had him guard the province (Note: following the Aso Shrine documents). When Chikafusa's army was defeated, he returned to the temporary imperial residence. In the sixth year of Shōhei (1351), Akamatsu Sokuyū submitted to the court and asked to take Mutsuyoshi as his commander-in-chief, and this was permitted. Mutsuyoshi went to Harima, but Sokuyū rebelled again and detained Mutsuyoshi in the capital (Note: according to the Mitoya documents, in the second month of this year Wada Masatake gathered troops on the strength of an edict of the Hitachi Imperial Prince. The Hitachi Imperial Prince is probably Mutsuyoshi). Afterwards men of Tajima took Mutsuyoshi back and brought him into Kōsan-ji Castle in Tanba. Honjō Heita and Honjō Heiza served him, pacified Tajima and Tanba almost entirely, advanced into Harima, and fought Sokuyū at Kabutoyama. Heita and Heiza fell in battle, and Mutsuyoshi fled to Kawachi. After that the various generals repeatedly asked to serve Mutsuyoshi as their commander-in-chief, but the emperor, prizing his martial talent, permitted none of them. In the fifteenth year of Shōhei (1360), the enemy invaded in great force, Fujiwara-no-Takatoshi was defeated in battle, and the court trembled with fear. Mutsuyoshi petitioned to lead troops and win merit himself, and the emperor assigned him Akamatsu Ujinori and the troops of the eighteen districts of Yoshino. Having obtained troops, Mutsuyoshi changed his purpose and grew arrogant, and planned to swallow up the eighteen districts amid the disorder, and secretly sent a messenger to make an agreement with Ashikaga Yoshiakira. Leading more than three thousand foot and horse, he climbed Ginne and burned the temporary palace at Anō and the residences of the local gentry. No one could fathom his true intent, and it was a stratagem to deceive the enemy. But soon people reporting rebellion came one after another, and the emperor had the former Kanpaku, Regent, Morotomo, lead a thousand-odd horsemen to attack him. When the soldiers saw this, they first realized that Mutsuyoshi had intended rebellion, and in anger and resentment they scattered, leaving only fifty-odd. Ujinori was wounded and fled. Mutsuyoshi fled to Nara (Note: following the Taiheiki), and nothing is known of him afterwards.

Jōson Hōshinnō

¶Jōson Hōshinnō (Note: a variant text of the Kōin Shōunroku writes "Jōzashō") lived at Shōgo-in (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Shomonzeki-fu).

Imperial Prince Muneyoshi

¶Imperial Prince Muneyoshi entered religious life at the age of ten or so and took the name Sonchō (Note: following the Taiheiki). He lived at Myōhō-in, was granted Third Rank, and became Tendai Zasu, Head Abbot of the Tendai sect (Note: following the Tendai Zasuki). When the emperor intended to destroy the Hōjō, Sonchō plotted together with his elder brother Sonun (later Imperial Prince Moriyoshi), but it was discovered before they could act. In the eighth month of the first year of Genkō (1331), when the emperor went in progress to Kasagi, Sonchō and Sonun gathered warrior monks, fought Sasaki Tokinobu at Karasaki beach, and drove him off (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Masukagami). But soon the monk Gōyo turned traitor, seized Sonchō's steward Chōshun and sent him to Rokuhara. The Sōzu, Senior Priest, Yūzen, the wealthiest of the disciples, led his followers and surrendered to the rebels. Sonchō could not hold out and fled by way of Ishiyama to Kasagi (Note: following the Taiheiki). When the castle fell he was captured and held in the house of Nagai Takahiro. In the second year of Genkō he was exiled to Takuma in Sanuki (Note: following the Masukagami and the Taiheiki). In the third year of Genkō, when the disturbance was pacified, Sonchō led the troops of Shikoku back to the capital and again became Zasu (Note: following the Tendai Zasuki and the Taiheiki). In the second year of Kenmu (1335) he was granted Second Rank (Note: following the Shakke Kanpanki). In the first year of Engen (1336), when Ashikaga Takauji approached the capital, the emperor went in progress to Enryaku-ji (Note: following the Taiheiki). He specially ordered that Sonchō be raised to First Rank, to rouse the monks. This was the first time a Zasu was raised to First Rank (Note: following the Tendai Zasuki and the Shakke Kanpanki). The emperor was deceived by Takauji and returned to the capital, but Sonchō fled to Ii Castle in Tōtōmi. In the spring of the third year of Engen (1338) he entered it as reinforcement together with Minamoto-no-Akiie (Kitabatake Akiie). When Akiie fell in battle, Sonchō fled to Yoshino (Note: following the Taiheiki). In the autumn of the same year, by imperial command he again went to Ii Castle to take charge of the eastern provinces (Note: following the Rikashū, the Jinnō Shōtōki and the Taiheiki). In the fourth year of Engen (1339), the emperor died and Emperor Go-Murakami succeeded him, and he conveyed the deathbed edict to Sonchō and the various generals, ordering them not to miss the moment to take the initiative (Note: following the Taiheiki). Sonchō let his hair grow and changed his name to Muneyoshi (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū and the Rikashū. The year and month of Muneyoshi's return to lay life are not known, so it is placed here for the time being), and was called the Kōzuke Shinnō, Prince of Kōzuke, or Shinano-no-miya (Note: following the Taiheiki). Soon, by imperial command, Muneyoshi became Nakatsukasa-kyō and Seitō Shōgun, Eastern-Subduing General (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū and the Rikashū. This book does not record the years and months of these two offices, so they are placed here now. The Rikashū writes "Seii" for "Seitō," but at this time Mutsuyoshi was the Seii general, so this is probably a mistake). In the first year of Kōkoku (1340), when Kō-no-Moroyasu took Ii Castle, Muneyoshi gathered the remaining troops and again held Ii, but was again defeated by Moroyasu (Note: the Hōreki Kanki and the Tsurugaoka Shamuki have also been consulted) and fled to Echigo (Note: following the Rikashū). After that he moved to Suruga, then turned to Shinano, going back and forth among Kai, Mino, Etchū and Echigo, wandering and hiding, and tasted every hardship. Asuke Shigeharu of Mikawa, Katori Takamune of Shinano, Kanō-no-suke Sadanaga of Suruga, a certain Ii-no-suke of Tōtōmi and others served him with all their hearts (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū and the Rikashū). In the seventh year of Shōhei (1352), Ashikaga Yoshiakira sought peace, and the emperor feigned consent in order to strike by surprise. He ordered Nitta Yoshioki and Yoshimune to raise troops and attack Takauji in Kamakura (Note: following the Taiheiki). Muneyoshi advanced his army to Musashino and, rousing his troops, composed a poem expressing that for his lord and for the world there was nothing to regret, if only a life cast away might prove worth the casting (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū and the Rikashū). But soon Yoshimune and the others lost the advantage in fighting the enemy and withdrew to guard Fuefuki Pass. Muneyoshi further led more than twenty thousand men including Ōida Ujitsune and Uesugi Noriaki to help them, but the imperial army was defeated and Yoshimune fled to Echigo. At this time the emperor was staying at Iwashimizu, and Yoshiakira attacked it in haste. By imperial edict the generals of the northeast were ordered to come to the rescue, and Muneyoshi led the armies of Jinke, Shigeno, Uesugi and others up, but the castle fell before they arrived (Note: following the Taiheiki). In the fifteenth year of Shōhei (1360), the emperor was at Sumiyoshi and commanded Muneyoshi to raise troops and hasten there. But Shinano is cold from early in the year, the Kiso road was shut by ice and snow and difficult for men and horses to pass, and he could not send troops. The emperor sent a waka to urge him, but in the end it was not realized (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū and the Rikashū). From the reign of Emperor Chōkei onward, the power of the state declined and imperial commands were no longer carried out. Muneyoshi's difficulties grew ever deeper. In the third year of Bunchū (1374) he made a pilgrimage to Yoshino. In the third year of Tenju (1377) he likewise tried to go to Shinano, but this too was not realized. At length he entered Hase-dera and became a priest again. Afterwards he went to Shinano, and later lodged at Yamada in Kawachi. Muneyoshi once compiled the Shin'yō Wakashū, which by order of Emperor Go-Kameyama was made a quasi-imperial anthology. In the twelfth month of the first year of Kōwa (1381), when he revised it and presented it, he was seventy years old. Nothing is known of him afterwards (Note: according to the Kamakura Ōzōshi, in the Kōwa years the people of Shinano province rebelled, and the Prince and the whole Nitta clan all died at Namiai. This "Prince" is suspected to be Muneyoshi, but there is no sure evidence). His one son, Okiyoshi, died before him (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū. The name "Okiyoshi" follows the Saisaiyōki).

Crown Prince Tsuneyoshi

¶Crown Prince Tsuneyoshi was at first an Imperial Prince. In the first year of Genkō (1331), when the emperor was confined at Rokuhara, Tsuneyoshi was only eight. Because of his youth the rebels let him live in the mansion of Fujiwara-no-Nobuakira. Tsuneyoshi longed for his father day and night and asked Nobuakira: "I hear that Father is at Shirakawa-gō. Why will you not take me once to see him?" Nobuakira shed tears and, citing a poem by the priest Nōin, answered: "Shirakawa is in Michinoku, and in that place there is a barrier that stops people. How could one easily go there?" Tsuneyoshi at once recited poems by Fujiwara-no-Masatsune and Tsumori-no-Kunikazu and said: "In the capital too there is a place called Shirakawa. The name is the same but the place is different, is it not? Do you mean to deceive me?" After that he said nothing more. Once, leaning against the gate and listening to the evening bell, he composed a poem saying that, gazing on at the end of the day, even in the sound of the sunset bell he yearned for his lord (Note: some texts read "hearing the bell" for "the sound of the bell"). At that time in the capital this poem by the eight-year-old Prince was widely told, and none who heard it failed to weep (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Masukagami. In the Taiheiki's passage on the eight-year-old Prince's poem he is called the "Ninth Prince" without a name, and the Nobutane-ki, citing the Taiheiki, calls him the "Fourth Prince." In the Masukagami, the sons borne by the Naishi Junkō (Fujiwara-no-Renshi) all remained in the capital in childhood, and the one among them who was eight is called the eldest son. The poem recorded there is the same as in the Taiheiki. However, in the Rekidai Kōki, the Jinnō Shōtōki, the Taiheiki and a variant Taiheiki, Tsuneyoshi, Nariyoshi and Noriyoshi are all sons of the Junkō, and in the order of the emperor's sons the sixth is Tsuneyoshi, the seventh Nariyoshi and the eighth Noriyoshi. There is no doubt that the one who composed this poem was Tsuneyoshi. To say "Ninth Prince" or "Fourth Prince" is a mistake). Hōjō-no-Takatoki moved Tsuneyoshi to Tajima and confined him in the house of the shugo, Governor, Ōta Morinobu (Note: in this book's passage on the confinement at Kasagi it says "the Fourth Prince was exiled to Tajima," and in the passage on Tadaaki's battle at Kyoto it says "the Sixth Prince was exiled to Tajima," so the two disagree. Here the order of brothers given in the Jinnō Shōtōki is followed). In the third year of Genkō (1333), Morinobu raised troops carrying Tsuneyoshi and joined Minamoto-no-Tadaaki at Shinomura in Tanba, and Tadaaki served Tsuneyoshi as supreme general. They issued orders and gathered troops and attacked Rokuhara without success, and withdrew to Otokoyama (Note: following the Taiheiki). The details are in Tadaaki's biography. In the first year of Kenmu (1334) he was installed as Crown Prince (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki).

¶In the first year of Engen (1336), the emperor returned to the capital from Enryaku-ji and sent Tsuneyoshi to Echizen to take charge of the northern provinces. Nitta Yoshisada commanded the whole army and held Kanegasaki Castle. But provisions did not hold out and the enemy's strength grew by the day, so the men urged Yoshisada to go to Somayama to gather troops and serve as rear support. Before he reached Somayama the castle fell and Tsuneyoshi was captured. When Ashikaga Takatsune inspected the heads, there were only the heads of Nitta Yoshiaki and Satomi Yoshiuji. Takatsune asked Tsuneyoshi whether Yoshisada, Yoshisuke and the others were alive or dead. Tsuneyoshi thought, "If I tell the truth, they will hurry to attack Somayama," and answered falsely: "Yesterday at dusk I heard that Yoshisada and his brother had taken their own lives and that their followers burned their remains in the camp." Takatsune believed this and thought that since there was no strong enemy at Somayama they would surrender of their own accord and there was no need to weary the troops, and had soldiers escort Tsuneyoshi to the capital. Soon he was confined in one room together with Imperial Prince Nariyoshi. In the spring of the third year of Engen (1338), Yoshisada and Yoshisuke left Somayama and took one castle after another, and their military strength greatly rose. Ashikaga Takauji, together with his younger brother Tadayoshi, said in a rage: "This is because we trusted the words of the Crown Prince and slackened the attack on Somayama." He therefore ordered Aihara Ujimitsu to administer poison. Ujimitsu came with medicine and said, "In a confined life you may develop a melancholy illness." Tadayoshi had his retainers present the medicine and left one packet behind. Nariyoshi said: "To recommend medicine when we are not yet ill must be out of concern for us. But does one who loves a person confine him in one room and make him grieve day and night? This is surely a poison that brings swift death, not medicine that cures illness," and was about to throw it into the garden. Tsuneyoshi took it up himself and said: "Takauji and Tadayoshi are cruel by nature. Even if we do not drink this medicine, there is no reason we should escape death. Rather than be shut in one room and never see the sunlight, it would be better to die early." And, chanting sutras and reciting the nenbutsu every day, he drank the medicine. Nariyoshi drank it too. Soon both died. At that time Tsuneyoshi was fifteen (Note: following the Taiheiki. The age is calculated from the statement that he was eight in the first year of Genkō. The Genkō Nikki Uragaki says Tsuneyoshi was thirteen when he became Crown Prince, which differs from this book).

Imperial Prince Nariyoshi

¶In the first year of Genkō (1331), Imperial Prince Nariyoshi became Kōzuke Taishu, Governor-Prince of Kōzuke. Ashikaga Tadayoshi assisted him and they went out to Kamakura to guard it (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Hōreki Kanki. Kōzuke Taishu follows the Jinnō Shōtōki). In the first year of Kenmu (1334) he was appointed Seii Taishōgun (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki and the Shokugenshō). In the second year of Kenmu, when Hōjō Tokiyuki attacked Kamakura, Nariyoshi stayed in Mikawa together with Tadayoshi, and Ōe-no-Tokihisa carried Nariyoshi back to the capital (Note: following the Genkō Nikki Uragaki. That Tadayoshi stayed in Mikawa follows the Taiheiki). In the winter of the third year of Kenmu, when Ashikaga Takauji confined the emperor in Kazan-in, the Retired Emperor Kōgon installed Nariyoshi as Crown Prince. But when the emperor went in progress to Yoshino, Nariyoshi was deposed (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Kōnendai Ryakki), confined in the capital, and later killed together with Tsuneyoshi (Note: following the Taiheiki).

Imperial Prince Miyoshi

¶In the first year of Kenmu (1334), Imperial Prince Miyoshi entered the Daishō-in of Ninna-ji and soon became an Imperial Prince. In the third year of Engen (1338) he took the tonsure and his Dharma name was Hōnin. In the sixth year of Shōhei (1351) he received Second Rank directly from the Retired Emperor Sukō, was granted a Kōsho, Bureau of Monastic Affairs, and was appointed Rokushōji Kengyō, Superintendent of the Six Shō Temples. In the seventh year of Shōhei he died. He was twenty-eight (Note: following the Ninna-ji Goden; the Shomonzeki-fu says twenty-nine).

Imperial Prince Kaneyoshi

¶Imperial Prince Kaneyoshi was Shikibu-kyō, Minister of Ceremonial (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū). In the first year of Engen (1336), when Ashikaga Takauji violated the imperial residence, Kaneyoshi followed the emperor's progress to Enryaku-ji. When the emperor returned to the capital, Kaneyoshi fled to Yoshino and hid (Note: following the Taiheiki). In the third year of Engen (1338) he was appointed Seisei Taishōgun, Generalissimo for Subduing the West, and pacified Tsukushi (Note: following the Aso Shrine documents. The Genkō Nikki Uragaki says: "Maki-no-miya was following Imperial Prince Noriyoshi to Mutsu when his ship drifted to Shikoku, and an edict was issued that he go to Chinzei." Maki-no-miya is probably Imperial Prince Kaneyoshi. The Shimazu documents also call Kaneyoshi "Shikoku-no-miya"). In the fourth year of Engen (1339), Emperor Go-Murakami took the throne and issued the deathbed edict, ordering "exert all your strength to plan the recovery" (Note: following the Taiheiki). Kikuchi Takemitsu received him into Yatsushiro Castle and assisted him with all his heart (Note: following the Petition of Kikuchi Taketomo). In the third year of Kōkoku (1342), Kaneyoshi led troops to attack Shimazu Sadahisa in Satsuma (Note: following the Shimazu documents and the Aso Shrine documents), fought Sadahisa at Taniyama and defeated him, and many of the enemy surrendered (Note: following the Aso Shrine documents). Sadahisa withdrew and shut himself in Sendai (Note: following the Shimazu documents and the Aso Shrine documents). Kaneyoshi advanced to Taniyama and held it, divided his troops to take the various castles, and stood against Sadahisa. In the second year of Shōhei (1347) he returned to Higo and left a separate general to command the imperial forces in Satsuma (Note: following the Aso Shrine documents). Soon, together with Takemitsu, he attacked Isshiki Noriuji and put him to flight, and advanced his camp into Chikuzen. When Ōtomo Ujitoki and Shōni Yorihisa surrendered and Chinzei was almost entirely pacified (Note: following the Petition of Kikuchi Taketomo), he was granted First Rank (Note: following the Godai'in Keizu). In the seventh year of Shōhei, the emperor went in progress to Otokoyama and by edict ordered Kaneyoshi to raise troops and come to his aid, but Kaneyoshi in the end did not go (Note: following the Aso Shrine documents). In the thirteenth year of Shōhei, Ashikaga Takauji sent his general Isshiki Naouji as Tsukushi Tandai, Commissioner of Tsukushi, and Takemitsu drove him off. Yorihisa soon rebelled and responded to Ashikaga Yoshiakira. Takemitsu served Kaneyoshi in attacking him and fought at Ōhara. Kaneyoshi himself led the army and charged into the enemy lines, received several wounds, and many on both sides of him died. Takemitsu fought with resolve to die and at last broke them, taking more than 3,200 heads (Note: following the Taiheiki). After that nothing is known of him. In the world he was called Chinzei-no-miya (Note: following the Entairyaku), or Kyūshū-no-miya (Note: following the Rikashū), Aso-no-miya (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Taiheiki), and Higo-no-miya (Note: following the Shimazu documents). It is handed down that Kaneyoshi lived in retirement at Ono in Yatsushiro District and was buried there when he died. He took a daughter of Kikuchi Takeshige as wife and had a son, Danshaku Matsumaru, who later called himself Yoshimune. His descendants continued without interruption and exist to this day (Note: following the Godai'in Keizu. The Petition of Kikuchi Taketomo says: "The Shōgun-no-miya received the imperial decision of Shōhei and became the deputy of the late Taiō." The Taiō is Kaneyoshi; who the Shōgun-no-miya is is not known, but it is probably Yoshimune).

The Priest Sonshin

¶The priest Sonshin was called Daigo-no-miya (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

Shōjo Hōshinnō

¶Shōjo Hōshinnō lived at Shōgo-in and withdrew from the world (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Kōin Shōunroku). Nothing is known of him afterwards.

Gen'en Hōshinnō

¶Gen'en Hōshinnō lived at Ichijō-in and became Bettō, Superintendent, of Kōfuku-ji (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Kōin Shōunroku).

The Priest Kōshō

¶Kōshō lived at Daikaku-ji. In the third year of Genkō (1333), he was moved to Etchū by Hōjō-no-Takatoki and killed there (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Kōin Shōunroku. The Shōunroku gives the third year of Enkei and the Shomonzeki-fu gives the second year of Gen'ō, but here the year has been set by inference from his deeds).

The Priest Gensen

¶Gensen had the style name Mumon. In the third year of Gentoku (1331) he entered religious life. Later he crossed to Yuan (China), succeeded to the Dharma of the priest Baiyū of Mount Kōgyō in Fuzhou, returned to Japan, lived at Okuyama in Tōtōmi, and founded Hōkō-ji. In the intercalary third month of the sixth year of Genchū (1389) he died. He was sixty-eight (Note: the Account of the Conduct of Zen Master Mumon and the Kōsōden have also been consulted).

Imperial Prince Mitsuyoshi

¶Imperial Prince Mitsuyoshi.

[Emperor Go-Murakami: Six Sons]

¶Emperor Go-Murakami had eight sons. The Nyōgo, Consort, of the Fujiwara clan bore Emperor Go-Kameyama. The court lady Noriko bore Imperial Prince Yoyoshi (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū). Emperor Chōkei, the third son Imperial Prince Korenari, the fourth son Crown Prince Younger Brother Yasunari, the fifth son Imperial Prince Tokinari, the sixth son Yoshinari, and the seventh son Imperial Prince Yasukuni were all borne by mothers who are not known (Note: following the old-text Teiō Keizu. In the Shin'yō Wakashū there appear the names of Imperial Prince Morinari, Hyōbu-kyō, and Imperial Prince Kanenari, Kōzuke Taishu. The postscript of the Rikashū by Tatara also says: "my late teacher Imperial Prince Morinari, Hyōbu-kyō, who entered religious life and took the name Ebon." Probably these two were also both sons of the emperor, but there is now no way to verify it. According to the Nihon Kokushi Ryaku, the personal name of Emperor Chōkei was Yutanari, and he was the first son of Emperor Go-Murakami. His mother was Kakimon'in Katsuko, a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Tsunetada).

Imperial Prince Yoyoshi

¶When Imperial Prince Yoyoshi died before the emperor, he was buried at Nyoirin-ji, and the emperor grieved over this and composed a waka (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū).

Imperial Prince Korenari

¶Imperial Prince Korenari was appointed Shikibu-kyō, Minister of Ceremonial, shaved his head, and took the name Baiin Yūjō (Note: following the old-text Teiō Keizu. Shikibu-kyō follows the Shin'yō Wakashū; this book gives Nakatsukasa-kyō).

Crown Prince Younger Brother Yasunari

¶Crown Prince Younger Brother Yasunari was born in the fifteenth year of Shōhei (1360) at the temporary palace at Sumiyoshi (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū). He became an Imperial Prince and was appointed Dazai-no-sotsu, Governor-General of Dazaifu (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū and the old-text Teiō Keizu). When Emperor Go-Kameyama took the throne, he became Crown Prince Younger Brother (Note: following the old-text Teiō Keizu).

Imperial Prince Tokinari

¶Imperial Prince Tokinari was appointed Kōzuke Taishu, Governor-Prince of Kōzuke (Note: following the old-text Teiō Keizu), and was called Gojōin-no-miya. His sons were the priests Engo and Enin, who both lived at Enman-in. Enin was appointed Daisōjō, Great Bishop (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu), but in the twelfth month of the fourth year of Bun'an (1447) he returned to lay life and raised troops, changing his name to Yoshiari (Note: the change of name follows the Satsukaiki). He attacked Hatakeyama Mochikuni in Kii but fell in battle (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu, the Yasutomi-ki and the Kamakura Ōnikki. "Mochikuni" follows the Hatakeyama genealogy). In the world he was called Enman-in and Genzoku-no-miya, the Prince Returned to Lay Life (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Kamakura Ōnikki. The old-text Teiō Keizu makes Enin a son of Yasunari, but examining the Yasutomi-ki, it says he belonged either to the house of the Kōzuke-no-miya or to the house of Goshōin. Goshōin is Gojōin, so it is clear that Enin was a son of Tokinari).

Yoshinari

¶Imperial Prince Yoshinari was called Chinzei-no-miya (Note: following the old-text Teiō Keizu).

Imperial Prince Yasukuni

¶Imperial Prince Yasukuni was Dazai-no-sotsu, Governor-General of Dazaifu (Note: following the Shin'yō Wakashū). He was called Sotsu-no-miya (Note: following the old-text Teiō Keizu).

[Emperor Chōkei: One Son]

¶Emperor Chōkei had one son. He was Sonshō, and his birth mother is not known.

The Priest Sonshō

¶Sonshō lived at Kajū-ji, was appointed Daisōjō, and concurrently held the temple administration of Anshō-ji (Note: following the old-text Teiō Keizu and the Shomonzeki-fu). In the seventh month of the fourth year of Eikyō (1432) he died (Note: following the Tōji Kakochō).

[Emperor Go-Kameyama: One Son]

¶Emperor Go-Kameyama had one son. He was Ogura, and his birth mother is not known (Note: in the Shin'yō Wakashū there is a letter by the former Dainagon Arimitsu seeking a wet nurse for the reigning emperor's second son. From this it seems that the emperor's sons were not only this one, but there is now no way to verify it).

A Certain Imperial Prince

¶A certain Imperial Prince, called Ogura, lived at Saga following the emperor. In the summer of the first year of Shōchō (1428), when Emperor Shōkō fell ill and his successor had not yet been decided, Ogura, intending to place his own son on the throne, secretly fled to Ise in the autumn (Note: following the Chin'yōki). In the winter, Minamoto-no-Mitsumasa, Dainagon, Major Counsellor and Kokushi, Provincial Governor of Ise, raised troops carrying him and fought Yoyasu Mochiyori and was killed in defeat (Note: following the Kitabatake genealogy. The Chin'yōki writes "Toki Yoyasu" with different characters for "Yoyasu," but the two spellings are read the same). Ogura surrendered and returned to Saga. His son Kyōson entered Kajū-ji and became a priest (Note: following the Chin'yōki). He was appointed Gon-no-sōjō, Provisional Bishop, and concurrently held the temple administration of Anshō-ji (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu).

[Emperor Go-Komatsu: Two Sons]

¶Emperor Go-Komatsu had three sons. The court lady Fujiwara-no-Sukeko bore Emperor Shōkō and the third son, a certain Imperial Prince (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). A lady of the Fujiwara clan bore the second son, the priest Sōjun (Note: following the Ikkyū Nenpu Gyōjitsu).

A Certain Imperial Prince

¶A certain Imperial Prince was called Ryūjuji-no-miya, was granted Second Rank, and became an Imperial Prince (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). Because he lived in the Ogawa mansion of Fujiwara-no-Tsuneoki, Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor, he was also called Ogawa-no-miya (Note: following the Satsukaiki). In the second month of the thirty-second year of Ōei (1425) he died (Note: following the Kaei Sandaiki and the Satsukaiki). He was twenty-two. Before this, the bamboo of the Hiyoshi Shrine had withered, and a headless dead monkey had been found before the shrine. The Prince had been born in a Kinoe-Saru (Kōshin) year, and the name "bamboo garden" (chikuen, a term for the imperial family) also bore on the matter, so people of the time whispered that these were ill omens (Note: following the Satsukaiki).

The Priest Sōjun

¶Sōjun's mother, a Fujiwara, was already with child when she was driven from the palace by slander. In the first month of the first year of Ōei (1394) she bore Sōjun in a commoner's house. He was intelligent by nature (Note: following the Ikkyū Nenpu. The diary of Sugawara-no-Kazunaga for the third year of Meiō also says he was the emperor's son, which supports this book's account. It is added for reference). At six he entered Ankoku-ji as an errand boy and called himself Shūken (Note: following the Ikkyū Nenpu). Later he studied under the priest Sōdon of the Shōzui-an at Katata in Ōmi and inherited his Dharma, and changed to his present name and took the title Ikkyū (Note: following the Ikkyū Nenpu Gyōjitsu). Even after he abdicated, the emperor constantly summoned Sōjun into the palace to ask about the Buddhist way and discuss Zen, and favored him especially. When Emperor Shōkō became gravely ill and the successor had not yet been decided, Imperial Prince Hikohito was at his mansion in Fushimi, and Sōjun secretly reported to the emperor, "It would be good to make this prince the heir" (Note: following the Ikkyū Nenpu). He also composed a waka and presented it, which in substance urged that the tips of the evergreen at Kidera be plucked away, and that the bamboo garden at Fushimi carry on the generations (Note: according to the autograph poem card in the possession of the Araki family). Thus the imperial heir was settled, and this was Emperor Go-Hanazono. In the sixth year of Bunmei (1474), by imperial command he lived at Daitoku-ji. In the eleventh month of the thirteenth year of Bunmei he died. He was eighty-eight (Note: following the Ikkyū Nenpu Gyōjitsu). His portrait was enshrined at Shinju-an and Shūon-an. He wrote the Kyōunshū, which has come down to the present. Sōjun was cheerful in heart, played with jests, forgot both things and self, regarded noble and humble without distinction, had a compassionate heart, and gave alms at once when asked. He was loved by children, and it is said that even crows and sparrows came tamely to peck at him. Once, when he was living at the Sakai shore in Izumi, whenever he went into the town he carried a wooden sword. When someone asked about it, he answered: "What the world calls men of knowledge are like this wooden sword. Kept in its scabbard it looks genuine, but drawn it is only a piece of wood. It cannot even kill a man, so how could it give life to a man?" His disciples passed this on and painted the wooden sword beside his portrait. As Emperor Go-Komatsu was nearing death, Sōjun came to the palace and had an audience. The emperor was greatly pleased and himself bestowed several scrolls, precious ink traces written by the former emperor and hihaku, flying-white calligraphy, by a sage. Sōjun never stored up possessions in his life, but these few scrolls alone he always carried with him wherever he went (Note: following the Ikkyū Nenpu). A son, a priest named Shōtei, with the title Giō, is said to have lived at Sakurazuka in Settsu (Note: following the diary of Sugawara-no-Kazunaga for the third year of Meiō).

¶Appendix: Imperial Princes of the Northern Court

[Emperor Kōgon: Two Sons]

¶Emperor Kōgon had four sons. Yōrokumon'in bore Emperor Sukō and Emperor Go-Kōgon (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Nyoin Shōden). Later, the Tai-no-onkata of the Fujiwara clan bore the third son, Gijin Hōshinnō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). The fourth son, Imperial Prince Sondon, lost his birth mother (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Ninna-ji Goden).

Gijin Hōshinnō

¶Gijin Hōshinnō lived at Togano-o and was granted Second Rank. He was skilled in the sō, the koto, and was called Ōgimachi-no-miya (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and a variant Shōunroku).

Imperial Prince Sondon

¶Imperial Prince Sondon was first raised by Fujiwara-no-Sukekane, Gon-Chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor (Note: following the Gogumaiki). In the fourth year of Bunna (1355) he became an Imperial Prince. Soon he took the tonsure under Kanshō Hōshinnō, took the name Enin, later changed it to Sonchō, and lived at Ninna-ji (Note: following the Ninna-ji Goden). In the seventh month of the fourth year of Eiwa (1378) he died. He was twenty-five (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Ninna-ji Goden).

[Emperor Kōmyō: One Son]

¶Emperor Kōmyō had one son. He was Shūson, whose birth mother is lost and whose deeds are also unknown (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku. Among the sons of Crown Prince Naohito of Emperor Sukō there is a priest named Shūkō, which is similar to this, so they may perhaps be the same person).

Shūson

¶Emperor Sukō had three sons. The Naishi-no-suke, Assistant Handmaid, of the Minamoto clan bore the first son, Imperial Prince Yoshihito. The second son, Kōjo Hōshinnō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Chin'yōki) and the third son, Kōshin Hōshinnō, both lost their birth mothers (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu. This book does not record which son each was, and other books likewise have no record of further sons, so for now he is set as the third son).

[Emperor Sukō: Three Sons]

¶Imperial Prince Yoshihito shaved his head, changed his name to Tsūchi, and lived at Fushimi-dono (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Chin'yōki. When Emperor Sukō died, Yoshihito, as heir of the house, stood in the position to succeed to the throne, but did not achieve his aim. Probably, because he had entered Yoshino following Emperor Sukō, he could not take the throne. Further, according to the Kindai Teikei, counting back from the statement that Yoshihito was sixty-eight when he died, at the accession of Emperor Go-Kōgon Yoshihito was only four, while Emperor Go-Kōgon himself was fifteen. Probably Ashikaga Takauji, fearing that the realm would fall into disorder, thought it advantageous to set up an older sovereign and so set up Emperor Go-Kōgon, but this too is not certain. It is added here for the time being). Formerly, when Emperor Go-Fukakusa abdicated, by command of Emperor Saga (probably a mistake for Emperor Kameyama) the following were given as his holdings: one hundred and eighty places of the Chōkōdō estates, the Hōkongō-in estates, the fief households of the Atsuta Shrine in Settsu, Sumiyoshi, and upper and lower Owari, some separate tax-exempt lands besides, and the provincial office of Harima with its ten separate tax-exempt lands. When Emperor Fushimi took the throne, he took these into his own holding. They passed to Emperor Kōgon, who passed them to Emperor Kōmyō, and Emperor Kōmyō had them passed to Emperor Sukō, and Emperor Sukō drew up a testament and entrusted it to Emperor Go-Kōgon, saying: "If Prince Yoshihito should ever take the throne, the Chōkōdō estates and the Hōkongō-in estates should be granted to him. If not, Iyahito (Emperor Go-Kōgon) may hold them during his reign, but they must in time be returned to Yoshihito's house. Even if in later ages something like the alternation of the two lines should arise again, none who is not a descendant of Yoshihito may be allowed to hold them." He also said: "The estates left by Muromachi-in, an imperial princess of Emperor Go-Horikawa, are now the fief of Crown Prince Younger Brother Naohito, but after Naohito's death they should go to Yoshihito." He also said: "The site of Fushimi-dono is nominally included in the Chōkōdō estates, but as land that the main line has held exclusively through the generations, it should especially go to Yoshihito." When Emperor Go-Kōgon abdicated and discussed the successor, the emperor thought of setting up Yoshihito and passing on all the holdings, and sent a man to convey his intention to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and his steward Hosokawa Yoriyuki. Yoriyuki found this extremely difficult and answered: "This is a matter of Your Majesty's own house, so you should decide it yourself." The emperor sent another man to say: "Since the Jōkyū disturbance, matters of abdication have always been decided by the warrior house. Do not pass over my earnest request today as someone else's business." But Yoriyuki secretly accepted Emperor Go-Kōgon's request, planned to set up Emperor Go-Enyū, and pretended not to take part in the discussion. And Emperor Go-Enyū finally took the throne. The emperor (Go-Kōgon) thereby fell out with Emperor Sukō, and the courtiers each formed factions and followed. When the emperor died, Emperor Go-Komatsu took in all the Chōkōdō estates and the other fief households. What Yoshihito obtained was only the village of Fushimi. Yoshihito was depressed and unhappy and resolved to withdraw from the world. Soon Naohito died, and Yoshihito, seeking his bequeathed holdings, put forward Emperor Kōgon's testament and appealed to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Sadaijin, Minister of the Left, on grounds of reason. Yoshimitsu reported this to Emperor Go-Komatsu, and it was decided to give Yoshihito the seven places bequeathed by Naohito and the provincial office of Harima with its separate tax-exempt lands, but the ten separate lands were still held by the line of Emperor Go-Kōgon. Emperor Go-Komatsu permitted it but in the end did not give them. What Yoshihito obtained was in name without substance. Yoshimitsu further took the site of Fushimi-dono for his own retirement residence and had Yoshihito move to Hagiwara-dono. When Yoshimitsu died, Yoshihito again put forward Emperor Kōgon's testament and petitioned Ashikaga Yoshimochi, Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior, and the Kanrei, Shiba Yoshishige, to have that site returned and to go back to his former place. But Hagiwara-dono too had been petitioned for by the priest Shūkō, a son of Naohito, to Yoshimochi and donated as a temple. In Yoshihito's house there was a famous flute handed down through the generations, "Katei," which as a famed instrument of the realm had from ancient times been used only at great court rites and at the Seishodō kagura performances. After Emperor Go-Komatsu abdicated, Yoshihito, old and ill and fearing that his descendants would not be able to keep Naohito's bequeathed holdings, presented this flute to the emperor and asked that the land be passed down in his line through the generations. The emperor gladly permitted it. In the eleventh month of the twenty-third year of Ōei (1416), Yoshihito died (Note: following the Chin'yōki, with the Masukagami also consulted). Yoshihito himself drew up a testament, donated some fief households to Daikōmyō-ji to have a sub-temple built, named it Daitsū-in, and also took it as his own title. Because he had once lived at Arisugawa, he was also called Arisugawa-no-miya (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Chin'yōki). When Emperor Shōkō died without an heir, Emperor Go-Komatsu raised Yoshihito's grandson and had him take the throne. This was Emperor Go-Hanazono. Thereby the Chōkōdō and Hōkongō-in estates became his holdings, the fief households of the Atsuta Shrine too finally returned to Fushimi-dono, and Yoshihito's descendants were able to hold them together. All was as Emperor Kōgon had willed (Note: following the Chin'yōki). His sons were Imperial Prince Sadafusa, who took the title Go-Sukōin, and next Prince Haruhito (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Chin'yōki).

Imperial Prince Yoshihito

¶Kōjo Hōshinnō lived at Sōō-in (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

Kōjo Hōshinnō

¶Kōshin Hōshinnō lived at Kajū-ji and administered Anshō-ji. He died young (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu).

Kōshin Hōshinnō

¶Emperor Go-Kōgon had fifteen sons. Sūkenmon'in bore Emperor Go-Enyū (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Nyoin Shōden), the fifth son, Imperial Prince Hironaga (Note: following the Ninna-ji Goden and a variant Shōunroku), and the sixth son, Gyōnin Hōshinnō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). A Naishi, Handmaid, of the Tachibana clan bore the tenth son, Myōshō Hōshinnō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the separate record of the Gogumaiki. The Tendai Zasuki says he was a son borne by Hōki-dono-no-tsubone). Uemon-no-suke-no-tsubone bore the second son, Ryōnin Hōshinnō, and the eighth son, Kakuzō Hōshinnō. Hōki-dono-no-tsubone bore the fourth son, Kakuei Hōshinnō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Gogumaiki), and the seventh son, Imperial Prince Kyūson (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Gogumaiki). The third son, Gyōjo Hōshinnō, the ninth son, Kanshu Hōshinnō, the eleventh son, Shōjo Hōshinnō, the twelfth son, Gyōshō Hōshinnō, the thirteenth son, Dōkan Hōshinnō, the fourteenth son, a certain priest, and the fifteenth son, a certain priest, all lost their birth mothers (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku. The Satsukaiki calls Gyōnin the third son, but this is probably mistaken).

[Emperor Go-Kōgon: Fourteen Sons]

¶Ryōnin Hōshinnō studied under Ryōshō Hōshinnō and lived at Myōhō-in. In the third year of Ōan (1370) he died. He was sixteen (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Gogumaiki and the Shomonzeki-fu. Several variant texts of the Taiheiki say that Ryōshō lived at Myōhō-in but was killed by Sasaki Hidetsuna).

Ryōnin Hōshinnō

¶Gyōjo Hōshinnō was at first named Hirohira, studied the Buddhist Law under Songo Hōshinnō, lived at Enman-in, and was granted Second Rank (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Shomonzeki-fu).

Gyōjo Hōshinnō

¶Kakuei Hōshinnō was raised by Fujiwara-no-Sanetsugu, Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior (Note: following the separate record of the Gogumaiki). In the sixth year of Ōan (1373) he entered Kajii and took the tonsure, became a disciple of Jōin Hōshinnō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Gogumaiki and the Shomonzeki-fu), and was appointed Tendai Zasu. In the seventh month of the third year of Eiwa (1377) he died. He was seventeen (Note: following the separate record of the Gogumaiki).

Kakuei Hōshinnō

¶Imperial Prince Hironaga (Note: the Kōin Shōunroku writes the last character of his name as the one read "hito" instead of "naga," but here the Ninna-ji Goden is followed) was at first raised by Fujiwara-no-Nakafusa, Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor. In the fifth year of Ōan (1372) he became an Imperial Prince (Note: following the Gogumaiki and the Ninna-ji Goden). Soon he entered religious life and took the name Chūjo, later changed to Eijo, and lived at Ninna-ji (Note: the Kōin Shōunroku, the Shomonzeki-fu and the Ninna-ji Goden have also been consulted). In the Shitoku years (1384-87), he was granted Second Rank directly (Note: following the Ninna-ji Goden). In the nineteenth year of Ōei (1412) he advanced to First Rank (Note: following a variant Shōunroku, the Satsukaiki and the Ninna-ji Goden). In the twenty-fourth year of Ōei he was permitted to use an oxcart. In the second month of the ninth year of Eikyō (1437) he died. He was seventy-six. He was called Go-Jōyugain-no-Omuro (Note: following the Ninna-ji Goden and the Shomonzeki-fu).

Imperial Prince Hironaga

¶Gyōnin Hōshinnō was raised by Fujiwara-no-Takasuke, Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor (Note: following the Gogumaiki). He shaved his head, became a disciple of the priest Ryōken, and lived at Myōhō-in (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Gogumaiki and the Shomonzeki-fu). In the first year of Shitoku (1384) he became Tendai Zasu. In the fifth year of Shitoku he gave up the post. In the eighteenth year of Ōei (1411) he was again appointed to it and was granted First Rank (Note: following the Satsukaiki, the Shomonzeki-fu and the Tendai Zasuki), and became Goji-sō, Protector Priest of the emperor. In the fourth month of the second year of Eikyō (1430) he died. He was sixty-eight (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Satsukaiki).

Gyōnin Hōshinnō

¶In the fifth year of Ōan (1372), Imperial Prince Kyūson became an Imperial Prince, took the tonsure under Sondō Hōshinnō, changed his name to Dōen, and lived at Shōren-in (Note: the Kōin Shōunroku, the Gogumaiki and the Gofukakushin'in Kanpakuki have also been consulted). In the first year of Eitoku (1381) he was appointed Tendai Zasu (Note: following the Tendai Zasuki).

Imperial Prince Kyūson

¶Kakuzō Hōshinnō was raised by Fujiwara-no-Kin'nao, Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior. Later he became a katsushiki, a boy who serves at table in a temple, under the priest Myōha. When Myōha was driven out by Kō-no-Moronao, Musashi-no-kami, Governor of Musashi, he withdrew to live in Kin'nao's house. In the sixth year of Ōan (1373), when Kakuyo Hōshinnō, head of Shōgo-in, conducted a rite within the palace, the emperor secretly ordered that Kakuzō be made his disciple. Before this, Kan'in Hōshinnō, a son of Emperor Go-Fushimi, was to have entered Shōgo-in, but because the monks of Onjō-ji petitioned on the ground that his mother was of low status, the discussion was reopened and he entered Kajū-ji instead. That Kakuzō now entered Shōgo-in from the status of a katsushiki was likewise without precedent. People rumored that the emperor had first bribed the monks to block it and made Kakuzō his successor (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Gogumaiki).

Kakuzō Hōshinnō

¶Kanshu Hōshinnō studied under Jōchō Hōshinnō and lived at Jōjō-in (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Shomonzeki-fu).

Kanshu Hōshinnō

¶Myōshō Hōshinnō was raised by Fujiwara-no-Saneoto, Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor. When Kakubin Hōshinnō died, the emperor hastened to make Myōshō his successor as head of Kajii, but just then Saneoto defied the imperial will, so it was decided instead to have Fujiwara-no-Sanetsugu, Naidaijin, raise him and receive him into the temple. Public opinion criticized this on the ground that the forty-nine days of mourning for Kakuei's death had not yet ended, but Fujiwara-no-Nakamitsu, Sachūben, Middle Controller of the Left, pushed it through forcibly in accordance with the emperor's wishes, and people condemned it severely (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Gogumaiki and the Shomonzeki-fu). In the second year of Kakei (1388) he was appointed Tendai Zasu (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Tendai Zasuki).

Myōshō Hōshinnō

¶Shōjo Hōshinnō studied the Buddhist Law under the priest Shuē and lived at Hongaku-in (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Shomonzeki-fu).

Shōjo Hōshinnō

¶Gyōshō Hōshinnō studied the Buddhist Law under Gyōnin Hōshinnō and lived at Myōhō-in. Later, for some reason, he took his own life (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Gogumaiki and the Shomonzeki-fu).

Gyōshō Hōshinnō

¶Dōkan Hōshinnō studied under Kanson Hōshinnō and lived at Daikaku-ji (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Shomonzeki-fu).

Dōkan Hōshinnō

¶A certain person lived at Keiai-ji (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

A Certain Priest

¶A certain person lived at Ryūtō-an (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

A Certain Priest

¶Emperor Go-Enyū had two sons. Tsūyōmon'in bore Emperor Go-Komatsu (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Nyoin Shōden). A Naishi-no-suke, Assistant Handmaid, of the Fujiwara clan bore the first son, Dōchō Hōshinnō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Gogumaiki).

[Emperor Go-Enyū: One Son]

¶Dōchō Hōshinnō lived at Jōjō-in (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).