Masashige Kusunoki

A military commander from the end of the Kamakura period to the period of the Northern and Southern Courts. His father is said to have been Kusunoki Masato. His childhood name was Tamonmaru, and he later called himself Hyoe no Jo. In August 1331 (Ganko 1), in response to a call from Emperor Godaigo, he went to Kasagi, and later raised an army at Akasaka Castle (Chihaya Akasaka Village, Minamikawachi County, Osaka Prefecture). As part of the preparations for the uprising, he broke into Wakamatsu-sho, Izumi Province (Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture) and requisitioned military rice, which earned him the nickname Kusunoki Hyoe no Jo the Villain. Prince Takanaga and Prince Moriyoshi also barricaded themselves in Akasaka Castle, but it was taken by a fierce attack by the Kamakura Shogunate army. In 1802, Prince Moriyoshi raised an army in Yoshino, and Masanari raised an army again in Chihaya Castle (Chihayaakasaka Village, Minamikawachi County). In December of the same year, he defeated the Yuasa Party that had occupied Akasaka Castle and recaptured his base, and in January of the following year, he fought against the Izumi Shugo Army and the Kawachi Shugodai, driving them out and taking control of the area from Minamikawachi to Izumi. He then advanced into Settsu and defeated the Rokuhara Army led by the two generals Sumida and Takahashi in the Battle of Shitennoji. In response to Masanari's actions, the Kono Navy and the Akamatsu clan began to develop an anti-shogunate movement from Kinai to the western part of Japan. The Kamakura Shogunate sent a large army led by Osaragi Ietoki to the west in an attempt to crush the anti-shogunate movement in one fell swoop. As a result, Akasaka Castle fell in February of the 33rd year (Ganko 3/Shokei 2), and the Yoshino fort was also destroyed in early February of the leap year. However, Chihaya Castle, where Masanari had holed up, continued to withstand the fierce attacks of the Kamakura army, buying time for the anti-shogunate forces to unite, allowing Emperor Godaigo to escape to Oki and Akamatsu Norimura (Enshin) and others to attack Rokuhara.

In 1334 (Kenmu 1), with the establishment of the Kenmu government, he was appointed as a Kebiishi (Ju Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) and a Saemon Junior Lieutenant, and became the guardian of Kawachi and Settsu. He also became the Onshogata (Reward Department), Yoryudo (Record Office), and Bugyo (Magistrate of the Office of Miscellaneous Lawsuit Decision-Making), and worked in the Mushadokoro (Warrior Department) with Nitta Yoshisada and Nawa Nagatoshi. In view of his rise to fame, people called him "Miki Issou," along with Yuki, Nawa (Houki no Kami), and Chigusa. He was highly trusted by the Emperor, and had a residence in Nijo Tominokoji, where he guarded the Emperor together with Nawa Nagato and Yuki Chikamitsu. In 35 (Kenmu 2), when Ashikaga Takauji, who had been heading to Kamakura to suppress the Nakasendai Rebellion, raised an army to exterminate Nitta Yoshisada at the end of the same year and approached Kyoto, Masashige holed himself up in Mount Hiei together with Emperor Godaigo to cut off the supply lines for Takauji's army, while he cooperated with Kitabatake Akiie's army to defeat Takauji's army at Tadasu Forest in Kyoto and drove them to Kyushu. However, in May of the 36th year of the Engen era (1st year of the Engen era/3rd year of the Kenmu era), after a fierce battle at Minatogawa in Hyōgo (Kobe city, Hyōgo prefecture) he was defeated by Takauji's army which had regrouped and was heading east, and he committed suicide together with his younger brother Masasue. "This time we will surely defeat the emperor. While Masanari was under imperial command to be the guardian of both Izumi and Kawachi provinces, my relatives and clan still found it difficult to raise an army, so what more could he say to the people of the country? This is proof that all the world is serving the emperor" (Umematsuron). From these final words submitted to the Imperial Court on his way to the Battle of Minatogawa, we know that Masanari was a military commander with accurate judgment and insight into historical trends, and his character can be seen from letters left behind at Kongoji Temple and other places.

[Kazuhiko Sato]

``History of the Northern and Southern Courts Period'' by Yoshinari Tanaka (1922, Meiji Shoin) ▽ ``Kusuji Ken Kenkyu'' by Seiichi Fujita (1933, Sekizenkan) ▽ ``Masashige Kusunoki'' by Seiji Uemura (1966, Shibundo)''

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉末・南北朝時代の武将。父は楠木正遠(まさとお)と伝えられる。幼名を多聞丸(たもんまる)、のち兵衛尉(ひょうえのじょう)と称する。1331年（元弘1）8月、後醍醐(ごだいご)天皇の呼びかけに応じて、笠置(かさぎ)に参向し、のち赤坂(あかさか)城（大阪府南河内(みなみかわち)郡千早(ちはや)赤坂村）に挙兵した。挙兵準備の一環として和泉(いずみ)国若松荘(わかまつのしょう)（大阪府堺(さかい)市）に乱入し、兵糧米(ひょうろうまい)を徴発したため、悪党(あくとう)楠木兵衛尉とよばれた。赤坂城には尊良(たかなが)親王、護良(もりよし)親王らも立てこもったが、鎌倉幕府軍の猛攻によって陥落させられた。32年、護良親王が吉野で挙兵したのに応じて、正成も千早城（南河内郡千早赤坂村）で再挙した。同年12月、赤坂城を占拠していた湯浅(ゆあさ)党を降(くだ)して根拠地を奪回し、翌年1月には、和泉の守護軍、河内の守護代と戦ってこれらを駆逐し、南河内から和泉の地域を支配下に入れた。さらに、摂津に進撃して、四天王寺(してんのうじ)の合戦で、隅田(すだ)、高橋の両将が率いる六波羅(ろくはら)軍を撃破した。正成の行動に呼応して、畿内(きない)から西国にかけては、河野(こうの)水軍や赤松一族が反幕運動を展開し始めた。鎌倉幕府は、大仏家時(おさらぎいえとき)らを大将とする大軍を西下させて、反幕行動を一挙に鎮圧しようとした。このため、33年（元弘3・正慶2）2月には赤坂城が落ち、閏(うるう)2月上旬には吉野の砦(とりで)も壊滅した。しかし、正成が立てこもった千早城は、鎌倉軍の猛攻に耐え続け、反幕府勢力結集の時を稼ぎ、後醍醐天皇の隠岐(おき)脱出、赤松則村（円心(えんしん)）らの六波羅攻撃を可能にした。

　1334年（建武1）建武(けんむ)政権の樹立とともに、従(じゅ)五位下検非違使(けびいし)、左衛門少尉(しょうじょう)に任ぜられ、河内・摂津の守護となった。さらに、恩賞方(おんしょうがた)、記録所の寄人(よりゅうど)、雑訴決断所(ざっそけつだんしょ)の奉行(ぶぎょう)にもなり、新田義貞(にったよしさだ)、名和長年(なわながとし)らと武者所(むしゃどころ)に勤務したが、その栄達ぶりを世人は結城(ゆうき)、名和(なわ)（伯耆守(ほうきのかみ)）、千種(ちぐさ)とあわせて「三木一草」と称した。天皇の信任も厚く、二条富小路(にじょうとみのこうじ)に屋敷を構え、名和長年、結城親光(ちかみつ)とともに天皇の身辺を警護した。35年（建武2）、中先代(なかせんだい)の乱を鎮圧するために鎌倉に向かった足利尊氏(あしかがたかうじ)が、同年末、新田義貞誅伐(ちゅうばつ)を名目に挙兵し京都に迫ったとき、正成は、後醍醐天皇とともに叡山(えいざん)にこもって尊氏軍の糧道を絶つ一方、北畠顕家(きたばたけあきいえ)軍と共同して、京都糺(ただす)の森において尊氏軍を破り、これを九州へと放逐した。しかし、36年（延元1・建武3）5月、態勢を立て直して東上する尊氏軍と兵庫湊川(みなとがわ)（兵庫県神戸市）において激戦のすえ敗北し、弟正季(まさすえ)とともに自刃した。「今度ハ君ノ戦必破ルベシ。正成和泉河内両国ノ守護トシテ勅命ヲ蒙(こうむ)ル間、軍勢ヲ催スニ、親類一族猶以(なおもって)難渋ノ色アリ、何ニ況(いわん)ヤ、国ノ人民ニヲイテヲヤ、是則(これすなわち)、天下君ヲソムケ奉ル証拠ナリ」（梅松論）との、湊川の戦いへ向かう途中、朝廷へ上奏した最後のことばからは、正成が歴史の趨勢(すうせい)を洞察しうる正確な判断力をもった武将であったことが知られ、金剛寺などに残された書状などからその風格をしのぶことができる。

［佐藤和彦］

『田中義成著『南北朝時代史』（1922・明治書院）』▽『藤田精一著『楠氏研究』（1933・積善館）』▽『植村清二著『楠木正成』（1966・至文堂）』

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