Emperor Godaigo

The emperor who realized the so-called "Kenmu Restoration". He was born on November 2nd, 1271, as the second son of Emperor Gouda. His mother was Dantenmon'in Chushi, the daughter of councillor Fujiwara no Tadatsugu. His name was Takaharu. He belonged to the Daikakuji line, and ascended to the throne in 1318 (Bunpo 2) at the age of 31. In 1321 (Genko 1), he abolished the cloistered government and began to rule directly. He gathered talented people such as Yoshida Sadafusa, Kitabatake Chikafusa, Madeno Koji Nobufusa, Hino Suketomo, and Hino Toshimoto, re-established the record office, and worked hard on government affairs while also working to promote learning and martial arts. During this time, he was determined to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate, and gathered people together at lectures and drinking parties called "Bureiko" to carry out his secret plan to overthrow the shogunate, but in 1324 (Shochu 1), he was spied on by the Rokuhara Tandai, and many of his close aides were arrested (Shochu Incident). The Emperor narrowly escaped this incident, but afterwards, he once again went ahead with his plan to overthrow the shogunate, including by appointing his son, Prince Morinaga, as the head priest of the Tendai sect, and thus drawing in the forces of Mount Hiei. However, in April 1331 (Ganko 1), Yoshida Sadafusa again informed the shogunate of his plans, and in August the Emperor fled to Todaiji Temple, then barricaded himself in Kasagi (Kasagi Town, Soraku County, Kyoto Prefecture), calling on samurai, temple and shrine forces from all over the country who were dissatisfied with the shogunate to rise up in revolt. In response, the shogunate sent a large army to besiege Kasagi, and the Emperor was captured and exiled to Oki in 1332 (the Genko Incident).

The Emperor's movements during his exile in Oki are unclear, but as anti-shogunate forces grew stronger due to the efforts of Prince Morinaga and Kusunoki Masashige, the Emperor escaped from Oki in leap February 1333 (Ganko 3/Shokei 2) and returned to Kyoto in June with the support of Nawa Nagatoshi of Hoki (Tottori Prefecture). As the shogunate had fallen in May prior to this, the Emperor deposed Emperor Kogon of the Jimyoin line, who had been supported by the shogunate, and started the Kenmu Restoration.

The new government was not bound by tradition, and did not appoint a Shogun (Seitaishogun), but instead sought to have the Emperor personally control both the nobles and the samurai. In the center, new institutions such as the Record Office, the Office of Miscellaneous Lawsuits Decision-Making, and the Office of Warriors were established, and in the provinces, the Kokushu and Shugo were made to coexist, and traditional official ranks and family backgrounds were ignored as they were, and the nobles and samurai were appointed. However, the nobles were given priority in the awarding of rewards, and the government came up with a forceful policy that the ownership of their traditional territories must be confirmed by the Emperor, and temporary taxes were imposed for the construction of the Imperial Palace, so local samurai quickly became dissatisfied with the new government. The nobles were also greatly disappointed, as the traditional regent-style system was rejected and personnel were arbitrary under the dictatorship of the Emperor.

In the midst of this, in 1335 (Kenmu 2), when the remnants of the Hojo clan rose up in rebellion, Ashikaga Takauji, who had traveled to Kanto to suppress them, rebelled, and the Emperor fled to Mount Hiei to avoid Takauji, who had traveled west. Takauji fled to Kyushu for a time, then returned to Kyoto, where he imprisoned the Emperor in Kazan-in (in Kyoto Gyoen, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City). As a result, the Emperor fled to Yoshino in December 1336, where the so-called Yoshino Court was established, ushering in the period of the coexistence of the Northern and Southern Courts. The Emperor dispatched his sons to various regions in an effort to control the local warriors, but these were defeated one after another, and few nobles followed Yoshino, so he became increasingly isolated. In 1339 (4th year of the Engen era, 2nd year of the Ryakuo era), he abdicated to Prince Yoshiyoshi (Emperor Gomurakami), and died the same year at the age of 52. In accordance with his will, he was given the posthumous name Go-Daigo, which is said to have been chosen by him himself while he was still alive.

His tomb is at Tono-oryo in Yoshino Town, Nara Prefecture.

The Emperor lived a turbulent life by governing in a dictatorial style that was unprecedented in Japanese history, but he was also well versed in the doctrines of Neo-Confucianism and Shingon Buddhism, and had a deep knowledge of ceremonies and waka poetry, and wrote the "Kenmu Annual Events" and the "Kenmu Daily Events." Also, during his Yoshino period, he wrote a poem that read, "Even people who ask questions have become rare. I know the extent of my world's future."

[Keiji Nagahara]

"Sato Shinichi, 'Japanese History 9: The Turmoil of the Northern and Southern Courts' (1965, Chuokoron-Shinsha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

いわゆる「建武中興(けんむのちゅうこう)」を実現した天皇。後宇多天皇(ごうだてんのう)の第2皇子として正応(しょうおう)元年11月2日に生まれる。母は参議藤原忠継(ふじわらのただつぐ)の娘談天門院(だんてんもんいん)忠子(ちゅうし)。名は尊治(たかはる)。大覚寺統(だいかくじとう)に属し、1318年（文保2）31歳で即位、1321年（元亨1）院政を廃して親政を開始、吉田定房(よしださだふさ)、北畠親房(きたばたけちかふさ)、万里小路宣房(までのこうじのぶふさ)、日野資朝(ひのすけとも)、日野俊基(としもと)らの人材を集め、記録所を再興して、政務に励むとともに、学問、武芸の振興に努めた。この間、鎌倉幕府打倒の意思を固め、「無礼講」とよんだ講書・酒宴の会合に事寄せ人々を結集して倒幕の秘計を進めたが、1324年（正中1）六波羅探題(ろくはらたんだい)に密偵され、側近の多数が逮捕された（正中(しょうちゅう)の変）。この事件で危うく難を免れた天皇は、その後、皇子の護良親王を天台座主(てんだいざす)にすることによって比叡山(ひえいざん)勢力も引き入れようとするなどして、ふたたび倒幕計画を進めた。しかし1331年（元弘1）4月、吉田定房がまた計画を幕府に密告したため、8月天皇は東大寺に逃れ、ついで笠置(かさぎ)（京都府相楽(そうらく)郡笠置町）に立てこもり、幕府に不満をもつ諸国の武士、寺社勢力などに蜂起(ほうき)を呼びかけた。これに対し幕府は大軍を送って笠置を包囲したため、天皇は捕らえられて1332年隠岐(おき)に流された（元弘(げんこう)の変）。

　天皇の隠岐配流中の動静は不明であるが、護良親王、楠木正成(くすのきまさしげ)らの活躍によって反幕勢力の力が強まると、1333年（元弘3・正慶2）閏(うるう)2月、天皇は隠岐を脱出、伯耆(ほうき)（鳥取県）の名和長年(なわながとし)らの支持を得て6月京都に帰った。これに先だつ5月幕府は滅亡したため、天皇は、幕府の擁立していた持明院統(じみょういんとう)の光厳天皇(こうごんてんのう)を廃し、建武新政を開始した。

　新政は、従来の伝統にとらわれず、征夷大将軍(せいいたいしょうぐん)も置かないで、天皇が自ら公家(くげ)・武家両者を統率しようとするものであった。中央には記録所、雑訴決断所(ざっそけつだんしょ)、武者所(むしゃどころ)などの新設機関を置き、地方の国々は国守・守護併存とし、従来の官位相当や家柄も無視して公武の人材を登用した。しかし論功行賞においては公家優先であったうえ、従来の所領の領有権は改めて天皇の安堵(あんど)を受けなければならないという強引な政策を打ち出したり、皇居造営のための臨時賦課を強行したりしたため、地方武士の新政に対する不満は急速に高まった。また公家にしても、伝統的な摂関政治型の体制が否定され、天皇独裁のもとに恣意(しい)的な人事が行われたため、それに対する失望は大きかった。

　そうしたなかで1335年（建武2）北条残党が蜂起すると、その討伐のために関東に下った足利尊氏(あしかがたかうじ)が反し、天皇は西上した尊氏を避けて叡山に逃れた。尊氏はいったん九州に落ちたのち再度入京、天皇を花山院(かざんいん)（京都市上京区、京都御苑(ぎょえん)内）に幽閉した。このため天皇は1336年12月吉野に逃れ、ここにいわゆる吉野朝廷が開かれ、以後南北朝併立時代に入る。天皇は諸皇子を各地方に派遣し、地方武士の掌握に努めたが、これも次々に敗れ、吉野に従う公家も少なく、孤立が深まるなかで、1339年（延元4・暦応2）義良親王(のりよししんのう)（後村上天皇(ごむらかみてんのう)）に譲位、同年52歳で死去した。遺詔により後醍醐と諡号(しごう)したが、それは生前自ら撰(えら)んだものという。

　陵墓は奈良県吉野町の塔尾陵(とうのおりょう)。

　天皇は日本史上異例の独裁型執政を行うことによって波瀾(はらん)に満ちた生涯を送ったが、朱子学や真言(しんごん)の教義に通じるとともに、典礼、和歌などにも造詣(ぞうけい)深く、『建武年中行事』『建武日中行事』を著した。また吉野時代には「事問はん人さへ稀(まれ)になりにけり我世の末の程そ知らるる」の歌もある。

［永原慶二］

『佐藤進一著『日本の歴史9　南北朝の動乱』（1965・中央公論社）』

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