Kusunoki Masashige was, without exaggeration, a genius of guerrilla warfare. If not for this talented commander, Emperor Go-Daigo would likely have failed not only to ascend the throne, but even to put up any real resistance against the powerful Hojo clan.
Very little is known about his life before 1331; he was probably one of the akuto—“lawless men,” as semi-bandit samurai gangs terrorizing villages and small towns in the late 13th century were called. When the emperor summoned him, Masashige had no army, no money, and no public support. Nevertheless, this was when he began his brilliant military career—by defending the fortress of Akasaka. This wooden fort surrounded by a palisade became the first serious obstacle for the Hojo shogunate’s army: several thousand samurai from the eastern provinces surrounded only 200 of Masashige’s men and launched an assault.
The defenders showered them with arrows and forced them to retreat. When the Hojo samurai paused to rest, 300 cavalrymen from an ambush unit suddenly attacked and drove them away from the fortress walls. The next day brought another assault, but as soon as the attackers climbed onto the fence, it collapsed under them—the wall had been built as a decoy in advance by Masashige.
Realizing that direct attacks were too costly, the Hojo forces decided to starve the defenders out, especially since Masashige had only a few days’ worth of supplies left. But something unexpected happened: right before the astonished besiegers, the fortress burst into flames. The defenders themselves set it on fire and slipped away into the night, spreading rumors of Masashige’s death. The bakufu believed he had died for half a year, until spring 1332, when he suddenly reappeared—under the walls of the very same fortress.
This time he seized it through trickery: his men disguised themselves as food carriers, were allowed inside, then drew their weapons and opened the gates. Winning over the commander, Masashige gathered 700 men and launched a swift raid across two central provinces, attracting new samurai. After assembling a force of 2,000 soldiers, he crushed a government army of 5,000 near the Tennōji temple, using one of the oldest tactics—luring the enemy into an ambush with a small cavalry detachment.
In the fall of 1332, Masashige fortified himself in the Chihaya fortress on Mount Kongo. Though similar in size to Akasaka, it had a key advantage—water sources and large food reserves. The bakufu brought in the best samurai from the Kanto region to besiege it. For three months the fierce siege continued: Masashige repelled several assaults, burned a huge siege ladder thrown across a narrow ravine, and launched a desperate night sortie, killing many enemies.
The siege of Chihaya was the final blow to the Hojo’s power—its besieging army soon scattered. As soon as he emerged from the siege, Masashige gathered 7,000 men and escorted the emperor, returned from exile, back to the capital.
In 1335 Ashikaga Takauji revolted against the emperor and seized Kyoto. Masashige, fighting with smaller forces, won a victory but then pretended to retreat, again spreading rumors of his death. Takauji’s army split up to pursue the “fugitives” and was defeated in parts. When Takauji returned half a year later, the experienced commander was once again summoned to court.
True to his guerrilla methods, Masashige advised the emperor to take refuge in the Enryakuji temple, allow the Ashikaga army into the capital, and then trap it there by cutting off supplies. But the courtiers insisted to Go-Daigo that “though the bandits’ army is large and strong, the imperial forces have the help of heaven and will drive the enemy away.” At this, Masashige exclaimed bitterly, “If things have come to this, what is there left to argue or advise!” He left the court and began preparing for death.
In the Battle of Minatogawa he fought to the end but, surrounded, committed seppuku. Despite the fact that his image was heavily used in militarist propaganda from 1868 until the end of World War II, Kusunoki Masashige remains, perhaps, one of the most admirable figures in Japanese history.
See also
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Mashita Nagamori
Nagamori possessed remarkable diplomatic and administrative talent while remaining a brave warrior. He is believed to have come from the village of Mashita in the province of Owari, which today is part of Aichi Prefecture. He was a vassal of Oda Nobunaga and later served Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In the Battle of Komaki–Nagakute in 1584, Nagamori took at least two enemy heads. Later, he was entrusted with overseeing major public construction projects, including the reconstruction of Fushimi Castle and the building of the large Sanjō and Gojō bridges in Kyoto.
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Magara Jurōzaemon Naotaka
Magara Jurōzaemon Naotaka was a vassal of Asakura Yoshikage from the province of Echizen, and very little is known about his life, including even the exact year of his birth. Magara gained his renown through his heroic death at the Battle of Anegawa in 1570. In this battle, the combined forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu confronted the armies of Asai and Asakura, with Ieyasu taking command of the left flank and fighting against the Asakura forces. After crossing the shallow Anegawa River, which separated the two armies, Tokugawa’s finest generals — Honda Tadakatsu and Sakakibara Yasumasa — launched an assault on the headquarters of Asakura Kagetake, the commander-in-chief of the Echizen army. The attack by Honda Tadakatsu was so swift that Kagetake found himself almost completely surrounded by enemy troops.
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Kobayakawa Takakage
Kobayakawa Takakage was rightfully considered one of the most intelligent men of his era. Even Kuroda Kanbei, the celebrated strategist famed for his cunning—about whom people said he could outwit even a fox—admitted that Takakage was his equal in intellect, and at times even surpassed him. After the death of his father, Mōri Motonari, Takakage effectively governed the Mōri clan for many years while serving as advisor to his nephew, Mōri Terumoto.
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Kira Chikazane
Chikazane, the son of Kira Chikasada and the nephew of the famous daimyō Chōsokabe Motochika, was married to his cousin, Motochika’s daughter. From a young age he showed great talent and promise, but his character was marked by a quick temper and a tendency toward sharp, sometimes aggressive behavior.
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Kyōgoku Takatsugu
From the very beginning of his career, Takatsugu served under Oda Nobunaga and was married to Nobunaga’s niece, which secured him a strong position at court and close ties to one of the most powerful clans of the era. However, the events of 1582 drastically changed his fate. When Akechi Mitsuhide rebelled against Nobunaga and treacherously killed him at the Honnō-ji Temple, Takatsugu sought to take advantage of the ensuing chaos to strengthen his own standing. He launched an attack on Nagahama Castle in Ōmi Province, hoping to expand his territories. The assault, however, was repelled, and soon after, Mitsuhide was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces at the Battle of Yamazaki, leaving Takatsugu without allies or support.
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Kato Yoshiaki
Yoshiaki, a loyal vassal of the Oda clan, first distinguished himself as a talented warrior during the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583. For his bravery and outstanding military achievements, he was included in the famous group known as the “Seven Spears of Shizugatake” — an elite band of samurai celebrated for their exceptional courage in that battle. Later, Yoshiaki became one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s naval admirals and took an active part in his subsequent military campaigns. He commanded warships during the expeditions to Kyushu and the siege of Odawara, demonstrating not only valor but also exceptional leadership and strategic skill. For his loyal service and effective command, Yoshiaki was granted an estate in Matsuzaki with an annual income of 100,000 koku of rice — a symbol of significant rank and prosperity.
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Katagiri Katsumoto
Katsumoto was born into the family of Katagiri Naomasa, who came from an ancient and noble lineage. The Katagiri clan had served the early shoguns of the Minamoto house for over five centuries and held lands in the northern part of Shinano Province.
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Kasuya Takenori
There are several versions regarding the origins of Takenori. According to one account, he was the second son of Kasuya Tadayasu, a samurai who served the Bessho clan in Harima Province. In 1577, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched his campaign in Harima, on the advice of his close retainer Kuroda Yoshitaka, also known as Kanbei, he took Takenori into his service as a page. In this position, the young warrior participated in the siege of Miki Castle, which lasted from 1578 to 1580 and was aimed at suppressing the rebellion led by Bessho Nagaharu.
