Nitta Yoshisada

Nitta Yoshisada was a loyal soldier of Emperor Go-Daigo, who in the 1330s attempted to restore direct imperial rule in Japan. The Nitta family was related to the Ashikaga house and was older in lineage. However, they did not join Minamoto Yoritomo at the start of his war with the Taira, as the Ashikaga did, and therefore did not receive high positions in the Kamakura shogunate. This may have been one of the reasons why Yoshisada rose against the Hōjō clan in 1333.

Another possible reason was that Ashikaga Takauji, who stood lower than Yoshisada in the family hierarchy, had by then joined Go-Daigo’s side. As a result, the Nitta family again risked being left without posts and rewards. In any case, two weeks after Ashikaga Takauji’s army expelled the Hōjō soldiers from Kyoto, Nitta Yoshisada captured Kamakura, the Hōjō rulers’ residence. This happened on May 21, 1333. Regent Hōjō Tokitoki and a significant number of his supporters—according to various, mostly legendary sources, from several hundred to several thousand people—took their own lives, surrounded by the enemy in a palace engulfed in flames.

The Legend of the Capture of Kamakura

A famous legend is associated with the capture of Kamakura. During the assault, Nitta Yoshisada’s army found itself trapped on a narrow strip of land between the enemy fortress and the fleet. According to the legend, Yoshisada offered his sword to the sea god, asking him to make the sea retreat and allow his troops to pass.

The image of Yoshisada throwing his sword into the sea so that the waters would part became deeply rooted in Japanese culture—much like the image of Moses parting the Red Sea in European culture. However, it is most likely that Yoshisada simply took advantage of a low tide, led his army across the sandbar, and attacked the Hōjō residence from an unexpected direction.

The Reality Behind the Fall of Kamakura

Less known, but more credible, is the actual course of events. In 1956, in the area of Zaimokuza, near the former site of Kamakura, Japanese archaeologists discovered several hundred skeletons. They are believed to belong to the defenders and inhabitants of Kamakura who died when Nitta Yoshisada’s soldiers entered the city.

Among the male skeletons were many female and even child remains. The injuries included severed arm and leg bones, and skulls with traces of sword blows. Sword marks were found on 60% of male skeletons, 30% of female ones, and 10% of children’s. The nature of the injuries indicates that most victims wore no helmets or armor and were struck from behind or from the side.

It appears that after breaking through the Hōjō samurai defenses, Yoshisada’s horsemen rushed into the city, driving unarmed residents before them and cutting them down indiscriminately—regardless of gender or age. This contrasts sharply with the gallant, chivalrous image of samurai so admired in The Tale of the Heike. Clearly, life and death of that era were far more brutal and prosaic than depicted in that beautiful but idealized work.

Yoshisada’s Rise and the Beginning of the Conflict with the Ashikaga

For his achievements, Nitta Yoshisada was in the same year appointed governor of the Echigo Province and deputy governor of Kozuke and Harima. When Takauji rebelled against Go-Daigo, Yoshisada became the main commander of the loyalist forces.

Even the talented Kusunoki Masashige, who had done so much to restore imperial authority, had to obey him, though he considered Yoshisada an incompetent commander. Indeed, the capture of Kamakura was the only occasion on which Yoshisada acted quickly and independently. In all other battles, he proved indecisive and ineffective, and his victories were achieved only thanks to the abilities of his younger brother, Wakiya Yoshisuke, and other Nitta commanders.

Mistakes of a Commander

In the Battle of the Iruma River, Yoshisada was preparing to retreat and would have lost the battle if not for the ingenuity of his vassal Miura Yoshikatsu. Yoshikatsu rolled up the battle flags and calmly rode into the Hōjō supporters’ camp with his unit. Believing reinforcements had arrived, they realized their mistake only when they were already surrounded.

In another incident, while fleeing from Ashikaga Takauji’s pursuing forces, Yoshisada did not destroy the bridges behind him, despite his samurai’s pleas. He insisted that a superior enemy would surely be able to rebuild them anyway.

Finally, besieging a small fortress with the entire army out of momentary rage, as happened at Shirahata, was the height of recklessness. This was especially dangerous given the enemy’s numerical superiority, when the loyalist position could be saved only by initiative and careful strategy.

Yoshisada’s Character and His Death

Descriptions suggest that Yoshisada was prone to sudden mood swings—bouts of cruelty alternating with melancholy and self-reproach, which explains many of his actions.

Despite his incompetence as a commander, he was a brave lone warrior. He repeatedly covered his army’s retreat personally, charged into the most dangerous clashes, and wielded a sword with great mastery. Thanks to this skill, he several times fought off superior forces and even cut down arrows flying at him.

He died heroically, though to no effect. Before the decisive battle with Takauji, he personally led a hundred horsemen on a reconnaissance mission. When the detachment fell into an ambush, Yoshisada fought for a long time until he fell, struck by a stray arrow that hit him directly in the forehead.