A report on Emperor Go-Daigo and Genkō War

A statue of Kusunoki Masashige outside the Imperial Palace in Tokyo
Woodblock print triptych by Ogata Gekkō; Emperor Go-Daigo dreams of ghosts at his palace in Kasagiyama
Memorial Shinto shrine and mausoleum honoring Emperor Go-Daigo
Empress Kishi and Emperor Go-Daigo. From Taiheiki Emaki (c. 17th century), vol. 2, On the Lamentation of the Empress. Owned by Saitama Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore.
Japanese Imperial kamon — a stylized chrysanthemum blossom

The Genkō War (元弘の乱), also known as the Genkō Incident (元弘の變), was a civil war fought in Japan between the Emperor Go-Daigo and the Kamakura Shogunate from 1331 to 1333.

- Genkō War

He successfully overthrew the Kamakura shogunate in 1333 and established the short lived Kenmu Restoration to bring the Imperial House back into power.

- Emperor Go-Daigo

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Kenmu Restoration

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Three-year period of Imperial rule in Japanese history between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period from 1333 to 1336.

Three-year period of Imperial rule in Japanese history between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period from 1333 to 1336.

Emperor Go-Daigo
A portrait of Ashikaga Takauji bearing his son Yoshiakira's cipher
Prince Morinaga's statue at Kamakura-gū in Kamakura

The Kenmu Restoration was an effort made by Emperor Go-Daigo to overthrow the ruling Kamakura Shogunate and restore the Imperial House to power in Japan, returning to civilian government after 148 years of de facto military government from Kamakura.

Go-Daigo launched the Genkō War in 1331 against the Kamakura Shogunate but was defeated and exiled to the Oki Islands.

Portrait of Kusunoki Masashige by Kanō Sanraku

Kusunoki Masashige

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Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty.

Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty.

Portrait of Kusunoki Masashige by Kanō Sanraku
Equestrian statue of Kusunoki Masashige outside the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
The same statue from a different angle, close-up.
Equestrian statue of Kusunoki Masashige at the entrance to Kanshin-ji in Kawachinagano, Osaka Prefecture.

Kusunoki fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the Genkō War to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore power in Japan to the Imperial Court.

Ashikaga Takauji

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The founder and first shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate.

The founder and first shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate.

Portrait traditionally identified as that of Ashikaga Takauji
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Tomb of Ashikaga Takauji at Tōji-in in Kyoto

Takauji was a general of the Kamakura shogunate sent to Kyoto in 1333 to put down the Genkō War which had started in 1331.

After becoming increasingly disillusioned with the Kamakura shogunate over time, Takauji joined the banished Emperor Go-Daigo and Kusunoki Masashige, and seized Kyoto.

Prince Moriyoshi's statue at Kamakura-gū in Kamakura

Prince Moriyoshi

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Japanese prince and monk.

Japanese prince and monk.

Prince Moriyoshi's statue at Kamakura-gū in Kamakura

He was the son of Emperor Go-Daigo and his consort Minamoto no Chikako.

Go-Daigo attempted to seize power in 1331 during the Genkō War.

Genkō (second)

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Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit. year name) of the Southern Court during the Era of Northern and Southern Courts after Gentoku and before Kenmu.

Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit. year name) of the Southern Court during the Era of Northern and Southern Courts after Gentoku and before Kenmu.

Reigning Emperors were Emperor Go-Daigo-Tennō (後醍醐天皇) in the south and Emperor Kōgon-Tennō (光厳天皇) in the north.

1331–1333: The Genkō War (元弘の乱, Genkō no Ran) lasted the entire length of the era, which marked the fall of the Kamakura shogunate and led to the ultimately unsuccessful Kenmu Restoration.