Kusunoki Masasue (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: 楠木正季, died July 5, 1336) was a

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...

during the

Nanboku-chō period The , also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period, was a period in Japanese history between 1336-1392 CE, during the formative years of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate. Ideologically, the two courts fought for 50 ...

, and the younger brother of

Kusunoki Masashige , or , was a Japanese military commander and samurai of the Kamakura period remembered as the ideal loyal samurai. Kusunoki fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the Genkō War to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore power in Japan to the ...

. He died alongside his brother as part of the

Battle of Minatogawa The Battle of Minatogawa (), also known as the Battle of Minato River, was part of the Nanboku-chō Wars fought near the Minato River in Settsu Province (present day Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture) on 5 July 1336. The Imperial forces loyal to Empe ...

on July 5, 1336. He is famous for his last words ''Shichishō Hōkoku!'' (七生報國; "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country!").

Life

Relatively little is known about Masasue compared to his much more famous older brother. Masasue fought alongside his Masahige throughout the

Kenmu was a Japanese era name of the Northern Court during the Era of Northern and Southern Courts after '' Shōkei'' and before '' Ryakuō.'' Although Kemmu is understood by the Southern Court as having begun at the same time, the era was construe ...

campaigns, including at the sieges of Akasaka and Chihaya castles, but other than his name, almost nothing is recorded about him in historical chronicles until his death at the Battle of Minatogawa. When Masashige was ordered by

Emperor Go-Daigo Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 ''Go-Daigo-tennō'') (26 November 1288 – 19 September 1339) was the 96th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後醍醐天皇 (96) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order o ...

to make a stand against the forces of

Ashikaga Takauji also known as Minamoto no Takauji was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. ...

at the

in July 1336, Masasue went with him and perished in the battle. According to the war chronicle '' Taiheki'', just before their deaths, Masashige turned to Masasue and said, "It is said that one's last thought in this life determines the goodness or evil of one's next incarnation. Into which of the nine levels of existence would you like to be reborn?" To which Masasue laughed and replied, "It is my wish to be reborn again and again for seven lives into this same existence in order to destroy the enemies of the court!" Masashige then expressed his agreement with this sentiment. This statement would later be encapsulated in the four-character slogan ''shichishō hōkoku'' (七生報國; "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country!").

References

1336 deaths Year of birth unknown Samurai People of the Nanboku-chō period 14th-century Japanese people {{Samurai-stub