Kusunoki

The Kusunoki were a warrior clan of Kawachi Province who claimed descent from the Tachibana lineage, although their exact origins remain uncertain. Kusunoki Masashige answered Emperor Go-Daigo's call against the Kamakura shogunate in 1331, holding Akasaka and Chihaya against far larger armies.

After the shogunate fell he served the Kenmu Restoration, but when Ashikaga Takauji turned against the court, Masashige died at Minatogawa in 1336, becoming a celebrated Southern Court loyalist. His sons Masatsura and Masatoki and brother Masasue also died fighting the Ashikaga, while another son, Masanori, survived and mediated between the rival courts.

The family's fortunes sank with the Southern Court, yet Masashige's loyalty was remembered through the military chronicle Taiheiki. In the Sengoku period a self-styled descendant, Kusunoki Masatora, obtained the court's removal of the traitor label from Masashige's name.