Kitabatake Chikafusa

Who was Kitabatake Chikafusa?

Kitabatake Chikafusa was a Japanese court noble and writer of the 14th century who supported the Southern Court in the Nanboku-cho period, serving as advisor to five Emperors. Some of his greatest and most famous work was performed during the reign of Emperor Go-Daigo, under whom he proposed a series of reforms, amounting to a revival or restoration of political and economic systems of several centuries earlier. In addition to authoring a history of Japan and a number of works defending the right of Go-Daigo's line to the throne, Kitabatake fought in defense of the Southern Court as a member of the Murakami branch of the Minamoto clan.

Kitabatake, in his writings, held a strong distaste for the Ashikaga clan, the ruling family at the time who held the position of Shogun and maintained a rival Imperial court known as the Northern Court. This disdain came not only because they were warriors rather than nobles, who were clumsy and uncouth at Court, but because they were of a less distinguished branch of the famous Minamoto clan than Kitabatake's own Murakami branch. In particular, he disliked Ashikaga Takauji, the first Ashikaga shogun, who had originally supported Go-Daigo's claim to the Throne, but who ultimately headed the Northern Court and sought to destroy all who supported the Emperor's Southern Court.