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Subsequently, he fell fighting against Morinaga's pursuers,
but the prince escaped safely to the great monastery of Koya in
Kishu.* The victorious Hojo then turned their arms against Akasaka,
and having carried that position, attacked Chihaya where Masashige
commanded in person. But the great soldier held his foes successfully
at bay and inflicted heavy losses on them. Thus, the early months of
1333 witnessed a brighter state of affairs for the Imperial cause. It
was supported by Kusunoki Masashige, in Yamato, with Chihaya for
headquarters; Prince Morinaga, at Koya-san in Kishu; Akamatsu
Norimura, in Harima and Settsu, whence his fortress of Maya menaced
Rokuhara, and by Doi Michiharu and Tokuno Michikoto, in Iyo, whence,
crossing to Nagato, they had attacked and defeated Hojo Tokinao, the
tandai of the province.

*Yoshiteru's loyal sacrifice received official recognition, in 1908,
on the occasion of military manoeuvres in the neighbourhood of the
scene of the tragedy. The Emperor honoured his memory by bestowing on
him high posthumous rank.

ESCAPE OF THE EMPEROR FROM OKI

The Oki group of islands lie in the Sea of Japan forty miles from the
coast of the provinces Izumo and Hoki. Beppu, in Nishi-no-shima, one
of the smallest of the group, was Go-Daigo's place of exile. By
employing the services of a fishing-boat, Prince Morinaga succeeded
in conveying to his Majesty some intelligence of the efforts that
were being made in the Imperial cause. This was early in 1333, and
when the news spread among the guards at Beppu, they began to talk of
the duties of loyalty. Narita Kosaburo and the Nawa brothers,
Yasunaga and Nagataka--the name of the last was afterwards changed by
the Emperor to Nagatoshi--thus became associated in a scheme for
assisting the exile to recover his freedom. To remove him from
Nishi-no-Shima was not difficult to contrive, but to traverse the
provinces of Izumo or Hoki en route for a safe asylum seemed at first
impossible, for in Izumo not only the governor but also the chief
official of the great Shinto shrine were hostile, and in Hoki the
strictest watchfulness had been enjoined from Rokuhara.

Nevertheless, it became necessary to make the attempt at once or
refrain altogether. On the 8th of April, 1333, the guards at Beppu
were given a quantity of sake on the plea that the accouchement of a
Court lady was imminent. Custom prescribed that in such a case the
lady should be removed to a different house, and therefore when the
guards had well drunk, a palanquin was carried out, bearing
ostensibly this lady only, but in reality freighted with the
sovereign also. The night was passed in the village, and at daybreak
the little party, leaving the lady behind, set out on foot for the
nearest seaport, Chiba. The Emperor could scarcely walk, but happily
a man was encountered leading a pack-horse, and on this Go-Daigo
rode. The next three days were devoted to seeking a safe landing in
Izumo and endeavouring to procure provisions. On one occasion, being
pursued by servants of the great shrine, they had to re-embark and
put out to sea, the Emperor and his sole attendant, Tadaaki, lying
hid in the bottom of the boat beneath a quantity of seaweed and under
the feet of the sailors. Finally, on the 13th of April, they made
Katami port in the province of Hoki, and, being cordially welcomed by
Nawa Nagataka, Go-Daigo was ultimately taken to a mountain called
Funanoe, which offered excellent defensive facilities. It is recorded
that on the first stage of this journey from Nagataka's residence to
the mountain, the Emperor had to be carried on the back of Nagataka's
brother, Nagashige, no palanquin being available. Very soon many
bushi flocked to the Imperial standard and Funanoe was strongly
entrenched. It was on this occasion that Go-Daigo changed Nagataka's
name to Nagatoshi, and conferred on him the title of "captain of the
Left guards" (saemon-no-jo).

DOWNFALL OF THE HOJO

When the Emperor's escape from Oki became known, loyal samurai in
great numbers espoused the Imperial cause, and a heavy blow was given
to the prestige of the Hojo by Akamatsu Norimura who, after several
successful engagements with the Rokuhara army in Settsu, pushed
northward from the fortress of Maya, where his forces were almost
within sight of Kyoto. Takatoki, appreciating that a crisis had now
arisen in the fortunes of the Hojo, ordered Ashikaga Takauji to lead
a powerful army westward. Takauji represented a junior branch of the
Minamoto family. He was descended from the great Yoshiiye, and when
Yoritomo rose against the Taira, in 1180, he had been immediately
joined by the then Ashikaga chieftain, who was his brother-in-law.
Takau ji, therefore, had ambitions of his own, and his mood towards
the Hojo had been embittered by two recent events; the first, that,
though in mourning for the death of his father, he had been required
to join the attack on Masashige's fortress at Kasagi; the second,
that his own illness after returning from that campaign had not
availed to save him from frequent summonses to conference with
Takatoki.

ENGRAVING: ASHIKAGA TAKAUJI

Thus, this second order to take the field found him disposed to join
in the overthrow of the Hojo rather than in their support. Learning
something of this mood, Takatoki demanded that the Ashikaga chief,
before commencing his march, should hand in a written oath of
loyalty, and further, should leave his wife, his children, and his
brother-in-law as hostages in Kamakura. Takauji, who shrunk from no
sacrifice on the altar of his ambition, complied readily, and the
confidence of the Bakufu having thus been restored, a parting banquet
was given in his honour, at which the Hojo representative presented
him with a steed, a suit of armour, a gold-mounted sword, and a white
flag, this last being an heirloom from the time of Hachiman
(Yoshiiye), transmitted through the hands of Yoritomo's spouse, Masa.

All these things did not turn Takauji by a hair's-breadth from his
purpose. His army had not marched many miles westward before he
despatched a message to the entrenchments in Hoki offering his
services to the Emperor, who welcomed this signal accession of
strength and commissioned Takauji to attack the Bakufu forces.
Entirely ignorant of these things, Hojo Takaiye, who commanded at
Rokuhara, made dispositions to move against the Hoki fortress in
co-operation with Takauji. The plan of campaign was that Takaiye's
army should march southward through Settsu, and, having crushed
Akamatsu Norimura, who occupied that province, should advance through
Harima and Mimasaka into Hoki; while Takauji, moving northward at
first by the Tamba highway, should ultimately turn westward and reach
Hoki by the littoral road of the Japan Sea. In addition to these two
armies, the Hojo had a powerful force engaged in beleaguering the
fortress of Chihaya, in Yamato, where Kusunoki Masashige commanded in
person.

It will thus be seen that, at this time (May, 1333), the Imperialists
were everywhere standing on the defensive, and the Bakufu armies were
attacking on the southeast, south, and north of Kyoto. Nothing seemed
less probable than that the Imperial capital itself should become the
object of an assault by the partisans of Go-Daigo. But the unexpected
took place. Hojo Takaiye was killed and his force shattered in the
first collision with Norimura, who immediately set his troops in
motion towards Kyoto, intending to take advantage of Rokuhara's
denuded condition. Meanwhile, Takauji, whose march into Tamba had
been very deliberate, learned the course events had taken in Settsu,
and immediately proclaiming his allegiance to the Imperial cause,
countermarched for Kyoto, his army receiving constant accessions of
strength as it approached the city. Rokuhara, though taken by
surprise, fought stoutly. Attacked simultaneously from three
directions by the armies of Norimura, Takauji, and Minamoto Tadaaki,
and in spite of the death of their commandant, Hojo Tokimasu, they
held out until the evening, when Hojo Nakatoki escaped under cover of
darkness, escorting the titular sovereign, Kogon, and the two
ex-Emperors. Their idea was to flee to Kamakura, but taking an escort
too large for rapid movement, they were overtaken; the three leaders
together with four hundred men killed, and Kogon together with the
two ex-Emperors seized and carried back to Kyoto.

THE FALL OF KAMAKURA

These things happened at the close of June, 1333, and immediately
after the fall of Rokuhara, Nitta Yoshisada raised the Imperial
standard in the province of Kotsuke. Yoshisada represented the tenth
generation of the great Yoshiiye's family. Like Ashikaga Takauji he
was of pure Minamoto blood, though Takauji belonged to a junior
branch. The Nitta estates were in the district of that name in the
province of Kotsuke; that is to say, in the very heart of the Kwanto.
Hitherto, the whole of the eastern region had remained loyal to the
Hojo; but the people were growing weary of the heavy taxes and
requisitions entailed by this three-years' struggle, and when Nitta
Yoshisada declared against the Hojo, his ranks soon swelled to
formidable dimensions. It has been stated by some historians that
Yoshisada's resolve was first taken on receipt of news that Rokuhara
was lost to the Hojo. But there can be no doubt that, like others of
his sept, he had long resented the comparatively subordinate position
occupied by Yoritomo's descendants, and the most trustworthy annals
show that already while engaged in besieging Masashige in Chihaya
fortress, he conceived the idea of deserting the Hojo's cause.
Through one of his officers, Funada Yoshimasa, he obtained a mandate
from Prince Morinaga, and then, feigning sickness, he left the camp
in Yamato and returned to Kotsuke, where he lost no time in making
preparations for revolt.

This actual declaration did not come, however, until the arrival of
an officer from Kamakura, carrying a requisition for a great quantity
of provisions to victual an army which the Hojo were hastily
equipping to recover Rokuhara.