Kenmu Restoration

The Kenmu Restoration was a brief period of Imperial rule in Japanese history. It lasted for only three years, from 1333 to 1336. This era sat between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period. During this time, Emperor Go-Daigo attempted to rule Japan directly. He wanted to end the military government that had existed for 148 years. This military rule was known as the Kamakura Shogunate.

For many years, the Emperor's power had been taken by other families. The Minamoto and Hōjō families held the real authority in Japan. They ruled from the city of Kamakura. The Shogunate had even allowed two different imperial lines to alternate on the throne. These were the Northern Court and the Southern Court. This system worked for a while until Emperor Go-Daigo ascended the throne. Go-Daigo wanted to stop the military from interfering with his rule. He even defied the Shogunate by naming his own son as his heir.

To achieve his goal, Go-Daigo started the Genkō War in 1331. He was defeated in this first attempt and sent into exile. He was sent to live on the remote Oki Islands. However, Go-Daigo launched a second uprising to reclaim his power. He received help from a general named Ashikaga Takauji. He also worked with a rebel leader named Nitta Yoshisada. Together, they defeated the Shogunate at the siege of Kamakura in 1333. This victory successfully restored the Imperial House to power.

Once back in power, Go-Daigo faced many difficult problems. One major issue was how land was owned. Large estates called shōen were managed by local lords known as shugo and jitō. These lords had special tax exemptions and political independence. This situation made the central government weaker and poorer. Go-Daigo and his adviser, Kitabatake Chikafusa, wanted to change this. However, Go-Daigo's attempts to manage these lands caused great resentment. He gave many rewards to Buddhist temples like Tō-ji and Daitoku-ji. This move helped him gain religious support but did not help the warriors.

Go-Daigo also made mistakes in how he treated the samurai class. The samurai were the warriors who had helped him win the war. He failed to reward the minor samurai who had fought for him. Instead, he showed favoritism toward a few large leaders. He also gave many important provincial offices to nobles and court bureaucrats. This left very little for the warriors who actually did the fighting. To make matters worse, he levied extra taxes on the samurai to pay for a new palace. By the end of 1335, the warrior class had lost all support for the Emperor.

Ashikaga Takauji became the main leader for the unhappy samurai. He believed that the military class had the right to rule Japan. He saw himself as a restorer of Minamoto power rather than a thief of it. Takauji began to gather the discontented warriors to his side. Tensions grew between the Emperor and the Ashikaga family. A major conflict occurred when Prince Morinaga, the Emperor's son, was killed during a revolt.

This event made the division between the two sides even deeper.

In late 1335, a large civil war broke out across the country. The two sides issued conflicting orders to the samurai. The Emperor ordered samurai to destroy the Ashikaga brothers. However, Takauji's brother, Tadayoshi, asked all samurai to join them and destroy Nitta Yoshisada. Most samurai chose to follow Takauji because they wanted their grievances addressed. Most peasants also felt they were better off under the old Shogunate. By February 1336, the Emperor and Nitta Yoshisada had lost the fight.

On February 25, 1336, Ashikaga Takauji entered Kyoto. This event ended the Kenmu Restoration and began the Muromachi period.