Kusunoki Masashige

Kusunoki Masashige was a Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period who fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the Genko War to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore power to the Imperial Court. He was a brilliant tactician and strategist, who defended two key loyalist fortresses at Akasaka and Chihaya against the vastly superior shogunal forces. He was also a leading figure of the Kenmu Restoration, a brief period of imperial rule after the fall of the Kamakura shogunate. He remained loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo even after Ashikaga Takauji rebelled and tried to reverse the restoration. He attacked Takauji in Settsu at the command of the Emperor, an act of obedience that he knew would result in defeat. He died at the Battle of Minatogawa in 1336, along with his brother and many of his followers. He became a popular legend in Japan, representing loyalty and virtue, and associated with the phrase "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country!" (七生報國; "Shichisho Hokoku!"). He was posthumously awarded the highest court rank in Japan, Senior First Rank (sho ichi-i), by the Meiji government in 1880, over 500 years after his death.