A decisive Ashikaga victory that opened the path to Kyoto and made Kusunoki Masashige a lasting symbol of samurai loyalty in Japanese culture.
Key Facts
- Date
- 5 July 1336
- Location
- Minato River, Settsu Province (now Kobe, Hyōgo)
- Conflict
- Part of the Nanboku-chō Wars
- Outcome
- Decisive Ashikaga victory; Imperial forces destroyed
- Notable death
- Kusunoki Masashige killed in battle
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After the Ashikaga forces under Takauji consolidated their strength at the Battle of Tatarahama in Kyushu, they advanced toward Kyoto. Emperor Go-Daigo's loyalists, led by Kusunoki Masashige and Nitta Yoshisada, moved to intercept the Ashikaga army in Settsu Province before it could reach the capital.
The Ashikaga forces attacked the Imperial army at the Minato River from both land and sea, surrounding and overwhelming the loyalist defenders. Kusunoki Masashige was killed in the fighting, and Nitta Yoshisada was forced to retreat, resulting in the complete destruction of the Imperial force.
With the Imperial resistance broken, Ashikaga Takauji marched unopposed to Kyoto. Kusunoki's death in the face of certain defeat elevated him to a mythological status in Japanese culture as the ideal of samurai loyalty to the Emperor, and his memory was venerated for centuries afterward.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Kusunoki Masashige, Nitta Yoshisada.
Side B
1 belligerent
Ashikaga Takauji.