14.3 Kobe Minatogawa Shrine (December 22)#

The main focus of the itinerary for December 22 was visiting TeamLab in Kyoto in the afternoon. Utilizing the free time in the morning, I took a walk to the Minatogawa Shrine in Kobe.

This shrine occupies substantial grounds and enshrines the famous “War God” of Japanese history, Kusunoki Masashige, respectfully referred to by the public as “Dai-Nanko” (Great Lord Nan).

Kusunoki Masashige, along with Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Sanada Nobushige (Yukimura), is known as one of “Japan’s Three Great Tragic Heroes.” He dedicated his life to Emperor Go-Daigo (Southern Court), fighting against Ashikaga Takauji (Northern Court / Muromachi Shogunate). In the famous Battle of Minatogawa, knowing he was vastly outnumbered and that defeat was inevitable, he still obeyed the Emperor’s command to march. Ultimately, he and his brother Kusunoki Masasue stabbed each other to death, leaving behind the dying wish: “Would that I be born seven times to serve the country” (Shichishō Hōkoku). This spirit of staunch loyalty—doing what is right even when knowing it is impossible—has deeply moved the hearts of countless Japanese people throughout history.

The Butterfly Effect of History#

During the Edo period, the Tokugawa Shogunate, as a samurai government, should logically have been wary of Kusunoki Masashige, who emphasized “Revering the Emperor” (Sonno). However, the famous Mito Komon—Tokugawa Mitsukuni (the Vice-Shogun who compiled the Great History of Japan and a core member of the Tokugawa clan)—held Masashige’s loyalty in the highest esteem.

In 1692, Lord Mitsukuni established a tombstone for Masashige here and personally inscribed “Alas! The Grave of the Loyal Subject Nanko.”

Ironically and dramatically, the tombstone erected by this elder of the Tokugawa clan became a pilgrimage site for Bakumatsu restorationists (such as Sakamoto Ryoma, Saigo Takamori, and Yoshida Shoin) two hundred years later, inspiring their determination to overthrow the Shogunate. It can be said that this monument indirectly propelled the Meiji Restoration—perhaps a “historical butterfly effect” that Lord Mitsukuni could never have foreseen back then!