Siege of Akasaka
| Siege of Akasaka Castle | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of The Genkō War | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Imperial forces
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 Hōjō forces
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Kusunoki Masashige Kusunoki Shichiro |
Hōjō Sadatadashi | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 500 | 10,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 1000 (est.) | |||||||||
The Siege of Akasaka was one of the earlier battles of the Genkō War between the figurehead Emperor Godaigo and the largely Hōjō controlled Kamakura shogunate during the final years of the Kamakura period in Japan. The battle in question was fought at Shimo Akasaka-jō (下赤坂城), or (English: Lower Akasaka fortress), a fortress built upon Mount Yoshino near modern-day Osaka in the former Kawachi Province in Osaka Prefecture.
For most of Japan's history the Emperor was a powerless figurehead while real power rested in the Shogunate, and this was no different for Emperor Godaigo who was overshadowed by the Kamakura Shogunate. But in 1324, in the dying years of the Kamakura period, the Emperor plotted to overthrow the Shogunate but his plan was discovered. Undeterred, he tried again seven years later but was once again discovered due to the treachery of Fujiwara Sadafusa, Godaigo's trusted adviser. Realizing that he was at the end of his rope, the Emperor fled from Kyoto for Kasagi, and was besieged there by Kamakura Shogunate troops (Gokaido would survive the siege but would be banished to the Isles of Oki. Meanwhile, Kusunoki Masashige and Kusunoki Shichiro, two brothers who had sworn their allegiance to the Emperor, were gathering their forces at Shimo Akaska, a fortress built upon Mount Yoshino, and were joined there by the Emperor's son, Prince Moriyoshi. As 200-300,000 Kamakura Shogunate soldiers arrived to besiege the fortress in November, Akasaka was garrisoned by 200 samurai inside the fort (5,850 square feet (543 m2) palisade protected by 20-30 wooden towers) under Masashige while another 300 samurai waited on a nearby hill under Kusunoki Shichiro's command.
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