53･54･55a Fifty-seven Years of the Yoshino Court [2] [3] [4] Because A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns (Jinnou Shoutouki) is an excellent work, I will quote some parts here. The following was taken from the chapter of Emperor Go-Saga (r. 1242-1246): "The gods have pledged to succor the people, and in this sense the people of the country all belong to the gods. Although the sovereign is sacred, heaven will not permit and the gods will not favor having one person happy while the people as a whole are caused to suffer. We can see, then, that the flourishing or failure of an imperial reign depends on whether the conduct of government is good or bad. How much more essential is it for the subject who serves the throne both to revere his sovereign and to treat the people compassionately; to bow down before neaven and walk softly on the earth; to look up at the shining of the sun and the moon and, being aware of the impurity of his own heart, to avoid exposing himself to that shining; and while observing the blessings of nature in the rain and dew, to reflect upon his own unfitness to receive such blessing. The rice we daily eat is an imperial benefice, and the pure well water we drink each day is a blessing from the gods. If one is not aware of this but rather seeks only to satisfy his own cravings and, while forgetting the public good, places self-interest first, he will not flourish long in this world." Here is another excerpt from the chapter on Emperor Go-Daigo: "It is the duty of the subject, born in this imperial land, to be loval to his sovereign even to the point of sacrificing his life; he must not expect fame and reward for such loyalty. The function of comforting and rewarding the survivors of those killed in battle and of encouraging their descendants belongs to the sovereign. It is totally imperor for there to be competition below for reward on the part of the sovereign's subjects. - These days a popular saying has it that if a warrior should enter into a single battle or suffer the loss of a vassal he will demand that 'My reward should be all of Japan; half the country will not be enough !' Of course, no one is really apt to make such an absurd demand, yet the saying itself is a first step toward disorder and is also an index to the weakening of imperial authority. It is said that 'words are the most valuable tool of the superior man (kunshi).' One should not, even in jest, belittle one's lord or speak arrogantly to others. As I have said before, the formation of solid ice begins when we first tread on frost. Similarly, rebels and brigands get started in their evil ways through failure to be carefol in thought and words. The decline of conditions in the world cannot be found in variations in the shining of the sun and the moon nor in changes in the coloring of plants and trees. The conditions of the later age arise from the gradual nurturing of evil within people's hearts." I strongly recommend A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns (Jinnou Shoutouki). An Abstract of the History of the Court Appointments (Shokugenshou) is a record of Japanese court appointments and duties. This was also widely read, copied, and taught, because the warriors of the times exaggerated their court appointments. For example, Kou no Moronao, the rebel who laid siege against Kusunoki Masashige, called himself Governor of Musashi Province (Metropolatan Toukyou, Saitama and Kanagawa Prefecture), and his younger brother Kou no Moroyasu, Governor of Echigo Province (Fukui Prefecture). Their followers also called themselfes Governor of Kai Province (Yamanashi Prefecture), Governor of Suruga Province (Shizuoka Prefecture), Director-General of Left Capital, Director-General of the Minidtry of Punishments, Lieutenant of the Ministry of Messengers, or Lieutenant of the Gate Guards of the Left and so on. And these were just the rebels. Of course other warriors must have been equally pretentious,falsifying their court appointments. Furthermore, having no experience in the imperial court in Kyouto, they must been ignorant of the original duties of such appointments. By hearing the lectures on An Abstract of the History of the Court Appointments (Shokugenshou), they tried to understand the significance and ranring of the appointments. This study led to the discovery that all appointments were made by the Emperor; even commanding major generals were appointed or dismissed by the Emperor. They came to see that even commonplace names such as Saemon, Uemon, Sahe-e or Uhe-e originally meant "imperial guards" whose duty was to protect the Kyouto imperial palace. Knowing this made them aware that they were actually all imperial subjects.

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