Born in 1288, son of Emperor Go-Uda. From the outset of his reign he burned with determination to abolish cloistered rule and restore direct imperial governance, secretly planning the shogunate's overthrow. The Shochu Incident (1324) was discovered before it could be launched; the Genko War (1331) also failed and he was exiled to Oki Island. But in 1332 he escaped, and as Kusunoki Masashige and Nawa Nagatoshi raised arms across the country, Ashikaga Takauji (later Takauji) and Nitta Yoshisada abandoned the shogunate and joined the emperor's cause. In 1333, Rokuhara and Kamakura fell in quick succession, and the Kamakura Shogunate was destroyed. Go-Daigo launched the Kenmu Restoration (1334–), aggressively favoring courtiers over warriors. As warriors throughout the country demanded confirmation of their existing landholdings, dissatisfaction exploded and Ashikaga Takauji rebelled in 1335. Go-Daigo fled to Yoshino (present-day Yoshino-cho, Nara) and established the Southern Court, opening the era of the Northern and Southern Courts. He died in 1339, leaving the exhortation "Carry on my will" and refusing to abandon the struggle against the Northern Court to the end. He was 52.

Pursued the ideal of direct imperial rule with indomitable will. Escaped exile twice with remarkable boldness, yet failed to understand warriors' needs, dooming his restoration.

Triggered the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate and the onset of the Nanbokucho era. Though the Kenmu Restoration failed, its ideals influenced the Meiji Restoration centuries later.