A court noble of the North-South Court era and central theorist and politician of the Southern Court. Born into the prestigious Murakami Genji lineage, he served Emperor Go-Daigo. After the collapse of the Kenmu Restoration, he supported the Southern Court at Yoshino and wrote the Jinno Shotoki at Oda Castle in Hitachi Province (Ibaraki). The work traces history from the Age of Gods to Emperor Go-Murakami, arguing for the Southern Court's legitimacy based on possession of the Three Sacred Treasures. It ranks alongside the Gukansho as one of Japan's most important historical works. Chikafusa also supported the Southern Court militarily, dispatching his son Akiie to Mutsu. Though Southern Court power gradually waned, he is highly honored as a loyalist who championed the cause to the end.

A deeply learned intellectual with excellent theoretical thinking. Driven by a mission to prove the Southern Court's legitimacy through scholarship, he maintained his convictions with unyielding integrity even in adversity.

The Jinno Shotoki became the basis for Southern Court legitimism and profoundly influenced Mito scholarship and Meiji-era imperial historiography. It is one of the most important works in the history of Japanese historical thought.