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He Won the Realm but Lost His Brother — Takauji, Tadayoshi, and the Kanno Disturbance

Takauji entrusted governance to his brother Tadayoshi, but a rivalry over the steward Ko no Moronao split them into open war — the Kanno Disturbance. In the end, Tadayoshi is said to have been poisoned by Takauji himself. The tragedy of brothers torn apart.

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Takauji ruled alongside his brother Tadayoshi in a two-headed government, but a rivalry between the steward Ko no Moronao and Tadayoshi erupted into the Kanno Disturbance (1350). Tadayoshi even allied with the Southern Court against his brother. Takauji prevailed, and in 1352 Tadayoshi died in Kamakura — poisoned by Takauji, according to the Taiheiki.

Portrait attributed to Takauji — first Muromachi shogun who won the realm but suffered through the deadly feud with his brother Tadayoshi

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Kenchoji, Kamakura — the Zen temple symbolizing the city where Tadayoshi died, near the stage of the Kanno Disturbance tragedy

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Minatogawa Shrine, Kobe — site of the battle that set Takauji on the path to power; the fraternal tragedy came afterward

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Key Figures

Ashikaga Takauji