Kusunoki Masahide (楠木正秀)
Masahide KUSUNOKI (date of birth unknown - 1446) was a busho (Japanese military commander) who lived in the Muromachi period. Jiro.
He colluded with the armed warrior priests of Mt. Hiei, Imperial Prince Yasuhito, Koremichi OCHI and Kuniuji HINO, and stole the Three Sacred Treasures of the Imperial Family from the Northern Court (Conspiracy of Kinketsu). The mirror and the sword were recaptured, but he took the remaining sacred jewel to Mt. Hiei.
When the enraged Northern Court issued a proscription against Masahide, Mt. Hiei switched sides and allied itself with the Northern Court. Imperial Prince Yasuhito and Arimitsu HINO, who were at Mt. Hiei, were attacked and died in battle. Masahide fled.
He later raised an army in honor of Imperial Prince Takayoshi and Prince Giyu, but his footholds fell one after another to the massive reinforcement army of 30,000 men from the Muromachi bakufu side led by Mochikuni HATAKEYAMA and Katsumoto HOSOKAWA. He finally died with Prince Giyu and the KUSUNOKI clan members in the battle at Azakawa-jo Castle.