Kikuchi Takefusa (菊池武房)
Takefusa KIKUCHI (1245 – May 2, 1285) was a busho (Japanese military commander) in the middle of the Kamakura period. He was the 10th family head of the Kikuchi clan. He was the 2nd son of the 9th family head, Takayasu KIKUCHI. His mother was a daughter of Yoshihide TAKUMA coming from the Otomo falily. His common name was Jiro.
He fought with an all-out effort by the family at the time of the Mongol invasion of Japan, which was described in Moko Shurai Ekotoba (picture scrolls of Mongol invasion attempts against Japan). In the Bunei War in 1274, he commanded an army of 100 troopers or more jointly with his younger brother, Aritaka KIKUCHI, defeated Yuan's army and distinguished himself in the war, including the fact that he got 2 severed heads of the enemies (in most cases severed heads were generals') he defeated and repelled the enemy back to Akasaka (Fukuoka City).
In May, 1273 when Masamura HOJO, who served as a regent and a rensho (assistant to regents), died, he sent a letter to Sanetoki HOJO, a nephew of Masamura, and his daughter's husband, stating that 'I would like to express my sincere sorrow, however, regrettably I couldn't offer prayers because a migyosho (a document for informing people of the decision of Third Rank or upper people) prohibited jitos (managers and lords of manor) and gokenins (immediate vassals of the shogunate in the Kamakura and Muromachi through Edo periods) in Chinzei (nickname of Kyushu) from calling on you due to a foreign affair.'
Also in the Koan War in 1281, he played an active part and distinguished himself in the war. However, he was awarded a Kacchu (armor and helmet) only from the Imperial Court, but nothing from the Kamakura bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), and Takefusa is said to have leaned toward the anti-bakufu group. On March 26, 1285, 4 years after the war, he died at the age of 41, and his grand son, Tokitaka KIKUCHI took over him.