楠木正成

Kusunoki Masashige is revered as the ultimate symbol of loyalty in Japanese history, having remained faithful to Emperor Go-Daigo to the very end. At the Siege of Chihaya Castle, he confounded the vast armies of the Kamakura shogunate with a tiny garrison, and his ingenious tactics profoundly influenced later military strategists. Hailing from Kawachi Province, Masashige had close ties with the local Kawachi swordsmiths. At the Battle of Minatogawa, defeated by Ashikaga Takauji's forces, he uttered his famous vow 'Shichishō Hōkoku' (serve the nation through seven lives) before taking his own life alongside his brother Masasue. The tachi attributed to Masashige exemplifies the robust, battle-ready swords of the Nanbokuchō period. In the Meiji era, he was deified as 'Dai-Nankō,' and his equestrian statue before the Imperial Palace stands as an enduring symbol of loyalty to the Japanese people.