Nitta Yoshisada
The Samurai Commander Who Cut Off His Own Head on Defeat
The warrior Nitta Yoshisada (C.1301- August 17, 1338) was a courtier and military commander from the late Kamakura to the Nanboku-cho periods. He was the leader of the Nitta clan, and a supporter of the Southern Court’s Emperor Go-Daigo at a time when the Imperial family had been divided in two factions, north and south. Nitta Yoshisada’s exploits were depicted in military narratives such as the Taiheiki, and he was recognized as the greatest military commander of the Southern Dynasty, second only to loyalist Kusunoki Masashige.
A long time rival of Ashikaga Takauji (1305–1358) Nitta Yoshisada is often blamed for the split between the rival Northern and Southern Courts as he fought against the ruling Ashikaga clan and for the Emperor Go-Daigo. This rivalry had partially evolved as the Ashikaga were ranked above the Nitta, despite their having a common ancestor. The ancestors of the Nitta had apparently failed to fight alongside their familial Minamoto clan during the politically decisive Gempei civil wars (1180–1185) and as such were barely acknowledged by the court.