Kenmu: Go-Daigo's Revolution

Harvard East Asian Monographs #169

by Andrew Edmund Goble

The short-lived Kenmu regime (1333-1336) of Japanese Emperor Go-Daigo is often seen as an inevitably doomed, revanchist attempt to shore up the old aristocratic order. But far from resisting change, Andrew Edmund Goble here forcefully argues, the flamboyant Go-Daigo and his iconoclastic associates were among the competitors seeking to overcome the old order and renegotiate its structure and ethos. Their ultimate defeat did not automatically spell failure; rather, the revolutionary nature of their enterprise decisively moved Japan into its medieval age. By birth, education, and circumstances, Go-Daigo should have been a weak, fatalistic bit player. Instead this student of Chinese political theory was a bold actor with an unprecedented knowledge of the various regions of Japan, who forced situations to his own benefit and led a rebellion that overthrew the Kamakura bakufu. Kenmu: Go-Daigo's Revolution tells his extraordinary personal story vividly, reexamines original sources to discover the real nature of the Kenmu polity, and sets both within the broader backdrop of social, economic, and intellectual change at a dynamic moment in Japanese history.

Genres: History

390 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jim Bogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author believes that the Japanese Emperor Go Daigo attempted to revolutionize the imperial system during his contested reign. As Emperor he helped overthrow the Kamakura Bakufu only to be overthrown in his turns as the Ashikaga Bakufu arose (although he did escape to control some of Japan). Thus his effective reign was fairly short; the author focuses strongly on the three years between Bakufus.
This is a well-researched and well-written book. The author explains his reasoning and notes opposing viewpoints. Since you enjoy History (because otherwise you would not be reading this) you should enjoy a look at a crucial turning point in Japanese history. But to me it is not completely convincing. As the author notes there is little evidence as to what Go Daigo actually thought. As in any such situation, Mr. Goble has to build his case by selecting what to believe and what to throw out; there is a lot rejected.
However, his success in making the reader think about what might have been means this is a strongly recommended book.

[Drew Tschirki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic and well researched history of Go-Daigo. Despite Go-Daigo not leaving behind any journals or letters, the man left behind many political writings such as edicts. Goble did a great job with such a controversial - and fun - character!

I don’t know if I agree that Go-Daigo was revolutionary (as opposed to a restored as he was previously seen). He certainly looked to the past and strove to rule in accordance with Confucian classics, but was also politically smart, adaptable and pragmatic in his administration. He certainly was fresh, and the aristocracy of the time did not approve.

This will be a book I read time and time again.