Nanbokuch

Nanbokuch, often rendered as Nanboku-chō, refers to a period in Japanese history from roughly 1336 to 1392 during the Muromachi era when two rival imperial courts claimed legitimacy and exercised power in different locations.

Origins and context

The period followed the Kenmu Restoration (1333–1336), in which Emperor Go-Daigo sought to restore imperial authority. The ensuing power struggle led to the establishment of two concurrent courts: the Northern Court in Kyoto, installed and supported by the Ashikaga shogunate under Takauji, and the Southern Court in Yoshino, founded by Go-Daigo and his loyalists who maintained a separate line of emperors. Both courts claimed to be the legitimate succession of the imperial throne.

Nature of rule and conflict

For several decades the two courts battled for influence, backed by rival samurai factions and regional powers. The Northern Court relied on the Ashikaga shogunate for military support, while the Southern Court drew strength from loyalist strongholds in the south. The era is characterized by intermittent warfare, shifting alliances, and periods of relative stability, with governance centered in Kyoto for the Northern Court and in Yoshino for the Southern Court.

End and legacy

In 1392 the two lines were reconciled, and imperial authority effectively consolidated under the Northern Court lineage. The Southern Court ceased to function as an independent throne, though debates about legitimacy continue in historiography. The Nanboku-chō period is a defining episode of the broader Muromachi era, illustrating the fragility of centralized power and influencing later discussions of dynastic legitimacy and imperial succession. The name literally means “South and North Courts.”