Ashikaga Takauji According to famous Zen master and intellectual Musō Soseki , who enjoyed his favor and collaborated with him , Takauji had three qualities . First , he kept his cool in battle and was not afraid of death . Second , he was merciful and tolerant . Third , he was very generous with those below him . Career . Takauji was a general of the Kamakura shogunate sent to Kyoto in 1333 to put down the Genkō War which had started in 1331 . After becoming increasingly disillusioned with the Kamakura shogunate over time , Takauji joined the banished Emperor Go - Daigo and Kusunoki Masashige , and seized Kyoto . Soon after , Nitta Yoshisada attacked Kamakura , destroying the shogunate . Emperor Go - Daigo thus became the " de facto " ruler of Japan , reestablishing the primacy of the Imperial court in Kyoto and starting the so - called Kemmu restoration . However , shortly thereafter , the samurai clans became increasingly disillusioned with the reestablished imperial court , which sought to return to the social and political systems of the Heian period . Sensing their discontent , Takauji pleaded with the emperor to do something before rebellion would break out , however his warnings were ignored . Hōjō Tokiyuki , son of the 14th Hōjō regent Hōjō Takatoki , took the opportunity to start the Nakasendai rebellion ( " Nakasendai no Ran " ) to try to reestablish the shogunate in Kamakura in 1335 . Takauji put down the rebellion and took Kamakura for himself . Taking up the cause of his fellow samurai , he claimed the title of " Seii Taishogun " and allotted land to his followers without permission from the court . Takauji announced his allegiance to the imperial court , but Go - Daigo sent Nitta Yoshisada to reclaim Kamakura . Takauji defeated Yoshisada in battle and afterwards marched all the way to Kyoto . He captured it only to be driven out and to Kyūshū by the regrouped forces of Yoshisada with Masashige . Takauji allied himself with the clans native to Kyūshū and again marched to Kyoto . At the decisive Battle of Minatogawa in 1336 , Takauji defeated Yoshisada again and killed Masashige , allowing him to seize Kyoto for good . Emperor Kōmyō of the illegitimate Northern Court ( see below ) was installed as emperor by Takauji in opposition to the exiled Southern Court , beginning the turbulent Northern and Southern Court period ( " Nanboku - chō " ) , which saw two Emperors fight each other and which would last for almost 60 more years . Besides other honors , Emperor Go - Daigo had given Takauji the title of " Chinjufu - shogun " , or Commander - in - chief of the Defense of the North , and the courtly title of the Fourth Rank , Junior Grade . Timeline of Shogunate . Significant events which shaped the period during which Takauji was shogun are : Takauji ' s son Ashikaga Yoshiakira succeeded him as shogun after his death . His grandson Ashikaga Yoshimitsu united the Northern and Southern courts in 1392 . Eras of Takauji ' s " bakufu " . Because of the anomalous situation , which he had himself created and which saw two Emperors reign simultaneously , one in Yoshino and one in Kyoto , the years in which Takauji was shogun as reckoned by the Gregorian calendar are identified in Japanese historical records by two different series of Japanese era names ( " nengō " ) , that following the datation used by the legitimate Southern Court and that formulated by the pretender Northern Court . Literary references . The story of Ashikaga Takauji , Emperor Go - Daigo , Nitta Yoshisada , and Kusunoki Masashige from the Genko rebellion to the establishment of the Northern and Southern Courts is detailed in the 40 volume Muromachi period epic " Taiheiki " .