The Imperial Prince Kanenaga

During the Period of Nanbokutyo in which the Dynasty was divided into the South Dynasty and the North Dynasty, Emperor Godaigo of the South Dynasty made the Imperial princes the general, and dispatched them to every place for an expansion of its influence.
Emperor Godaigo appointed the 16th Imperial prince Kanenaga and dispatched him to Kyushu as the General of Western Japan in September 1338.
Imperial prince Kanenaga ,only 8 years old, came out of Kyoto with 12 persons' court noble including Yorimoto Gojyou, and landed at Satsuma over the time five years.
Taking here a scaffold, they advanced northward, reached Higo in 1938, and was welcomed by the Kikuchi and the Aso family, and made Kumafu (Kikuchi city,now) the place of the headquarters.
Henceforth, Kikuchi Family having the General of Western Japan on their head, repeated desperate struggles deliberately for the leadership of Kyushu with the Isshiki Family,the Syouni Family, and the Otomo Family.
After Noriuji Isshiki escaped from Kyushu in 1355,the influence of Kanenaga, the General of western Japan, spread over Kyusyu, defeated Yorinao Shouni by the battle of Chikugo River in 1359, and occupied Dazaifu of his wish at last.
Those who occupied Dazaifu had the meaning of controlling the whole Kyushu Island. It was for 12 years that the General of western Japan stationed in Dazaifu,and then the leadership was again recaptured by the dispatch of Ryoushun Imagawa appointed as the Kyushu Tandai and the death of Takemitsu Kikuchi in a battle, etc.
The General of western Japan retreated to the Mt.Koura, and further withdrew to headquarters at Kumafu in Higo.
Prince Kanenaga was under control of Ryousyun Imagawa, and resigned throne in favor of Prince Yoshinari.
It is said that Kanenaga supported Prince Yoshinari in the manor house of the Gojyou Family at Yabe,Yame County in Fukuoka Prefecture and in the Yatsushiro castle.
Although whereabouts of Prince Yoshinaga after that was not known, there is a grave said to be the grave of Yoshinari at Senkouji Temple at the foot of Minou mountain ranges.

The grave of Kanenaga	The residence of Gojyou	The grave of Yoshinaga

The Gojyou Family

There is a small area called a "Osoba" and there is the Imperial mausoleum of Imperial Prince General of Western Japan around the origin of Yabe River near the heart of mountain, Yabe Village, Yame County.
The Department of the Imperial Household in 1878 presumed this grave to be the one of Prince Yoshinari in 1878.
Imperial Prince Yoshinari was Gomurakami Emperor's sixth Imperial prince, and at the same time was Prince Kanenaga's nephew.
Subsequently, Yoshinari became the General of western Japan and had suffered from a great trouble for the revival of the South Dynasty to his last.
Those who have protected an Imperial mausoleum after that is the Gojyou Family, the descendant of court noble Yorimoto Gojyou,who had followed Prince Kanenaga from Kyoto.
The Gojyou Family is the descendant of Yorimoto Gojyou, the one of the 12 court noble who followed the General of Western Japan,Prince Kanenaga.
The Gojyou family had fought on the many places including Kyusyu and Shikooku over about 50 years since then, holding the General of Western Japan as their head.
The Gojyou Family has lived in the present place since then.
The present head of Gojyou Family is assigned to the duties of management of the mausoleum in consignment of the Imperial Household Agency.
The documents handed down to the Gojyou Family are those of the South Dynasty including 365 copies and 17 volume called "The Gojyou Family's Documents" .