the junior, respectively. It has also
been shown that the princes of the senior branch uniformly relied on
Kamakura and kept the Bakufu informed of all intrigues devised in
Kyoto, whereas those of the junior branch constantly cherished the
hope of reasserting the independence of the throne. A representative
of the junior branch, Go-Daigo (1318-1339), happened to be on the
throne when Takatoki, holding the regency at Kamakura, scandalized
the nation by his excesses and discredited the Hojo by his
incompetence.

Go-Daigo was an able sovereign. He dispensed justice scrupulously and
made the good of the country his prime aim. It appeared to him that
the time had come for Kyoto to shake off the fetters of Kamakura.
With that object he took into his confidence two Fujiwara nobles,
Suketomo, a councillor of State, and Toshimoto, minister of Finance.
These he despatched on a secret tour of inspection through the
provinces, instructing them at the same time to canvass for adherents
among the local samurai. They met with considerable success. Among
the provincial families there were some of Taira origin who cherished
traditional hatred towards the Minamoto; there were some of Minamoto
blood who chafed at the supremacy of the Hojo, and there were some
who, independently of lineage, longed for a struggle and its
contingent possibilities. Leading representatives of these classes
began to hold conclaves in Kyoto. The meetings were marked by
complete absence of ceremony, their object being to promote free
interchange of ideas. Presently, suspicions were suggested to
Kamakura. The regent, Takatoki, who, though a careless libertine in
his habits, living in the society of his thirty concubines, his
troops of dancing mimes, and his packs of fighting dogs, was capable
of stern resolution on occasions, threatened to dethrone the Emperor.

In this sore strait, Go-Daigo did not hesitate to make solemn avowal
of the innocence of his purpose, and Kamakura refrained from any
harsh action towards the Throne. But it fared ill with the
sovereign's chief confidant, Fujiwara no Suketomo. He was exiled to
Sado Island and there killed by Takatoki's instructions. This
happened in 1325. Connected with it was an incident which illustrates
the temper of the bushi. In spite of his mother's tearful
remonstrances, Kunimitsu, the thirteen-year-old son of the exiled
noble, set out from Kyoto for Sado to bid his father farewell. The
governor of the island was