Nanbokucho Period: Battles Between the Emperor and the Shogunate
While Yoshinoyama is now peaceful, during the Nanbokucho period (1336-–1392) the area was wracked by warfare and strife.
During the fourteenth century, Emperor Godaigo (1288–1339) took on the ruling Kamakura shogunate in order to restore power to the imperial throne. This marked the beginning of a long and bitter back-and-forth struggle for power between the imperial forces and their military opponents. Godaigo set up what is known as the Southern Court in Yoshino, where four generations of emperors lived.
Kinpusenji Temple provided Godaigo’s court with military and financial support. Several of the temple’s original buildings, including the Nitenmon Gate that stood to the south of the Zaodo (main hall), were burned down as a result.