WI/ACH:Successful Kenmu Restoration

So for those of you who don't know, the Kenmu Restoration was an attempt by the Japanese Emperor Go-Daigo to overthrow the Kamakura Shogunate and restore power to the Emperor and the Imperial Court. While the former was a success, the later failed and we ended up with the Ashikaga Shogunate and the Nanboku-chō (or Southern and Northern Courts) period. Now I've long been fascinated by this attempt by the Imperial Court, the last before the Meiji Restoration, and was wondering how the Kenmu Restoration can be made successful. Can the Emperor return himself to full authority and if so how?

Edit" here's a link to the Wikipedia page, for those who need it.
 
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If you want responses on something this obscure, explaining what the heck it is and/or providing a link helps. I did google, but didnt have any constructive thoughts.
 
Not that obscure and I DID explain what it was but I will put in a link on the OP.
No, it's an obscure topic. And I've already mentioned in another thread why it's not very likely, mainly the fact that Go-Daigo has no army loyal only to him nor many resources to back his cause. It's extremely unlikely in the short run and unsustainable in the long run.
 
No, it's an obscure topic. And I've already mentioned in another thread why it's not very likely, mainly the fact that Go-Daigo has no army loyal only to him nor many resources to back his cause. It's extremely unlikely in the short run and unsustainable in the long run.

OK so its obscure, not really the point. But considering that Go-Daigo managed to bring down the Kamakura Shogunate and (temporarily) restore the Imperial Court to power, you might be underestimating him. Now I'm not saying that Go-Daigo was a brilliant tactician, or that all of his ideas were that good, but I think he could have won out against the Ashikaga. The Imperialist forces had several capable generals, such as Nitta Yoshisada and Kusunoki Masashige, who's battle plan in 1336, having the Emperor retreat to Mount Hiei, trap the Ashikaga forces in the Kyoto and destroy them, could have been successful.So lets say Kusunoki's plan is successful, and the Ashikaga brothers are captured and executed. Would that be enough to firmly restore the Emperor and the Imperial Court to power or would another Samurai revolt occur?
 
It'd probably be a long term period where things are similar to how they where in the past only with the emperor acting entirely on his own without a shogun. This probably goes on until they discredit themselves to the point a new Shogun would be able to assert himself and rise to power.
 
OK so its obscure, not really the point. But considering that Go-Daigo managed to bring down the Kamakura Shogunate and (temporarily) restore the Imperial Court to power, you might be underestimating him. Now I'm not saying that Go-Daigo was a brilliant tactician, or that all of his ideas were that good, but I think he could have won out against the Ashikaga. The Imperialist forces had several capable generals, such as Nitta Yoshisada and Kusunoki Masashige, who's battle plan in 1336, having the Emperor retreat to Mount Hiei, trap the Ashikaga forces in the Kyoto and destroy them, could have been successful.So lets say Kusunoki's plan is successful, and the Ashikaga brothers are captured and executed. Would that be enough to firmly restore the Emperor and the Imperial Court to power or would another Samurai revolt occur?
No, Go-Daigo only deserves a small portion of the credit (but yes, some of the credit), so I'm not underestimating him. He deserves less credit than the Ashikaga and the Nitta, who actually provided the men who fought. The Nitta and Ashikaga (I don't remember reading about Kusunoki but it's been a while) were driven to overthrow the Hojo due to long-standing grievances they had on behalf of feudal lords in Japan's east. Now, I know that Nitta Yoshisada was loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo, but the Nitta as a whole are still looking for spoils. A return to the pre-Bakufu ideal defeats that whole purpose. The moment Go-Daigo tries to implement direct imperial rule and replace the existing feudal structure, the moment somebody (whether Yoshisada or his descendants or whether another family completely) will try to restore the power of provincial powers. It's a matter of demographics. As I will keep saying, that's why a lasting Kenmu Restoration is unlikely. Even a successful war against the Ashikaga is likely to produce another shogunate, eventually.
 
No, Go-Daigo only deserves a small portion of the credit (but yes, some of the credit), so I'm not underestimating him. He deserves less credit than the Ashikaga and the Nitta, who actually provided the men who fought. The Nitta and Ashikaga (I don't remember reading about Kusunoki but it's been a while) were driven to overthrow the Hojo due to long-standing grievances they had on behalf of feudal lords in Japan's east. Now, I know that Nitta Yoshisada was loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo, but the Nitta as a whole are still looking for spoils. A return to the pre-Bakufu ideal defeats that whole purpose. The moment Go-Daigo tries to implement direct imperial rule and replace the existing feudal structure, the moment somebody (whether Yoshisada or his descendants or whether another family completely) will try to restore the power of provincial powers. It's a matter of demographics. As I will keep saying, that's why a lasting Kenmu Restoration is unlikely. Even a successful war against the Ashikaga is likely to produce another shogunate, eventually.

I miss-worded that. I meant underestimating the Imperialist supporters in general. But I agree that Go-Daigo deserves just a bit of the credit, mainly as the guy who got the ball rolling originally. And here's what I found on Kusunoki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusunoki_Masashige). But for the sake of argument lets say the Ashikaga brothers and their supporters are defeated, could such a close call persuade the Emperor and his advisers to share power with the Samurai or at least down play any attempt to remove their rights? Could a compromise be reached between the Imperial Court and the Samurai this late in the game or had the situation reached the "winner take all" area?
 
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