Once upon a time, Emperor Go-Daigo sought to overthrow the Kamakura Shogunate. When his plan was discovered, however, he was forced into exile, which brought him to Nibu. After this, he lived in the two temples that exist on the way up Mt. Akahage: Niburi-bō and Urumi-bō.


Afterwards, Emperor Go-Daigo escaped the island and once again moved to overthrow the Kamakura Shogunate. Only this time, he was able to succeed and reclaim his seat as Emperor. However, due to overlooking the influence of the esteemed Ashikaga Yoshitaka, he fell victim to a mutiny and was forced to escape to Yoshino City. Ashikaga supported a different emperor and went on to form the Muromachi Shogunate in Kyoto. However, Emperor Go-Daigo still believed himself to be the rightful emperor and opened an imperial court of his own in Yoshino. This was the beginning of the Nanboku-chō Period that divided Japan between the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Yet, once Emperor Go-Daigo passed away, the Southern Dynasty continued to weaken until eventually surrendering to the Northern Dynasty.

When Emperor Go-Daigo set foot on this land, what could he have been thinking? We want you to take this time to try to imagine this as well.