Death of Nitta Yoshisada
During the following few years, Nitta's rivalry with Ashikaga Takauji (and his brother Ashikaga Tadayoshi) came to a head, with the two planning rebellion, and issuing a call that "Nitta Yoshisada must be destroyed." They fought a number of battles, many of them in and around Kyoto, in the same locations as famous battles of the Genpei War; in the end, Nitta was defeated, but continued to be a thorn in Takauji's side until his death on July 2, 1338.
Nitta's death was as remarkable as his life. Turnbull (2003) writes that Nitta was fighting in the Siege of Kuromaru against Hosokawa Akiuji, an ally of Takauji, when his horse was felled by arrow fire. Nitta, pinned under the dead horse and unable to move was an easy target for archers. As a final act, Nitta drew his short sword and cut off his own head. Record has it that a number of his fellow samurai committed junshi seppuku nearby, in a show of allegiance.
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