During the Meiji period, an Imperial decree dated March 3, 1911 established that the legitimate reigning monarchs of this period were the direct descendants of Emperor Go-Daigo through Emperor Go-Murakami, whose Southern Court (南朝, nanchō) had been established in exile in Yoshino, near Nara.[3]
Until the end of the Edo period, the militarily superior pretender-Emperors supported by the Ashikaga shogunate had been mistakenly incorporated in Imperial chronologies despite the undisputed fact that the Imperial Regalia were not in their possession.[3]
1387, also called Kakei gannen (嘉慶元年): The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The previous era ended and the new one commenced in Shitoku 4.
In this time frame, Genchū (1384–1393) was the Southern Court equivalent nengō.[4]