Emperor Go-Daigo
When Go-Daigo lived, Japan had two governments.  There was one government set up by the emperors of Japan, who lived in Kyoto.  There was another government run by the shoguns, the bakufu.  The law said the emperors were rulers, but the bakufu had more power than they did. Neither the emperor's government nor the shogun's government was powerful enough to rule very well.