Hojo Ujimasa (1538 – August 10, 1590) was the fourth leader of the later Hojo clan and the daimyo of Odawara. He continued his father Hojo Ujiyasu's policy of territorial expansion, achieving the largest territorial holdings in the clan's history.
Born in 1538 as the second son of Hojo Ujiyasu, Ujimasa's childhood name was Matsuchiyo-maru. After his elder brother Shinkuro passed away at a young age, Ujimasa became the heir apparent. In 1554, during an alliance formed by Ujiyasu with Takeda Shingen and Imagawa Yoshimoto, Ujimasa married Shingen's daughter, Obai-in.
Around 1559, Ujimasa assumed formal leadership of the family upon Ujiyasu's retirement. The Hojo clan expanded its control significantly under his leadership, including the capture of Iwatsuki Castle in 1560, which brought most of the Musashi Province under their control. Ujimasa participated in several key battles, such as the Battle of Konodai (1564) and the Siege of Odawara (1569).
In 1574, Ujimasa secured the surrender of Sekiyado Castle in Shimosa Province from Yanada Harusuke and gained the allegiance of Yuki Harutomi, a vassal of the Uesugi clan. The following year, Gion Castle in Shimotsuke Province, held by Oyama Hidetsuna, also surrendered. In 1577, Ujimasa invaded Kazusa Province and reconciled with his long-time adversary, Satomi Yoshihiro. This conflict marked the first battle for his heir, Hojo Ujinao.
By 1580, after Takeda Katsuyori's intervention in the Uesugi conflict and the death of Uesugi Kagetora, Ujimasa forged a new alliance with Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Hojo clan, alongside these allies, launched an attack on Takeda territory in Suruga, leading to the Battle of Omosu and participation in the Conquest of Koshu, culminating in the Battle of Tenmokuzan in 1582.
After Oda Nobunaga's unexpected death in 1582, Ujimasa seized the opportunity to attack Oda clan territories at the Battle of Kanagawa. Subsequently, the Hojo and Tokugawa clans settled their territorial disputes by exchanging Kai and Shinano Provinces for Kozuke Province.
In 1588, as Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded in unifying Japan, he invited Ujimasa and his son Ujinao to an imperial visit at the Jurakudai in Kyoto. However, Ujimasa declined the invitation, proposing a delay until the spring or summer of 1590, which Hideyoshi refused, straining their relations.
By 1590, Ujimasa had consolidated the clan's position and retired, passing leadership to his son Hojo Ujinao, who became the head of the clan and lord of Odawara. That same year, Hideyoshi launched the Odawara Campaign against the Hojo clan.
See also
-
Takeda Nobuyoshi
Takeda Nobuyoshi (1128–1186 or later) was a prominent Japanese samurai lord of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods and the founder of the Takeda clan.
-
Tokugawa Iemochi
Tokugawa Iemochi (1846–1866) was the fourteenth shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate and ruled from 1858 until his death. His reign came during the turbulent final years of the shogunate, when Japan faced growing Western pressure and serious internal political conflict.
-
Tokugawa Ienari
Tokugawa Ienari (1773–1841) was the eleventh shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate and ruled from 1787 to 1837, making him the longest-serving Tokugawa shōgun. He was a great-grandson of the eighth shōgun, Tokugawa Yoshimune.
-
Matsudaira Nobuyasu
Matsudaira Nobuyasu was only twenty years old when his father ordered him to commit seppuku. The reason was not a defeat in battle, but a crisis inside the Tokugawa family that had become too dangerous to ignore.
-
Yamagata Masakage
Masakage was one of Takeda Shingen’s most loyal and capable commanders. He was included in the famous list of the “Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen” and also belonged to the inner circle of four especially trusted warlords known as the Shitennō.
-
Yagyu Munenori
Yagyū Munenori began his service under Tokugawa Ieyasu while his father, Yagyū Muneyoshi, was still at his side. In 1600, Munenori took part in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. As early as 1601, he was appointed a kenjutsu instructor to Tokugawa Hidetada, Ieyasu’s son, who later became the second shogun of the Tokugawa clan.
-
Yagyu Muneyoshi
A samurai from Yamato Province, he was born into a family that had been defeated in its struggle against the Tsutsui clan. Muneyoshi first took part in battle at the age of sixteen. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was forced to enter the service of the Tsutsui house and later served Miyoshi Tōkei. He subsequently came under the command of Matsunaga Hisahide and in time became a vassal first of Oda and later of Toyotomi.
-
Endo Naozune
Naozune served under Azai Nagamasa and was one of the clan’s leading vassals, renowned for his bravery and determination. He accompanied Nagamasa during his first meeting with Oda Nobunaga and at that time asked for permission to kill Nobunaga, fearing him as an extremely dangerous man; however, Nagamasa did not grant this request.
