Hojo Ujiyasu (1515 – October 21, 1571), the third head of the Odawara Hojo clan, was a formidable daimyo known as the "Lion of Sagami." Revered as a fearsome samurai and brilliant strategist, he became famous for successfully breaking sieges by renowned warlords Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. Ujiyasu was the son of Hojo Ujitsuna, and his only known wife was Zuikei-in, sister of Imagawa Yoshimoto. Among his children were Hojo Ujimasa and Uesugi Kagetora.
Born in 1515, Ujiyasu, originally named Chiyomaru, fought his first battle at the age of 15 against Uesugi Tomooki of the Ogigayatsu Uesugi clan at the Battle of Ozawahara in 1530. When his father died in 1541, many of the Hojo’s enemies saw an opportunity to strike. However, Ujiyasu rose to the challenge, reorganizing the Hojo lands and implementing key reforms, including cadastral surveys (1542-1543) and a taxation overhaul in 1550.
Odawara, where his family’s stronghold Odawara Castle was located, became a thriving trade center under his leadership. Ujiyasu developed the area by reorganizing roads and establishing artisans' guilds, markets, and post stations throughout the Hojo-controlled territory, solidifying his power in the Kanto region.
In 1545, Uesugi Tomosada, son of Uesugi Tomooki, sought to retake Kawagoe Castle with a large coalition of forces. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Ujiyasu, using strategic intelligence and ninja to gather information, led a decisive night raid during the Siege of Kawagoe Castle, securing a major victory. This triumph marked a turning point in the Kanto region, leading to the downfall of the Ogigayatsu Uesugi clan and diminishing the prestige of Uesugi Norimasa, Kanto kanrei (Governor-General of the Kanto).
Ujiyasu’s conquests continued. In 1551, he defeated Uesugi Norimasa at Hirai Castle, forcing him to flee to Echigo, where he was sheltered by his retainer Nagao Kagetora (later Uesugi Kenshin). Ujiyasu’s strategic brilliance expanded the Hojo clan’s territory across Sagami, Izu, Musashi, Shimosa, and Kazusa provinces.
By 1559, Ujiyasu retired, passing formal leadership to his son Hojo Ujimasa. However, even in retirement, Ujiyasu played a key role in defending the Hojo clan’s interests, including fending off multiple sieges led by Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, two of the period’s most powerful warlords.
The Hojo’s territory continued to expand under Ujiyasu, but their ambitions led to conflicts with neighboring clans. Notably, in 1567, the Hojo forces suffered a defeat against the Satake clan at the Battle of Numajiri, halting their eastern expansion.
Ujiyasu's diplomatic skills helped him make peace with his former adversaries, Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. He solidified alliances through marriage—one of his daughters married Imagawa Ujizane, and another, Hojo Masako, became the second wife of Takeda Katsuyori. Ujiyasu passed away in 1571, leaving behind a powerful legacy and a stable domain for his son Ujimasa to inherit.
See also
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Hosokawa Sumimoto
Sumimoto came from the Hosokawa clan: he was the biological son of Hosokawa Yoshiharu and at the same time the adopted son of Hosokawa Masamoto, the heir of Hosokawa Katsumoto, one of the principal instigators of the Ōnin War. Masamoto was homosexual, never married, and had no children of his own. At first he adopted Sumiyuki, a scion of the aristocratic Kujō family, but this choice provoked dissatisfaction and sharp criticism from the senior vassals of the Hosokawa house. As a result, Masamoto changed his decision and proclaimed Sumimoto as his heir, a representative of a collateral branch of the Hosokawa clan that had long been based in Awa Province on the island of Shikoku. Almost immediately after this, the boy became entangled in a complex and bitter web of political intrigue.
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Honda Masanobu
Masanobu initially belonged to the retinue of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but later entered the service of Sakai Shōgen, a daimyo and priest from Ueno. This shift automatically made him an enemy of Ieyasu, who was engaged in conflict with the Ikkō-ikki movement in Mikawa Province. After the Ikkō-ikki were defeated in 1564, Masanobu was forced to flee, but in time he returned and once again entered Ieyasu’s service. He did not gain fame as a military commander due to a wound sustained in his youth; nevertheless, over the following fifty years he consistently remained loyal to Ieyasu.
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Honda Masazumi
Masazumi was the eldest son of Honda Masanobu. From a young age, he served Tokugawa Ieyasu alongside his father, taking part in the affairs of the Tokugawa house and gradually gaining experience in both military and administrative matters. At the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Masazumi was part of the core Tokugawa forces, a clear sign of the high level of trust Ieyasu placed in him. After the campaign ended, he was given a highly sensitive assignment—serving in the guard of the defeated Ishida Mitsunari, one of Tokugawa’s principal enemies—an obligation that required exceptional reliability and caution.
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Hojo Shigetoki
Hōjō Shigetoki, the third son of Hōjō Yoshitoki, was still very young—only five years old—when his grandfather Tokimasa became the first member of the Hōjō clan to assume the position of shogunal regent.
