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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Otomo Sorin
Ōtomo Yoshishige came from a noble lineage, being the eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, the ruler of Funai Province. The roots of the Ōtomo family traced back to Fujiwara Hidesato, the adopted son of Nakahara Chikayoshi. Fujiwara served Minamoto Yoritomo during the Genpei War and took part in battles in Mutsu Province in 1189. In 1193, he was appointed shugo of Buzen and Bungo Provinces, after which he adopted a new surname—Ōtomo.
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Okudaira Sadamasa
Sadamasa was the son of Okudaira Sadayoshi and took part in several battles under Tokugawa Ieyasu, distinguishing himself in the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, where he took two heads. Around 1572 he was forced to enter the service of the Takeda clan, but after the death of Takeda Shingen in 1573 he returned to Tokugawa, leaving Tsukude Castle together with his men. As a result of this defection, Takeda Katsuyori ordered the execution of Sadamasa’s wife and brother, who were being held as hostages.
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Okubo Tadatika
Tadatika, the son of Okubo Tadayō, entered the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the age of eleven, and took his first head in battle when he was sixteen. After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, he was appointed as a rōjū — a senior bakufu official — and was regarded as one of Ieyasu’s most trusted advisors, alongside Honda Masanobu. He is also known for his military chronicle Mikawa Monogatari, which describes Ieyasu’s rise to power and the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Okubo Nagayasu
Nagayasu was the second son of Okura Nobuyasu, a sarugaku theater actor from the Takeda clan. Takeda Shingen recognized the young man’s potential and took him into service, appointing him as a vassal to his general, Tsuchiya Masatsugu. During this period, Nagayasu changed his family name to Tsuchiya. He was entrusted with developing the Takeda clan’s gold mines as well as handling matters related to taxation.
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Nitta Yoshisada
Nitta Yoshisada was a loyal soldier of Emperor Go-Daigo, who in the 1330s attempted to restore direct imperial rule in Japan. The Nitta family was related to the Ashikaga house and was older in lineage. However, they did not join Minamoto Yoritomo at the start of his war with the Taira, as the Ashikaga did, and therefore did not receive high positions in the Kamakura shogunate. This may have been one of the reasons why Yoshisada rose against the Hōjō clan in 1333.
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Natsume Yoshinobu
Yoshinobu, a long-time vassal of the Matsudaira and Tokugawa clans, governed Hamamatsu Castle on behalf of the Tokugawa house. During the clashes between the Imagawa, Takeda, and Matsudaira clans, he served in the garrison of Nagasawa Castle and in 1562 took part in raids under the command of Itakura Shigezane. When, in 1563, a revolt of the Sōtō-shū sect followers broke out in Mikawa Province, Yoshinobu joined the rebels together with Honda Masanobu and Hachiya Sadatsugu.
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Nambu Nobunao
The Nambu clan was an ancient and powerful family that traced its lineage back to the Minamoto shoguns and had controlled a significant part of the Tohoku region in northern Honshu since the 12th century. Nobunao was born in Ikatai Castle, located in what is now the city of Iwate. He was the second son of Ishikawa (Nambu) Takanobu, the 22nd head of the Nambu clan. In 1565, Nobunao’s uncle, Nambu Harumasa, adopted him, brought him to Sannohe Castle, and named him his heir, later giving his daughter in marriage to him.
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Naito Ienaga
Ienaga was the son of Naitō Kiyonaga and served Tokugawa Ieyasu from an early age. Like his father, he was exceptionally brave, and thanks to his remarkable skill with the bow, he earned the nickname “the unrivaled archer.” Although both the elder and the younger Naitō belonged to the Jōdo Shinshū (“True Pure Land”) sect, during the Ikkō-ikki uprising in Mikawa Province in 1565, Ienaga did not support his fellow believers and instead sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu, earning his special trust. He later took part in the battles of Mikatagahara, Nagashino, and many other engagements while accompanying Ieyasu.
