Hōjō Ujitsuna

Hōjō Ujitsuna (北条 氏綱, 1487 – August 10, 1541) was a Japanese samurai lord of the Sengoku period. He was the son of Hōjō Sōun, the founder of the Go-Hōjō clan. He continued his father's quest to gain control of Kantō (the region around present-day Tokyo).[1]

Hōjō Ujitsuna
北条 氏綱
Hōjō Ujitsuna
Head of Later Hōjō clan
In office
1519–1541
Preceded byHōjō Sōun
Succeeded byHōjō Ujiyasu
Personal details
Born1487
DiedAugust 10, 1541(1541-08-10) (aged 53–54)
Odawara Castle, Sagami Province, Japan
ChildrenHōjō Ujiyasu (son)
Hōjō Tsunashige (adopted son)
Parent
RelativesHōjō Genan (brother)
Military service
Allegiance Later Hōjō clan
RankLord (Daimyō)
CommandsOdawara castle
Battles/wars
In this Japanese name, the surname is Hōjō.

Biography

In 1524, Ujitsuna took Edo Castle,[2][3] which was controlled by Uesugi Tomooki, thus beginning a long-running rivalry between the Hōjō and Uesugi families.

In 1526, Hojo Ujitsuna was defeated by Takeda Nobutora in the Battle of Nashinokidaira.[3] Later, the Uesugi attacked and burned Tsurugaoka Hachimangū in Kamakura, which was a major loss to the Hōjō symbolically, because the earlier Hōjō clan from which they took their name fell in the Siege of Kamakura (1333).[1] (Ujitsuna soon started rebuilding Tsurugaoka Hachimangū and was completed in 1540.[1]) In 1530, his son Ujiyasu defeated Uesugi Tomooki in the Battle of Ozawahara.[4]

The Uesugi attacked Edo again in 1535, when Ujitsuna was away fighting the Takeda; however, Ujitsuna returned and defeated Uesugi Tomooki reclaiming his lands.

When Uesugi Tomooki died in 1537, Ujitsuna took the opportunity to occupy Musashi province and seize Kawagoe Castle to secure his control of the Kantō.[1]

In 1538, Ujitsuna then went on to win the battle of Kōnodai,[3] securing Shimōsa Province for the Hōjō.[1]

In 1539, he defeated the Koga Kubo Yoshiaki (Oyumi Kubo) and gained control of Awa Province (Chiba).[2]

Over the next several years before his death in 1541, Ujitsuna oversaw the rebuilding of Kamakura, making it a symbol of the growing power of the Hōjō, along with Odawara and Edo. He was succeeded as head of the Hōjō clan and lord of Odawara by his son Hōjō Ujiyasu.

Family
  • Father: Hojo Soun
  • Younger Brother: Hōjō Genan
  • Mother: Nan’nyoin-dono
  • Wife: Yojuin-dono
  • Concubine: Konoe-dono
  • Children:
    • Hojo Ujiyasu by Yojuin-dono
    • Hōjō Tsunashige (Adopted child)
    • Hojo Tamemasa (1520-1542)
    • Hojo Ujitaka (1522-1562)
    • Joshin’in married Ota Suketaka
    • daughter married Kira Yoriyasu
    • Hoshun’in married Ashikaga Haruuji
    • Sakihime married Horikoshi Sadatomo
    • Daichoin married Hojo Tsunamori
    • Chiyo married Katsurayama Ujimoto

References
  1. "Hōjō Ujitsuna" (in Japanese). kotobank. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  2. Sansom, George (1961). A History of Japan, 1334–1615. Stanford University Press. p. 245. ISBN 0804705259.
  3. Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. Cassell & Co. pp. 208–209. ISBN 1854095234.
  4. "三代氏康と合戦" (in Japanese). Odawara city official. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  • Turnbull, Stephen (2002). 'War in Japan: 1467–1615'. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.
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