was a ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...

'' (warlord) and third head of the Odawara Hōjō clan. Known as the "Lion of Sagami", he was revered as a fearsome warrior and a cunning man. He is famous for his strategies of breaking the siege from

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...

and

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Known a ...

. The son of

Hōjō Ujitsuna was the son of Hōjō Sōun, founder of the Go-Hōjō clan. He continued his father's quest to gain control of the Kantō (the central area, today dominated by Tokyo, of Japan's main island). Biography In 1524, Ujitsuna took Edo Castle, whi ...

(北条氏綱), his only known wife was

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as . he was one of the three ''daimyōs'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become S ...

's sister, Zuikei-in. Among his sons are

Hōjō Ujimasa was the fourth head of the later Hōjō clan, and ''daimyō'' of Odawara. Ujimasa succeeded the territory expansion policy from his father, Hojo Ujiyasu, and achieved the biggest territory in the clan's history. Early life and rise In 1538, Uj ...

and

Uesugi Kagetora was the seventh son of Hōjō Ujiyasu; known as Hōjō Saburō, he was adopted by Uesugi Kenshin, and was meant to be Kenshin's heir. However, in 1578, he was attacked in his castle at Otate by Uesugi Kagekatsu—Kagetora's respective brother-i ...

Early years and rise

Born in 1515, his childhood name was Chiyomaru (千代丸). He fought his first battle when he was fifteen years old, facing

Uesugi Tomooki was a lord of Edo Castle and enemy of the Hōjō clan, who seized the castle in 1524. He was the son of Uesugi Tomoyoshi, who was among the first to oppose the Hōjō's rise to power. Biography In 1516, Tomooki took part in the siege of Arai ...

of the Ōgigayatsu Uesugi clan (扇谷上杉家) at the

Battle of Ozawahara The Battle of Ozawahara () was fought in 1530 in the present day Asao, Kawasaki, Kanagawa. This was the first battle for Hōjō Ujiyasu, then sixteen years old. Ujiyasu faced Uesugi Tomooki at Ozawahara in Musashi Province. The battle was par ...

in 1530. Upon his father's death in 1541, a number of the Hōjō's enemies sought to take advantage of the opportunity to seize major Hōjō strongholds. Faced with almost endless warfare, Ujiyasu was compelled to reorganize the administration of the Hōjō lands. He had already ordered a series of aggressive cadastral surveys between 1542 and 1543, and in 1550, he overhauled the Kandaka ( ja) taxation system.

Odawara is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in the far western por ...

, where his home castle

Odawara Castle is a landmark in the city of Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. History Odawara was a stronghold of the Doi clan during the Kamakura period, and a fortified residence built by their collateral branch, the Kobayakawa clan, stood on the ...

(小田原城) was located, was gradually transformed into an important trading center by modifying the region's throughways (which were hitherto designed with

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

as a hub) and creating an artisan's guild within the castle town. In addition, post stations and market places sprung up throughout the Hôjô's lands. Ujiyasu soon became one of the main powers in the Kantō region.

Conflict with Uesugi

In 1545, Uesugi Tomosada, of the Ōgigayatsu Uesugi clan and the eldest legitimate son of

, attempted to regain Kawagoe Castle for the Uesugi clan. Tomosada allied himself with the Koga Kubo

Ashikaga Haruuji Ashikaga (足利) may refer to: * Ashikaga clan (足利氏 ''Ashikaga-shi''), a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Minamoto clan; and that formed the basis of the eponymous shogunate ** Ashikaga shogunate (足利幕府 ''Ashikaga bakufu''), a ...

(足利晴氏) and Uesugi Norimasa (上杉憲政) of the Yamauchi Uesugi clan (山内上杉家) and besieged Kawagoe Castle ( Siege of Kawagoe Castle). The castle garrison, led by

Hōjō Tsunashige or Hōjō Tsunanari also known as "Jio Hachiman", was an officer of great skill under the Hōjō clan. The brother in law of Hōjō Ujiyasu. Around the Kantō region, he fought in many battles supporting the Hōjō, also contributing to the e ...

(北条綱成), the stepson of Ujiyasu's brother Tamemasa (北条為昌) and son-in-law of Ujitsuna, was outnumbered 3,000 to allegedly 80,000 men. Ujiyasu, leading a relief force of 8,000 soldiers, slipped some samurai past the enemy lines to inform Tsunashige of the enemy's approach, and made use of

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...

to learn of the enemy's strategy and attitude. Using this intelligence, he led a night attack against the Ashikaga-Uesugi forces, which is now said to be the one of the most notable examples of night fighting in samurai history. "The result was the complete defeat of the Uesugi forces and the Koga contingent. From that date the Go-Hōjō ("Later-Hōjō") as they were called, went on to further triumphs, beginning with the destruction of the Uesugi family." Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Hōjō army defeated the besiegers because, under Ujiyasu's orders, they were not bulked down by heavy armor and were not slowed by seeking to take heads. This victory marked the decisive turning point in the struggle for the Kanto, and in the following years, proved the end of the Ōgigayatsu Uesugi line and destroyed the prestige of Uesugi Norimasa of the Yamanouchi Uesugi clan as Kantō

kanrei or, more rarely, ''kanryō'', was a high political post in feudal Japan; it is usually translated as ''shōguns deputy''. After 1349, there were actually two ''Kanrei'', the ''Kyoto Kanrei'' and the ''Kantō Kanrei''. Originally, from 1219 until ...

(Governor-General of

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Sl ...

, ). As a result, many of the Kantō warlords became vassals of the Hōjō clan. In 1551, Ujiyasu defeated Uesugi Norimasa at Hirai Castle () and forced him to flee to

Echigo was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Etchū Provinces. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niigata ...

, where he was taken into the protective custody of his retainer Nagao Kagetora, the later day

and heir to Norimasa by adoption. In 1559, Ujiyasu retired at the age of 45 and

inherited formal leadership of the family. In 1561, Kenshin assumed the post of Kantō kanrei and in the same year tried to conquer the region once more. Kenshin besieged Odawara Castle and burned down the town, withdrawing after two months (

Siege of Odawara (1561) The 1561 Siege of Odawara, a battle of Japan's Sengoku period, Uesugi Kenshin attacked Odawara castle, this was the first of several sieges which would befall Odawara castle, the home castle of the Hōjō clan. Background In 1559, Kenshin was ...

Hōjō expansion

In 1563, Ujiyasu allied himself with

and regained Matsuyama Castle (松山城)Also known as Musashi-Matsuyama Castle (武蔵松山城). in

Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, ...

against

Uesugi Norikatsu Uesugi (sometimes written ''Uyesugi'') is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: People *Uesugi clan, a Japanese samurai clan **Uesugi Akisada, (1454–1510), a samurai of the Uesugi clan **Uesugi Harunori (1751–1822), a Jap ...

(上杉憲勝) (

Siege of Musashi-Matsuyama (1563) In Japanese history, the 1563 Siege of Musashi-Matsuyama was a successful attempt by a combined Takeda clan-Hōjō clan army to regain Musashi province and Matsuyama castle from the Uesugi clan; the Hōjō had seized the castle from the Uesugi i ...

). In 1564, he took Kōnodai in

Shimōsa Province was a province of Japan in the area modern Chiba Prefecture, and Ibaraki Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Shimōsa''" in . It lies to the north of the Bōsō Peninsula (房総半島), whose name takes its first ''kanji'' from ...

following a battle against

Satomi Yoshihiro was a samurai of the Satomi family who fought against the Hōjō clan during Japan's Sengoku period. He participated in the Siege of Odawara (1561) againts Hōjō clan under Uesugi Kenshin. Later, he was defeated by Hōjō Ujiyasu at the battle ...

(里見義弘) (

Battle of Kōnodai (1564) In the second Battle of Kōnodai, fought in 1564, Hōjō Ujiyasu led his men to victory against Satomi Yoshihiro. Both Ujiyasu and Yoshihiro were the sons of the commanders at the first battle of Kōnodai, in which Hōjō Ujitsuna was the so ...

). Following this victory, Ujiyasu pushed on into Shimosa Province and Kazusa Province, but was never able to destroy the Satomi clan, who remained a thorn in the Hôjô's side right up until 1590. Ujiyasu expanded the Hōjō territory, which now covered five provinces ( Sagami, Izu, Musashi, Shimosa and Kazusa), and managed and maintained what his father and grandfather had held. Ujiyasu's eastern moves brought the Hōjō into conflict with the

Satake clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. Its first power base was in Hitachi Province. The clan was subdued by Minamoto no Yoritomo in the late 12th century, but later entered Yoritomo's service as vass ...

Hitachi Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa (Lower Fusa), Shimotsuke, and Mutsu ( Iwase -17 ...

and to the limit of their expansion. After the second battle of Konodai in 1564, the Hōjō largely contented themselves with ruling the vast tracts of land earned through 60 years of war and toil.

Conflict with Takeda

Towards the end of his life Ujiyasu saw the first major conflicts between his own clan and

(武田信玄), who would become one of the greatest warlords of the period. In 1568, as a response to Hōjō's intervention into his invasion of

Suruga Province was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture. Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and was bordered by the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay to the south. Its abbrev ...

, Shingen came into

from his home province of Kai, attacking Hachigata (鉢形城) (

Siege of Hachigata (1568) The first siege of Hachigata castle took place in 1568; Takeda Shingen laid siege to the Hachigata Castle, which was controlled by Hōjō Ujikuni, but was unable to capture it. After failed to capture Hachigata castle, Shingen then moved sou ...

) and Takiyama (滝山城) Castles, where Ujiyasu's sons repulsed them. In 1569, after failing to take the two castles, Shingen nevertheless pressed on to the Hōjō's home castle of Odawara, burning the castle town and withdrawing after three days (

Siege of Odawara (1569) The second Siege of Odawara took place in 1569. Takeda Shingen attacked Odawara Castle, as a response to Hōjō's intervention into Shingen invasion of Suruga Province. Background In 1568, as a response to Hōjō clan intervention in Takeda in ...

). As the forces of Shingen withdrew from repeated failed sieges of Odawara Castle, two of Ujiyasu's seven sons, the brothers Ujiteru and Ujikuni, attacked him in the pass of Mimase (

Battle of Mimasetoge The was the Hojo's attack to Takeda army, took place at Mimase pass in 1569, as the forces of Takeda Shingen withdrew from repeated failed sieges of the Hōjō clan's Odawara Castle in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. The Hōjō forces, led by ...

), ending the first of the Takeda campaigns against the Hōjō at Sagami province. Later in the year, Shingen's son

Takeda Katsuyori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Early life He was the son of Shingen by the daughter ...

(武田勝頼) led a successful siege against the Hojo Kanbara Castle (蒲原城) in Suruga province (

Siege of Kanbara The 1569 Siege of Kanbara was one of many sieges undertaken by the Takeda clan against the territories of the Hōjō clan during Japan's Sengoku period. Takeda Katsuyori, the son of clan head Takeda Shingen, led the siege against Kanbara cast ...

). Takeda Shingen also laid siege to other Hōjō holdings in the surrounding provinces, including Fukazawa castle (深沢城) in Suruga province which was taken in 1571 (

Siege of Fukazawa The 1571 siege of Fukazawa castle was one of a number of battles which formed Takeda Shingen's campaigns against the Hōjō clan, during Japan's Sengoku period. History Having burned the town of Odawara surrounding the Hōjō home castle tw ...

Death

Subsequently, Ujiyasu managed to make peace with

and

, the most powerful adversaries of Hōjō Ujiyasu, letting his seventh son Hōjō Saburō be adopted by childless Kenshin and accepting the ''

fait accompli Many words in the English vocabulary are of French origin, most coming from the Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman Conquest, before the language settled into what became Modern Engl ...

'' of Shingen's reign over Suruga. To cement the ties of Takeda-Imagawa-Hojo, Ujiyasu also gave his two daughters to those two clans;

Lady Hayakawa Lady Hayakawa (早川殿, ''Hayakawa-Dono'', died April 4, 1613) was a Japanese woman and aristocrat of the Sengoku period. Hayakawa is a common nickname for one of ''Daimyō'' Hōjō Ujiyasu's daughters, who lived in the Sengoku through early ...

wed to

Imagawa Ujizane was a Japanese ''daimyō'' who lived in the Sengoku through early Edo periods. He was the tenth head of the Imagawa clan, and was a son of Imagawa Yoshimoto and the father of Imagawa Norimochi and Shinagawa Takahisa. Biography Ujizane was ...

, while Lady Hojo (Hojo Masako) wed to

becoming his second wife. Ujiyasu died in 1571, passing on the Hōjō domains to his eldest son Ujimasa (北条氏政) in a relatively favourable situation.

Family

* Father:

Hojo Ujitsuna Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones *A nickname for Howard Jones *MGR-1 Honest John, the first nuclear-capable missile ...

* Mother: Yojuin-dono * Wife: Zuikein (d.1590) * Adopted brother:

* Concubines: ** sister of Katsurayama Yasumitsu ** Matsuda-dono * Children: ** Hojo Shinkuro (1537-1552) by Zuikein **

** Lady Hojo (1564-1582) married

by Matsuda-dono **

by Zuikein ** Jokoin married Ashikaga Yoshiuji and gave birth to

Ashikaga Ujinohime Ashikaga Ujihime (足利氏姫, 1574 – June 6, 1620), or Ashikaga no Ujihime, Ashikaga Ujinohime was the de facto Koga kubō in Sengoku period. She was the daughter of 5th Koga kubō Ashikaga Yoshiuji and Jōkō-in (a daughter of Hōjō Ujiya ...

. ** Nanamagari-dono married Hojo Ujishige ** Hōjō Ujiteru by Zuikein ** Chorin’in married Ota Ujisuke ** Hōjō Ujikuni by Zuikein ** Ozaki-dono married Chiba Chikatane **

Hōjō Ujinori was the fourth son of Hōjō Ujiyasu. Very early in his life he became an acquaintance of Tokugawa Ieyasu, because he alike was also at the time a hostage of the Imagawa. Far later in 1590, he was persuaded to surrender when Odawara Castle was ...

by Zuikein ** Tanseikuji-dono married Ogasawara Yasuhiro ** Hōjō Ujitada (d.1593) ** Kikuhime married Satomi Yoshiyori ** Hōjō Ujimitsu (d.1590) ** daughter married Chiba Toshitane **

by sister of Katsurayama Yasumitsu