Hōjō Sōun
, also known as was Japanese ''daimyo'' and the first head of the Later Hōjō clan, one of the major powers in Japan's Sengoku period. Although he only belonged to a side branch of the main, more prestigious Ise family, he fought his way up, gaining territory and changing his name in imitation of the illustrious Hōjō. Biography Traditionally Soun held a reputation of a ''rōnin'' who rose to power almost overnight in Kantō; however, he belonged to a prestigious family in the direct employment of the Ashikaga shogunate, and enjoyed important family connections. It has been said that Sōun was born at the Takakoshi castle in Okayama. His sister was married to Imagawa Yoshitada, a major daimyō from a prestigious cadet branch of the Ashikaga family. About 1475, under the cognomen of Ise Shinkuro, he worked for Imagawa, the constable of Suruga Province, and eventually became an "independent leader" with a number of warriors joining him. Shinkuro became a retainer in the Imagaw ...
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