was the last ''
Tokusō
was the title (post) held by the head of the mainline Hōjō clan, who also monopolized the position of ''shikken'' (regents to the shogunate) of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan during the period of Regent Rule (1199–1333). It’s important not ...
'' and ruling
Shikken
The was a titular post held by a member of the Hōjō clan, officially a regent of the shogunate, from 1199 to 1333, during the Kamakura period, and so he was head of the ''bakufu'' (shogunate). It was part of the era referred to as .
During rou ...
(regent) of Japan's
Kamakura shogunate
The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459.
The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no ...
; the rulers that followed were his puppets. A member of the
Hōjō clan, he was the son of
Hōjō Sadatoki
was the ninth ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate (reigned 1284–1301), and '' tokusō'' (''de facto'' ruler of Japan) from his appointment as regent until his death.
Born to the regent Tokimune and his wife from the Adachi family ...
, and was preceded as ''shikken'' by
Hōjō Morotoki
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du Japon,'' pp. 278-279. was the tenth ''Shikken'' (1301–1311) of the Kamakura shogunate.
References
1275 births
1311 deaths
Hōjō clan
People of Kamakura-period Japan
{{Japan- ...
.
Biography
Takatoki became regent at the age of eight, and thus actual power was held for a time by
Adachi Tokiaki, his grandmother, and
Nagasaki Takasuke
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...
, a minister assigned to him. Takatoki fell ill in 1326, at the age of twenty-three, some time after having taken power himself; the shogunate was under attack at this time, and would fall within a few years. Takatoki retired and became a Buddhist monk, though he still held some influence at shogunate. That same year, the shogunal government asked
Emperor Go-Daigo
Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 ''Go-Daigo-tennō'') (26 November 1288 – 19 September 1339) was the 96th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後醍醐天皇 (96) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order ...
to abdicate in favor of his successor, in order to continue the tradition of
cloistered rule
was a form of government in Japan during the Heian period. In this bifurcated system, an emperor abdicated, but retained power and influence. Those retired emperors who withdrew to live in monasteries (''in'') continued to act in ways intended to ...
and the alternation of branches of the Imperial family within the line of succession; Go-Daigo chose to maintain rule, and the ensuing controversy would lead to the
Nanboku-chō Wars in which agents of the two Imperial branch families would come to outright war.
George Sansom
Sir George Bailey Sansom (28 November 1883 – 8 March 1965) was a British diplomat and historian of pre-modern Japan, particularly noted for his historical surveys and his attention to Japanese society and culture.
Early life
Sansom was born ...
thus describes this move on the part of the shogunate a "fatal blunder" and describes Takatoki as "scarcely sane. His judgement was poor, his conduct erratic. He indulged in extremes of luxury and debauch". Upon retirement, he handed over his duties to "certain unworthy deputies". In 1331, as events began to come to a boil, Takatoki argued with his advisor Nagasaki over how to react to the
Burei-kō plot, in which members of the
Hino clan
Hino may refer to:
Places Estonia
* Hino, Põlva County
* Hino, Võru County
** Lake Hino
Japan
* Hino, Shiga
* Hino, Tokyo
* Hino, Tottori
** Hino District, Tottori
** Hino River
Transportation
* Hino Motors, a Japanese truck manufacturer o ...
, loyal to Go-Daigo, conspired against the shogunate. This was but one of many events leading up to the outbreak of war, and the conflicts within the shogunal administration, between Takatoki and others, meant slow reactions and inadequate handling of such situations.
Ashikaga Takauji
was the founder and first '' shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Murom ...
would soon be placed in command of the shogunate's armies, to be mobilized against Go-Daigo's supporters; strongly supported by Takatoki, while this support and trust was misplaced, for Takauji would soon use these same armies against Kamakura, tearing down the
Minamoto
was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during th ...
/Hōjō government and establishing his own
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669.
The Ashikaga shogunate was establi ...
.
Takatoki committed suicide alongside his family during the 1333
Siege of Kamakura, one of the most dramatic events of that war, when forces of
Nitta Yoshisada
was a samurai lord of the Nanboku-chō period Japan. He was the head of the Nitta clan in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period. He famously marched on Kamakura, besieging ...
set fire to
Kamakura, putting an end to the Kamakura shogunate.
[Sansom, George (1963). "A history of Japan 1334–1615." Eight Printing (1993). Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, ] His oldest son,
Hojo Kunitoki
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 ...
was killed in
Siege of Kamakura and his second son
Hojo Tokiyuki was the last son of
Hojo Clan
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 ...
. Takatoki's brother
Hojo Yasuei helped
Hojo Tokiyuki after his father's suicide.
Popular culture
*Takatoki was portrayed by
Tsurutaro Kataoka
is a Japanese television personality, actor, artist, and former professional boxer. For his role in the 1988 film ''The Discarnates'', he won the award for best supporting actor at the 31st Blue Ribbon Awards, at the 13th Hochi Film Award, and at ...
in the 1991
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
"
Taiheiki
The (Chronicle of Great Peace) is a Japanese historical epic (see '' gunki monogatari'') written in the late 14th century and covers the period from 1319 to 1367. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Taiheiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', pp. 923 ...
".
*He also appears as a boy in the 2001 taiga drama "Hojō Tokimune", portrayed by
Yosuke Asari.
References
* Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
* Sansom, George (1961). "A History of Japan: 1334-1615." Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hojo, Takatoki
Takatoki
People of Kamakura-period Japan
1303 births
1333 deaths
Regents of Japan