or Hōjō Tsunanari also known as "Jio

Hachiman In Japanese religion, ''Yahata'' (八幡神, ancient Shinto pronunciation) formerly in Shinto and later commonly known as Hachiman (八幡神, Japanese Buddhist pronunciation) is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements f ...

", was an officer of great skill under the Hōjō clan. The brother in law of

Hōjō Ujiyasu was a ''daimyō'' (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 and Uesugi K ...

. Around the Kantō region, he fought in many battles supporting the Hōjō, also contributing to the expansion of the domain of Hōjō, he was well known for his fighting skill and also an excellent diplomat.

Biography

Tsunashige's childhood name was 'Katsuchiyo'. His father was

Kushima Masashige is a city located in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on November 3, 1954. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 17,457 and a population density of 59.1 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is serve ...

, a vassal of the Imagawa clan. Tsunashige was the stepson of

's brother, Tamemasa, and son-in-law 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, whic ...

. He was fought for Hōjō from 1537 and known as 'Jio Hachiman' (God of worriers with yellow flags) for his soldiers yellow uniforms, along with outstandingly creative banners. Tsunashige was the

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

(castle lord) in command of

Tamanawa Castle was a castle structure in Tamanawa ward of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The adopted brother of Hōjō Ujiyasu, Hōjō Tsunashige was command of the castle. History Hōjō Sōun who had been fighting with the Miura clan built the castle ...

and

Kawagoe Castle is a flatland Japanese castle in the city of Kawagoe, in Japan's Saitama Prefecture. It is the closest castle to Tokyo to be accessible to visitors, as Edo castle is now the Imperial palace, and largely inaccessible. Along with a number of othe ...

. In 1545, during the

Siege of Kawagoe Castle The 1545–1546 was part of a failed attempt by the Uesugi clan to regain Kawagoe Castle from the Later Hōjō clan in the Sengoku period of Japan. Uesugi Tomosada of the Ogigayatsu branch of the Uesugi clan attacking Kawagoe castle, he was jo ...

, despite an overwhelming attacking force, numbering around 85,000, the 3,000 men Kawagoe Castle's garrison under Hōjō Tsunashige, held off the siege until the relief force arrived. He got fame by the siege. In 1564, He fought in the second Battle of Konodai against Satomi Yoshihiro. In 1571, Fukazawa Castle that Tsunashige defended was surrounded by

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 ...

`s large army, Tsunashige held off well but was forced to surrender. Then he withdrew to his

. After the

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 ...

Castle, Tsunashige spent retired life and he died in 1587. Tsunashige's tomb is at Ryūhō-ji Temple near the Tamanawa castle. Hōjō Tsunashige and Tamanawa Hōjōclan

Biography

References

Further reading