was the son of

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, gain ...

, 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 Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, of Japan's main island).

Biography

In 1524, Ujitsuna took

Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established the ...

, which was controlled by

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 ...

, thus beginning a long-running rivalry between the Hōjō and

Uesugi 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 ...

families. In 1526, Hojo Ujitsuna was defeated by

Takeda Nobutora was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) who controlled the Province of Kai, and fought in a number of battles of the Sengoku period. He was the father of the famous Takeda Shingen. Biography Nobutora’s son was Harunobu, later known as Take ...

in the

Battle of Nashinokidaira The 1526 battle of Nashinokidaira (梨の木平の戦い) was one of many battles fought between the Takeda and Hōjō clans in Japan's Sengoku period. On 8 July of that year, the battle was won by Takeda Nobutora over Hōjō Ujitsuna was th ...

. Later, the Uesugi attacked and burned

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is a cultural center of the city of Kamakura and serves as the venue of many of its most important festivals with two museums. For most of its ...

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 ...

, 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) The 1333 siege of Kamakura was a battle of the Genkō War, and marked the end of the power of the Hōjō clan, which had dominated the regency of the Kamakura shogunate for over a century. Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo and led by Nitta Yoshis ...

. (Ujitsuna soon started rebuilding Tsurugaoka Hachimangū and was completed in 1540.) In 1530, his son Ujiyasu defeated Uesugi Tomooki in 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 p ...

. The Uesugi attacked Edo again in 1535, when Ujitsuna was away fighting the

Takeda is a Japanese family name.1990 Census Name Files< ...

; however, Ujitsuna returned and defeated Uesugi Tomooki reclaiming his lands. When Uesugi Tomooki died in 1537, Ujitsuna took the opportunity to occupy

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, S ...

and seize

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 ...

to secure his control of the Kantō. In 1538, Ujitsuna then went on to win the battle of Kōnodai, securing

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 ...

for the Hōjō. In 1539, he defeated the Koga Kubo Yoshiaki (Oyumi Kubo) and gained control of

Awa Province (Chiba) was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Awa no Kuni''" in . It lies on the tip of the Bōsō Peninsula (房総半島), whose name takes its first ''kanji'' from the name of Awa Pro ...

. 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 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 ...

and Edo. He was succeeded as head of the Hōjō clan and lord of Odawara by his son

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 ...

Family

* Father:

Hojo Soun 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 ...

* Younger Brother: Hōjō Genan * Mother: Nan’nyoin-dono * Wife: Yojuin-dono * Concubine: Konoe-dono * Children: **

Hojo Ujiyasu 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 ...

by Yojuin-dono **

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 ...

(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

*Turnbull, Stephen (2002). 'War in Japan: 1467–1615'. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hojo, Ujitsuna 1487 births 1541 deaths Go-Hōjō clan