was a Japanese politician who exercised significant power in the early years of the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle b ...

, which was reflected by her contemporary sobriquet of the "nun shogun". She was the wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and mother of Minamoto no Yoriie and Minamoto no Sanetomo, the first, second and third shoguns of the

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 ...

, respectively. She was the eldest daughter of

Hōjō Tokimasa was a Japanese samurai lord who was the first ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was ''shikken'' from 1203 until his abdication in 1205, and Protector of Kyoto from 1185 to 1186. Background The H� ...

and sister of

Hōjō Yoshitoki was the second Hōjō ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was the second son of Hōjō Tokimasa. He was ''shikken'' from the abdication of his father Tokimasa in 1205 until his death in 1224. Early ...

, both of them ''shikken'' of the Kamakura shogunate.

Early life to marriage (1156–1182)

Hōjō Masako er real name is unknown, she was called Masako after her father's name Tokimasa by later researcherswas born in 1156, eldest child of

, leader of the influential

Hōjō clan The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this period ...

of Izu province, and his wife, Hōjō no Maki. Masako's parents were still in their teens, so she was raised by many ladies-in-waiting and nannies. Masako was born into a world of war and strife. In

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...

, the capital of Japan, the Hōgen Rebellion was in full swing. Cloistered Emperor Toba and Emperor Sutoku warred over who would be the next emperor. The

wisely chose to stay out of the rebellion, even though the Hōjō family was descended from the Taira clan and thus was related to the imperial family. During the Heiji Rebellion in 1159, the Taira clan under Taira no Kiyomori, defeated 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 the ...

clan with the support of Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa. Minamoto no Yoshitomo, leader of the

clan, was executed while his sons and daughters were either executed or sent to nunneries. Of his surviving sons, Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Noriyori were forced into priesthood, while Minamoto no Yoritomo, at the age of thirteen, was exiled to Izu in the domain of

. While this was happening, Masako was barely an infant. The Taira under Kiyomori now were in successful control of Japan. Masako was the oldest child of fifteen. She was instructed in horseback riding, hunting, fishing, and she ate with men rather than with the women of the household. Her brother,

, was born in 1163 would eventually become the second Hōjō ''

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 ro ...

'' (regent) of the

and head of the

. Another of her brothers,

Hōjō Tokifusa was a member of Japan's Hōjō clan of nobles and courtiers; the brother of Hōjō Yoshitoki, shogunal regent, Tokifusa was appointed to the Kyoto-based government post of ''Rokuhara Tandai'' upon its creation in 1221, following the Jōkyū War. ...

, would become a member of the '' Rokuhara Tandai.'' Masako married Yoritomo around 1177, against her father's wishes. In 1179, they had their first daughter, Ō-Hime. As Yoritomo's wife, she participated in the government administration and eventually became a representation of power for men of the

. The same year a disillusioned Imperial Prince Mochihito, son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, called on the Minamoto members remaining in Japan to overthrow the Taira. Mochihito thought the Taira had denied him the throne to offer the throne to Emperor Antoku, who was half Taira. Minamoto no Yoshitomo oshitomo has been executed many years earlier; this must be a mistake for "Yoritomo"considered himself the head of the Minamoto and responded. He had the full support of the Hōjō and

, not to mention Masako. The Minamoto center was at the city of Kamakura, to the east of Izu in Sagami Province. Thus, the Genpei War, the final war between Minamoto and Taira had begun. In 1180, Masako's elder brother Munetoki was killed at

Battle of Ishibashiyama The was the first in which Minamoto no Yoritomo, who became ''shōgun'' less than a decade later, was commander of the Minamoto forces. The battle was fought on September 14, 1180, in the southwest of present-day Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, ...

and Yoshitoki became heir of Hōjō clan. In 1181, Taira no Kiyomori died, leaving the Taira in the hands of his son Taira no Munemori. In 1182, Masako and Yoritomo had their first son, Minamoto no Yoriie, who would be the heir.

The Genpei War and its aftermath (1182–1199)

In 1183, Yoritomo's rival and cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka took

, forcing the Taira (and Emperor Antoku) to Shikoku. Quickly, Emperor Go-Toba was installed by the Minamoto. Nonetheless, Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Noriyori, Yoritomo's half brothers who had joined Yoritomo drove Yoshinaka out and executed him, and took Kyoto in the name of Yoritomo (and the Hōjō.) By 1185, the Taira were completely defeated at the

Battle of Dan-no-ura The was a major sea battle of the Genpei War, occurring at Dan-no-ura, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshū. On April 25, 1185 (or March 24, 1185 by the official page of Shimonoseki City), the fleet of the Minamoto clan ...

. Munemori was executed, while the remaining Taira either were executed or drowned, including the young Emperor Antoku. Minamoto no Yoritomo was now the undisputed leader of Japan. Hōjō Masako and her family had stood by Yoritomo through it all. She rode with him on his campaigns and was never defeated in battle. His new allegiance to his wife's family and her dislike of her brothers-in-law, as well as an internal power struggle brought up by the three brothers, eventually resulted in the arrest and execution of Yoshitsune and Noriyori. Yoritomo even created new titles, such as

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

and jitō, which Hōjō Tokimasa received approval from Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa in Kyoto. The capital was not moved to Kyoto, but remained away from the court in Kamakura. In 1192, Yoritomo was named ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamaku ...

'' by Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa, who died later that year. He was now the most powerful man in Japan, and gave that power over to Masako and the Hōjō clan. That same year Masako and Yoritomo had another son, Minamoto no Sanetomo.

Yoritomo's death and familial strife (1199–1205)

In 1199, Minamoto no Yoritomo died. He was succeeded as ''shōgun'' by his son, Minamoto no Yoriie. Since he was only eighteen,

proclaimed himself ''shikken'' or regent for Yoriie. Masako also had a strong position since her son was ''shōgun''. Since her husband was dead, she shaved her head and became a Buddhist nun, receiving a tonsure from the priest Gyōyū. However, she did not take up residence in a monastery or a nunnery, and still involved herself in politics. Along with her father Tokimasa and her brother Yoshitoki, Masako created a council of regents for the eighteen-year-old Yoriie. The headstrong ''shōgun'' hated his mother's family and preferred his wife's family, the

Hiki clan The Hiki clan (比企氏, ''Hiki-shi'') was a Japanese samurai family descending from the Fujiwara clan. As close retainers of shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, they served the Kamakura shogunate during the early Kamakura period, wielding considera ...

, and his father-in-law,

Hiki Yoshikazu was a Japanese samurai lord and a powerful ''gokenin'' of the Kamakura Shogunate during the Kamakura period. He was related to the ruling Minamoto clan through his daughter's marriage. He, and much of the Hiki clan, were killed for allegedly co ...

. Hōjō Masako overheard a plot that Yoshikazu and Yoriie were hatching, and turned in her own son to Tokimasa, who did not hurt Yoriie but had Yoshikazu executed in 1203. Now, ''Shōgun'' Yoriie was very sick and retired to Izu Province. He was murdered in 1204, no doubt by Tokimasa's orders. Masako had not been aware of this. During the murders and purges of the Hiki clan, Minamoto no Ichiman, Yoriie's eldest son and heir and Masako's grandson, was also executed since he was part Hiki himself. In 1203, Masako's other son by Yoritomo, Minamoto no Sanetomo, became the third ''shōgun'' with Tokimasa as regent. Sanetomo was closer to his mother than his elder brother was, and still a child when appointed ''shōgun'', by contrast his brother, who was forced to abdicate as ''shōgun'' was now an adult. Nonetheless, Masako and Yoshitoki, the heir to the Hōjō, were angry with their father, especially after their mother, Hōjō no Maki, died in 1204. Masako's sister's husband, Hatakeyama Shigetada, was wrongfully executed on Tokimasa's orders even after Yoshitoki, Masako, and Tokifusa told Tokimasa he was not guilty of the "treason" charges. Hōjō Tokimasa was by 1205 the most powerful man in Kamakura. Masako heard rumors that Tokimasa was planning to execute Sanetomo and replace him with one of his allies, so Masako and Yoshitoki immediately ordered Tokimasa to step down and go into priesthood or they would rebel. Hōjō Tokimasa abdicated in 1205, and was sent off to a monastery in Kamakura, where he shaved his head and became a monk, dying in 1215.

The later years (1205–1225)

Tokimasa was ousted in 1205 when Minamoto no Sanetomo became ''shōgun.'' The position of the

was still secure. Masako's brother,

, succeeded as ''

'' for Sanetomo, and Masako herself remained in a powerful position as a negotiator with the court. In 1218, Masako was awarded the court rank of

Junior Second Rank The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state. ''Ikai'' as a system was originally used in the Ritsuryo system, which was the poli ...

by the imperial government. She continued to work towards the creation of an advisory council. During this time, she was sent by Regent Yoshitoki on a mission to the Cloistered Emperor Go-Toba, to ask if Minamoto no Sanetomo might adopt one of the emperor's sons as an heir. The emperor refused. In 1219, Sanetomo was killed by his nephew

Kugyō is the collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre- Meiji eras. The term generally referred to the and court officials and denoted a court rank between First Rank and Third Rank un ...

, son of his murdered elder brother Yoriie. Sanetomo's death marked the end of the Minamoto line of ''shōguns''. Masako and

selected Kujō Yoritsune, known as Fujiwara no Yoritsune, as the next ''shōgun''. Because Yoritsune was still an infant, Masako was able to act as de facto ''shōgun'' until her death. Yoritsune belonged to the Kujō clan (itself part of the

Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

) but his grandmother was the niece of first ''shōgun'' Yoritomo. This meant that whilst he was not strictly a member of the

he was still a figurehead for them. During the Jōkyū War of 1221, Go-Toba rebelled against the Hōjō. Kamakura was greatly upset by that news, but Masako is said to have calmed it down with her celebrated speech to Kamakura vassals. '' Azuma Kagami'', the official chronicle of the Kamakura shogunate, tells that Masako summoned the vassals and had these words delivered to them by

Adachi Kagemori Adachi Kagemori (安達景盛) (died 1248) was a Japanese warrior. He was part of the Adachi clan, and then he joined the Hojo clan Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickna ...

, the Vice-Governor of Akita Fortress: Regent Yoshitoki and his eldest son,

Hōjō Yasutoki Hōjō Yasutoki (; 1183 – July 14, 1242) was the third '' shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. He strengthened the political system of the Hōjō regency. Life He was the eldest son of second ''shikken'' Hōjō Yoshitoki. A ...

, responded to the rebellion by regaining Kyoto,resulting in the exile of Go-Toba. Masako continued to consolidate rule under the advisory council, manage relationships and connections between imperial and aristocratic families, and administer judgments and postwar rewards. In an era that acknowledged the authority and legitimacy of women in rule, Masako's dominance enabled the

to dominate the Kamakura Shogunate until the downfall of the government in 1333. Hōjō Masako died in 1225 at the age of 69. Due to her lifestyle 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 ...

, she was known as the ''ama-shōgun'', or the "nun-''shōgun''". ''Azuma Kagami'' portrayed her as a peer of Empress Lü in China and

Empress Jingū was a legendary Japanese empress who ruled as a regent following her husband's death in 200 AD. Both the ''Kojiki'' and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events that took place during Jingū's alleged lifetime. Leg ...

of Japan.

In Fiction

* Shima Iwashita played Hōjō Masako in Kusa Moeru, the 1979 Taiga drama. *Masako is played by Eiko Koike in

The 13 Lords of the Shogun is a Japanese historical drama television series starring Shun Oguri as Hōjō Yoshitoki. The series is the 61st NHK taiga drama. Cast Starring role *Shun Oguri as Hōjō Yoshitoki. Kōki Mitani pointed out some similarities between him and ...

, the 2022 Taiga drama.

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Samurai Archives: Hojo Masako

History Detective Podcast: The Nun Shogun Hōjō Masako
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hojo, Masako 1150s births 1225 deaths 12th-century Buddhist nuns 12th-century Japanese women 12th-century women rulers 13th-century Buddhist nuns 13th-century Japanese women 13th-century women rulers

Masako Masako (written: , , or in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * *, (1888–1940), 6th daughter of Emperor Meiji *, Japanese long-distance runner * Masako Ebisu (born 1945), Japanese voice actress * ...

Japanese Buddhist nuns Japanese women in warfare Minamoto clan People of Kamakura-period Japan People of Heian-period Japan Women in 12th-century warfare Women of medieval Japan