was a Japanese ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominal ...

'' of the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

. He was the 10th head of the

Imagawa clan was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji by way of the Kawachi Genji. It was a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Ashikaga clan. Origins Ashikaga Kuniuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji, established himself in ...

of Suruga Province. Ujichika was the son of

Imagawa Yoshitada was the father of the famed Imagawa Ujichika and the 9th head of the Imagawa clan. Yoshitada spent most of his time invading Tōtōmi Province, attacking the Katsumada and Yokota clans. However, after Yoshitada thought he had destroyed the cl ...

. He was the husband of

Jukei-ni Jukei-ni (寿桂尼, d. April 11, 1568) was a Japanese noble lady who acted as the power behind the throne or ''de facto'' daimyo of the Imagawa clan during the Sengoku period. She was born in the aristocrat Nakamikado Family of Kyoto. Jukei-ni was ...

Biography

In 1476, Ujichika father, Yoshitada, invaded

Tōtōmi Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today western Shizuoka Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tōtōmi''" in . Tōtōmi bordered on Mikawa, Suruga and Shinano Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . The or ...

and defeated the Katsumada and Yokota clans. On the return to Suruga, however, he was waylaid at Shiokaizaka and was attacked and killed by the remnants of the two families. A succession dispute between supporters of Yoshitada's infant son, Ujichika, and Yoshitada cousin Oshika Norimitsu developed.

Uesugi Sadamasa 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 Ja ...

and Ashikaga Masatomo became involved.

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 ...

proposed that until Ujichika had his coming of age ceremony, Oshika Norimitsu act as regent in his name. This averted armed conflict within the Imagawa, at least temporarily. However, when Ujichika turned 17, Norimitsu would not turn over control of the Imagawa clan to him, and hostilities resumed.

attacked Norimitsu's mansion on Ujichika's behalf and once Norimitsu was defeated, Ujichika assumed his position as head of the clan. He gave asylum to

Ashikaga Yoshizumi was the 11th ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1494 to 1508 during the Muromachi period of Japan. He was the son of Ashikaga Masatomo and grandson of the sixth ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshinori.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). His chi ...

after the latter fled Kyoto in 1491 and afterwards escorted him back. Ujichika was a capable leader, he spent much time campaigning in Tōtōmi and Mikawa, strengthening the position of the Imagawa on the Tokai Coast. His general, Fukushima Hyōgo, 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 Tak ...

at 'Battle of Iidagawara' in 1521. He died of illness in 1526 and was succeeded by his eldest son

Imagawa Ujiteru was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who ruled the Imagawa clan of Suruga Province. His childhood name was Ryuomaru (竜王丸). His father was Imagawa Ujichika and his mother was Jukei-ni (d. 1568). He was the brother of Imagawa ...

. Ujichika is remembered for sending three of his six sons to various temples to become monks and for building Nagoya Castle in Owari in 1525 – both of which were considered somewhat unusual, the latter because the Imagawa had only the most tenuous of holds over Owari Province.

Legislative Acts

Ujichika composed the Imagawa house code, the

Imagawa Kana Mokuroku was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji by way of the Kawachi Genji. It was a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Ashikaga clan. Origins Ashikaga Kuniuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji, established himself in th ...

, in 1526. Clauses included such stipulations as the punishment for unlawful entry of another's residence (article 7), the imposition of capital punishment in violent quarrels between retainers (article 8), the accountability of the parents of children (of retainers) involved in fights (article 11), regulations concerning the private sale and leasing of land (articles 13–15), debt repayment (article 17), and forbidding retainers of the Imagawa to arrange marriages with houses outside the Imagawa domain (article 30).

Family

* Father:

* Mother: Lady Kitagawa * Wife:

(d. 1568) * Concubine: Fukushima Masanari’s daughter * Children: **

by Jukei-ni ** Imagawa Hikogoro (d.1536) by Jukei-ni ** Genkō Etan (1517–1536) by Fukushima Masanari’s daughter ** Shōji Senjō (1518–1588) **

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as . he was one of the three ''daimyōs'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become S ...

by Jukei-ni ** Imagawa Ujitoyo (b. 1522) ** Tokuzo-in married

Kira Yoshitaka Kira may refer to: People * Kira clan, a Japanese clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) * Kira (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Kira Chikazane (1563–1588), Japanese retainer * Kira (German singer) (Janin ...

** Zuikei-in married

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 ...

** daughter married

Ogasawara Haruyoshi Ogasawara (written: 小笠原) is a Japanese surname. It may also refer to: Locations * Ogasawara Islands, also known as the Bonin Islands, an archipelago of over 30 islands about 1000 km south of Tokyo, Japan * Ogasawara National Park, an i ...

** daughter married

Matsudaira Chikayoshi ; (January 10, 1829 – November 11, 1886) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period who served as daimyō of the Funai Domain (Bungo Province, 21,000 koku). Served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa Shogunate, including that of wak ...

later married Udono Nagamochi ** daughter married

Nakamikado Nobutsuna was the 114th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 中御門天皇 (114)/ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 118. Nakamikado's birth nam ...

** daughter married Sena Ujitoshi ** daughter married Sekiguchi Chikanaga (Sena Yoshihiro) ** daughter married Otani Yoshihide

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imagawa, Ujichika Daimyo 1473 births 1526 deaths Imagawa clan Military engineers