＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・2022年大河ドラマの主人公北条義時は、鎌倉殿の13人の覇者で北条得宗家の祖
Many founders of shogunate powers, such as Taira no Kiyomori of the Taira clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo of the Minamoto clan, Ashikaga Takauji of the Muromachi shogunate, and Tokugawa Ieyasu of the Edo shogunate, were famous warlords who became “leaders of the samurai class” or “shoguns.” However, most people probably don’t know much about Hojo Yoshitoki, the founder of the Hojo Tokuso family.
Now that Hojo Yoshitoki has been chosen as the protagonist of the 2022 NHK Taiga drama “The 13 Lords of Kamakura,” I think he will attract more attention.
Therefore, in this article, I would like to introduce Hojo Yoshitoki in an easy-to-understand way who he was and what kind of life he led.
1. What are the “Thirteen Lords of Kamakura”?
The “Thirteen Lords of Kamakura” refer to the samurai who formed the “Council of Thirteen,” a collective leadership system of the Kamakura Shogunate established after the death of Minamoto no Yoritomo. This system was the prototype of the “Hyojoshu” (Council of State) established in 1225.
When Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199) died suddenly in 1199, his eldest son, Minamoto no Yoriie (1182-1204), was appointed to the position of Left Middle Captain at the young age of 17. He received an imperial decree from the court appointing him as governor of various provinces, and succeeded Yoritomo as the second Lord of Kamakura.
Initially, Yoriie conducted government affairs with the assistance of Oe no Hiromoto and others, but eventually, he was prohibited from directly adjudicating lawsuits. The reasons for this include theories that Yoriie made arbitrary decisions disregarding established customs, and that it stemmed from dissatisfaction and resistance among powerful samurai against Yoriie’s close retainers (Oe no Hiromoto, Nakahara Chikayoshi, and Kajiwara Kagetoki) who sought to lead the government by supporting Yoriie.
As a result, decisions were made by a council of 13 influential figures.
However, this “Council of 13” disintegrated in 1199 when Kajiwara Kagetoki fell from power, and in 1200 when Adachi Morinaga and Miura Yoshizumi died of illness. Ultimately, Yoriie’s regime collapsed after a power struggle.
* Ōe Hiromoto: Head of the Public Office (Kumonjo) ⇒ Head of the Mandokoro (Administrative Office)
* Miyoshi Yasunobu: Steward of the Inquiry Office (Monchūjo)
* Nakahara Chikayoshi: Member of the Public Office (Kumonjo) ⇒ Commissioner of Public Affairs (Mandokoro), Kyoto Guardian
* Nikaidō Yukimasa: Head of the Mandokoro (Administrative Office) ⇒ Steward of the Mandokoro
* Kajiwara Kagetoki: Director of the Samurai-dokoro (Board of Retainers) ⇒ Head of the Samurai-dokoro, Guardian of Harima and Mimasaka (Lost in the “Kajiwara Kagetoki Incident” of 1199)
* Adachi Tōmoto: Member of the Public Office (Kumonjo)
* Adachi Morinaga: Guardian of Mikawa (In 1200) (Died of illness)
* Hatta Tomoie: Governor of Hitachi Province
* Hiki Yoshikazu: Governor of Shinano and Kōzuke Provinces (Assassinated in the “Hiki Yoshikazu Incident” of 1203)
* Hōjō Tokimasa: Governor of Izu, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces (Exiled in the “Maki Clan Incident” of 1205)
* Hōjō Yoshitoki: Member of the Imperial Guard
* Miura Yoshizumi: Governor of Sagami Province (Died of illness in 1200)
* Wada Yoshimori: Head of the Samurai-dokoro (Destroyed in the “Wada Rebellion” of 1213)
2. Who was Hōjō Yoshitoki?
Hojo Yoshitoki (1163-1224) was a samurai warrior from the late Heian period to the early Kamakura period, and the second regent of the Kamakura Shogunate.
In 1219, the third shogun, Minamoto no Sanetomo (1192-1219), was assassinated by Yoriie’s son, Kugyo (1200-1219), marking the end of the first three Minamoto shoguns of the Kamakura Shogunate. Hojo Yoshitoki, the “Tokuso” (*), became the de facto ruler of the Kamakura Shogunate.
(*) “Tokuso” refers to the head family of the Hojo clan of the Kamakura Shogunate.
As the conflict between the shogunate and the imperial court intensified, in 1221, Emperor Go-Toba issued an imperial decree throughout the country ordering the pursuit and elimination of Hojo Yoshitoki, declaring him an “enemy of the court.”
However, the shogunate forces advanced on Kyoto, seized control of the imperial court, deposed Emperor Chūkyō, and exiled three retired emperors. The exiled emperors were Emperor Go-Toba (Oki Island), Emperor Juntoku (Sado Island), and Emperor Tsuchimikado (Tosa Province). This is known as the Jōkyū War.
(1) Early Life and Youth
① Early Life
Hōjō Yoshitoki (1163-1224) was born the second son of Hōjō Tokimasa (1138-1215), a local powerful family in Izu Province. He was the younger brother of Hōjō Masako (1157-1225), who later became the wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo. Other siblings included his older brother Munetoki, younger brothers Tokifusa and Masanori, and sisters Awa no Tsubone and Tokiko.
The Hojo family was a powerful clan loyal to the Taira clan. Tokimasa, the father of Yoshitoki, was in charge of guarding Minamoto no Yoritomo, the legitimate heir of the Minamoto clan, who had been exiled to Izu after his defeat in the Heiji Rebellion.
While his father was away, Yoritomo and Masako fell in love, but Tokimasa strongly opposed it. Initially, Tokimasa opposed it out of fear of the Taira clan, but eventually he approved of their relationship, and they married when Yoshitoki was 15 years old.
Tokimasa may have had a far-sighted plan: to raise the family’s status by forming a marital alliance with the legitimate heir of the Minamoto clan, and eventually support Yoritomo to overthrow the Taira clan.
② Youth
In 1180, Prince Mochihito, the third son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, and Minamoto no Yorimasa planned an uprising to overthrow the Taira clan. They issued an imperial decree (the Mochihito Decree) urging revolts to the Minamoto clans and major temples and shrines throughout the country. This was known as the “Mochihito Rebellion” (also called the “Mochihito Revolt” or “Minamoto no Yorimasa’s Rebellion”).
He, along with his father Tokimasa and older brother Munetoki, followed Yoritomo’s rebellion. Yoritomo, along with powerful local lords who supported him, attacked and killed Yamaki Kanetaka, the “Mokudai” (deputy governor) of Izu Province, in an attempt to reclaim control of the region.
Incidentally, Yamaki Kanetaka was the man Tokimasa initially considered as a potential husband for his daughter, Masako.
However, Yoritomo suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Ishibashiyama against the forces of Oba Kagechika and Ito Sukechika, who were trying to suppress him. Yoritomo, Tokimasa, and Yoshitoki were separated and barely escaped with their lives, but Munetoki was killed in battle.
Afterward, Yoritomo, Tokimasa, and Yoshitoki reunited and, while seeking to rebuild their forces, Tokimasa received a secret mission from Yoritomo to win over the Kai Minamoto clan. He traveled to Kai with Yoshitoki. They then jointly invaded Suruga, successfully coordinating their efforts, and were rewarded by Yoritomo.
In 1181, Yoshitoki was selected as one of the 11 guards protecting Yoritomo’s bedchamber. These personal retainers and bodyguards of Yoritomo were called “Ienoko” (house children), positioned between “Mon’yō” (relatives of the Minamoto clan) and “ordinary vassals,” and Yoshitoki was considered the “Ienoko’s most elite.”
In 1192, through Yoritomo’s mediation, he married the daughter of Hiki Tomomune, and the following year they had a son, Tomotoki.
While Yoritomo was alive, he did not play a prominent role, but after Yoritomo’s death, as power struggles within the Kamakura Shogunate intensified, he began to rise to prominence.
(2) Struggle for Usurpation of Power
After Yoritomo’s death in 1199, he joined the “Council of Thirteen” to curb the dictatorship of the second shogun, Yoriie, who succeeded him.
① “The Kajiwara Kagetoki Incident” (1199-1200)
Between 1199 and 1200, Kajiwara Kagetoki, a close confidant of Yoriie, was expelled from the shogunate by a joint petition of 66 samurai, resulting in the extinction of his family. This is known as the “Kajiwara Kagetoki Incident.”
② “The Hiki Yoshikazu Incident” (1203)
In 1203, when Yoriie fell ill, Tokimasa summoned Yoriie’s foster father and father-in-law, Hiki Yoshikazu, to his residence and murdered him. He then sent troops to the Kogosho, the residence of Yoriie’s eldest son, Ichiman, and annihilated the Hiki clan.
Next, he deposed Yoriie as shogun and exiled him to Shuzenji in Izu Province. This is known as the “Hiki Yoshikazu Incident.”
Tokimasa then installed Yoriie’s younger brother, the 12-year-old Sanetomo, who had been wet nursed by Tokimasa’s daughter, Awa no Tsubone, as the third shogun. He also assumed the position of head of the Mandokoro (administrative office) alongside Oe no Hiromoto, seizing real power.
Yoriie and his eldest son, Ichiman, were assassinated by Yoshitoki’s forces.
In 1204, Yoshitoki was appointed Governor of Sagami Province.
Up until this period, the Hojo clan’s elimination of powerful samurai was carried out jointly by Tokimasa and his son Yoshitoki. However, the Hatakeyama Shigetada Rebellion of 1205 and the subsequent Maki Incident led to conflict between father and son.
③ The Hatakeyama Shigetada Rebellion (1205)
Tokimasa, slandered by his second wife, Maki no Kata (played by Rie Miyazawa in the historical drama “The 13 Lords of Kamakura,” so please pay attention to her), murdered the highly popular Hatakeyama Shigetada, incurring the resentment of the samurai. Yoshitoki apparently opposed the subjugation of Hatakeyama, claiming that “there is no way he would rebel,” but ultimately, Yoshitoki led a large army and annihilated Hatakeyama Shigetada.
④ The Maki Incident (1205)
Around the same time, Tokimasa and Maki no Kata attempted to depose Sanetomo and install Hiraga Tomomasa, Yoritomo’s adopted son, as the new shogun.
Although their aim was to seize power, Tokimasa and Maki no Kata’s forceful methods provoked resentment from their relatives, including Hojo Masako and Yoshitoki.
When Yoshitoki welcomed Sanetomo, who was staying at Tokimasa’s residence, into his own home, most of the samurai who had sided with Tokimasa also sided with Yoshitoki, causing the conspiracy to completely fail.
Incidentally, there is a theory that Tokimasa himself was reluctant to assassinate his own grandson, Sanetomo, and that it was Maki no Kata who was actively involved in the assassination.
⑤ Gaining Real Power in the Shogunate After His Father Tokimasa’s Downfall
Completely isolated and without support within the shogunate, Tokimasa and Maki no Kata were forced to become monks, banished from Kamakura, and retired to Hojo in Izu Province. Hiraga Tomomasa was assassinated in Kyoto on the orders of the shogunate.
In 1205, after banishing his father Tokimasa, Yoshitoki assumed the position of head of the Mandokoro (administrative office) in his father’s place, and seized real power as the highest-ranking official in the shogunate.
(3) Assassination of Minamoto no Sanetomo (1219)
① The Assassination of Minamoto no Sanetomo
In 1219, during the ceremony at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine where he was appointed Minister of the Right, Shogun Sanetomo was assassinated by Yoriie’s son, Kugyo, ending the legitimate line of the Minamoto clan.
Yoshitoki was scheduled to act as Sanetomo’s sword-bearer at the ceremony, but he suddenly complained of feeling unwell and was replaced by Minamoto no Nakaakira, returning to his residence.
As a result, Minamoto no Nakaakira was assassinated along with Sanetomo, while Yoshitoki’s life was spared. Kugyo was then executed on Yoshitoki’s orders.
② The Truth Behind the Assassination of Minamoto no Sanetomo
Based on this incident and the subsequent handling of the situation, there are various theories regarding the truth behind Sanetomo’s assassination, including the theory that “Yoshitoki orchestrated Sanetomo’s assassination from behind the scenes,” the theory that “Yoshitoki and other Kamakura retainers, such as Miura Yoshimura, conspired against Sanetomo, who was strengthening the shogun’s direct rule,” and the theory that “Miura Yoshimura, who opposed the Hojo clan, or Emperor Go-Toba, who desired to overthrow the shogunate, were the masterminds.”
(4) The Establishment of “Regent Politics”
After Sanetomo’s assassination, Yoshitoki attempted to appoint Prince Masanari, son of Emperor Go-Toba, as the next shogun. However, Emperor Go-Toba, who had been in league with Sanetomo, refused, claiming that the Hojo clan was behind Sanetomo’s assassination.
Therefore, Yoshitoki abandoned the idea of a royal shogun and instead appointed Fujiwara no Yoritsune, a distant relative of Yoritomo and a member of the regent family, as the fourth shogun.
Yoritsune was only a little over one year old at the time and not in a position to be immediately appointed Shogun. Therefore, Masako became the “Nun Shogun,” acting as his guardian and acting as the Kamakura Shogun. In this way, the “regency government” system was established, with Yoshitoki holding real power while assisting in practical matters.
(5) The Jōkyū War (1221)
Meanwhile, Emperor Go-Toba steadily expanded his military strength, gathering troops from various provinces under the guise of a Yabusame (mounted archery) gathering. He purged the pro-Kamakura faction within the cloistered government and raised an army to overthrow the shogunate, issuing an imperial decree throughout the country to pursue and eliminate Yoshitoki.
The authority of the Emperor and the Imperial Court remained significant, creating a difficult situation for the shogunate, and Yoshitoki faced the greatest crisis of his life.
With the shogunate’s vassals unsettled by the prospect of becoming “enemies of the court,” the nun-shogun Masako issued a statement appealing for the favors they had received since the time of Yoritomo, uniting them.
Then the shogunate marched on Kyoto with a massive army of over 190,000 men and achieved a decisive victory against the Emperor’s forces.
Yoshitoki seized control of the Imperial Court, deposed Emperor Chūkyō, and exiled the three emperors who were the ringleaders (Emperor Go-Toba, Emperor Juntoku, and Emperor Tsuchimikado). This is the “Jōkyū War.”
(5) Later Years and Sudden Death
The year after the Jōkyū War, Yoshitoki resigned from his positions as Governor of Mutsu Province and Provisional Chief of the Right Capital District, becoming unemployed.
In 1224, he continued his energetic activities, including holding the 100-day “Taizan Kunfu Festival” to pray for his own health and longevity. However, he died suddenly that same year at the age of 61.
According to the “Azuma Kagami,” the cause of death was beriberi, but this has given rise to speculation such as “rumors that he was poisoned by his second wife, Iga no Kata” (“Meigetsuki”) and “another theory that he was stabbed to death by a close attendant, Kozamurai” (“Hōrekikanki”).
(6) The “Iga Clan Incident” after his death (1224)
Yoshitoki was not the son of the principal wife and suffered from the machinations of his stepmother, Maki no Kata. Therefore, Masako decided that Yoshitoki’s successor should be Yasutoki, the Rokuhara Tandai (military governor).
Meanwhile, Yoshitoki’s second wife, Iga no Kata, plotted to have her son, Hojo Masamura, appointed regent, and sought the cooperation of Miura Yoshimura.
Upon learning of this, Masako went to Miura Yoshimura’s residence and spoke of Yasutoki’s popularity, resulting in Miura Yoshimura pledging his loyalty to Yasutoki.
Masako then banished Iga no Kata to Izu, settling the issue of Yoshitoki’s successor.
The reason why the Hojo Tokuso family, descended from Hojo Yoshitoki, is less well-known than figures like Taira no Kiyomori, Minamoto no Yoritomo, Ashikaga Takauji, and Tokugawa Ieyasu is likely because they were not from the lineage of the Shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, but rather a family that rose to power by overthrowing the Shogun and usurping (or usurping) the government as the “number two” regent.
This could be considered an early example of “gekokujo” (overthrowing one’s superiors by the inferior), a phenomenon prevalent during the Sengoku period.
3. NHK Taiga Drama “The 13 Lords of Kamakura”
“The 13 Lords of Kamakura,” scheduled to air in 2022, is the 61st NHK Taiga drama series. It’s written and scripted by Koki Mitani, and stars Shun Oguri. This is Mitani’s third Taiga drama, following “Shinsengumi!” and “Sanada Maru.”
Set in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods, the drama depicts the power struggles during the Genpei War and the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate, focusing on Hojo Yoshitoki, the victor and founder of the Hojo Tokuso family.
Incidentally, this is reportedly the first Taiga drama to use Arabic numerals in its title.
For information on other characters, please see “A Clear Introduction to the Main Characters, Cast, and Relationships of the NHK Taiga Drama ‘The 13 Lords of Kamakura’.”