Hōjō Ujiyasu
| Hōjō Ujiyasu | |
|---|---|
Hōjō Ujiyasu in the painting
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| Native name | 北条 氏康 |
| Nickname(s) | Lion of Sagami |
| Born | 1515 |
| Died | October 21, 1571 (aged 55 or 56) Odawara Castle, Sagami Province, Japan |
| Allegiance | Late Hōjō clan |
| Rank | Lord (Daimyō) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Relations |
Father: Hōjō Ujitsuna Mother: Yōjuin-dono |
Hōjō Ujiyasu (北条 氏康?, 1515 – October 21, 1571) was the son of Hōjō Ujitsuna (北条 氏綱) and a daimyō (warlord) of the Odawara Hōjō clan. His only known wife was Imagawa Yoshimoto's sister, Suikeiin.
Upon his father's death in 1541, a number of the Hōjō's enemies sought to take advantage of the opportunity to seize major Hōjō strongholds. Two Uyesugi factions united with the Koga Kubo cause and attacked Kawagoye in 1542 in a night engagement still celebrated in Japanese military annals. "The result was the complete defeat of the Uyesugi forces and the Koga contingent. From that date the Go-Hojo (Later Hojo) as they were called, went on to further triumphs, beginning with the destruction of the Uesugi family."
Ōgigayatsu Tomosada tried unsuccessfully to take Edo Castle (江戸城), and a few years later, in 1545, an army led by Ashikaga Haruuji (足利 晴氏) and Uesugi Norimasa (上杉 憲政) besieged Kawagoe Castle (see Siege of Kawagoe (1545)).Hōjō Tsunashige (北条 綱成), the stepson of Ujiyasu's brother Tamemasa (北条 為昌) and son-in-law of Ujitsuna, was outnumbered 3,000 to allegedly 80,000, and Ujiyasu led a relief force of 8,000 soldiers. Ujiyasu slipped a samurai past the enemy lines to inform Tsunashige of the enemy's approach, and made use of ninja to learn of the enemy's strategy and attitude. Using this intelligence, he led a night attack against the Ashikaga/Uesugi force. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Hōjō army defeated the besiegers because, under Ujiyasu's orders, they were not bulked down by heavy armor, and were not slowed down by seeking to take heads. This battle proved the end of the Ōgigayatsu Uesugi (扇谷上杉家) line and destroyed the prestige of Norimasa of the Yamanouchi Uesugi clan (山内上杉家) as the Governor-General of Kantō region (Kantō kanrei (関東管領?)), until Uesugi Kenshin (上杉 謙信), who had subsequently been adopted by Norimasa, assumed the post in 1561.
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