Hōjō Tokimasa

Fictional representation of the Hōjō Tokimasa, color woodcut by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi , 1883

Hōjō Tokimasa ( Japanese 北 条 時政 ; * 1138 ; † February 6, 1215 ) was a powerful Japanese feudal prince ( daimyō ) of the Kamakura period . He was the first regent ( Shikken ) of the Kamakura shoguns and head of the Hōjō family and ruled from 1203 until his abdication in 1205 .

Life

Before the Genpei War (1138–1180)

Little is known about the life of Tokimasa before the Genpei War . He was born in 1138 as a member of the Hōjō family in the quiet province of Izu , far from the capital . In 1155 he married Hōjō no Maki , and a year later a daughter named Hōjō Masako was born. As head of the Hōjō family, Tokimasa remained neutral during the constant fighting in western Japan , triggered by an inheritance dispute between Emperor Toba and his son Go-Shirakawa and the power struggle between the Minamoto and Taira families .

After these violent arguments, the Hōgen rebellion and the Heiji rebellion , the Taira triumphed. Many members of the Minamoto family were executed, the two younger sons of the head of the family Minamoto no Yoshitomo , Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Noriyori were sent to a monastery and his eldest son Minamoto no Yoritomo was exiled to the Izu province ruled by Hōjō Tokimasa . In 1163 Tokimasa's first son, Hōjō Yoshitoki, was born . Another son, Hōjō Tokifusa , was probably born in 1165. At first Minamoto no Yoritomo was just one of many exiles, but the ruthlessness of the Taira, especially the brutality of Taira no Kiyomori , angered the country's aristocrats. In 1179 or 1180 Minamoto no Yoritomo married Hōjō Masako, which led to an alliance between the two families. In the same year, Prince Mochihito , a son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, whose claim to the throne had been passed over by the Taira, who instead put their relative, Emperor Antoku on the throne, fled to Izu. Once there, he asked the Minamoto and Hōjō families to support him in the war for the throne. This is how the Genpei War began.

The Genpei War and the founding of the Kamakura Shogunate (1180–1199)

After Minamoto no Yoritomo had established his base in the city of Kamakura , located in Izu, Hōjō Tokimasa became his most important advisor. In 1181 his bitter adversary Taira no Kiyomori died, whereupon his son Taira no Kiyomori took over power. In 1183 Yoritomo's cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka took Kyōto and secured control of the imperial court. However, his brutality led to an uprising by his relatives, led by Yoshitomo. A year later he defeated Yoshinaka in the Battle of Awazu and invaded the capital. In 1185 he defeated the Taira who had fled in the battle of Ichi-no-Tani , which meant the end of the Genpei War.

In 1192, after the birth of his second son Sanetomo , Minamoto no Yoshitomo was appointed the first Shogun by Emperor Go-Shirakawa. As his father-in-law, Hōjō Tokimasa was now in an extraordinarily powerful position.

Intrigue at court and reign as Shikken (1199–1205)

In 1199 Yoritomo died and was inherited by his son Minamoto no Yoriie . Unlike his father, Yoriie did not have a good relationship with Tokimasa and the Hōjō family. Instead, he trusted his own father-in-law, Hiki Yoshikazu . In the same year, a Regency Council, consisting of Hōjō Tokimasa, Hōjō Masako and Hōjō Yoshitoki, was established. After the execution of Kajiwara Kagetoki , the governor of Sagami , Tokimasa was made the hereditary daimyō of Sagami and Ōmi . The conflict between Tokimasa and Hiki Yoshikazu had in the meantime come to a head. Tokimasa took the initiative and had Yoshikazu executed after a joint prayer ceremony. Then he forced Yoriie to abdicate, but had this killed a little later too. Yoshitomo's brother Sanetomo then became the new shogun. Tokimasa became chairman of the council ( 政 所 Mandokoro ) and exercised absolute power together with his ally Oe Hiromoto . His wife Hōjō no Maki probably died at the end of 1204. In the same year he had Hatakeyama Shigetada, a powerful daimyo and competitor, executed along with his family. However, this led to a conflict with his son Yoshitoki.

Abdication, retreat to the monastery and death (1205–1215)

In 1205, Tokimasa planned the execution of Shogun Sanetomo. However, Hōjō Yoshitoki opposed his father and openly threatened rebellion. Tokimasa then resigned from office and retired to a Buddhist monastery. Yoshitoki became the new Shikken and head of the Hōjō family. Hōjō Tokimasa died in 1215 at the old age of 78 in a monastery in Kamakura.

literature

• A History of Japan to 1334 , George Bailey Sansom, 1958, ISBN 0-8047-0523-2 .

Web links

Commons : Hōjō Tokimasa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• For more information (english)

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Hōjō is the family name, Tokimasa the first name.