Who was this person?
Wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo. After his death she became a nun, was called the "Nun Shogun" and held the Kamakura shogunate together. During the Jōkyū War of 1221 she is said to have rallied wavering vassals by reminding them of Yoritomo’s favours, contributing to the shogunate’s victory.
| Name | Hōjō Masako (北条政子) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1157 – 1225 |
| Period | Late Heian–Kamakura |
| Birthplace | Izu Province (around today’s Izunokuni, Shizuoka) |
| Also known as | the Nun Shogun |
| Main achievements |
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Born the daughter of Hōjō Tokimasa, a chieftain of Izu.
Around this time she wed the exile Minamoto no Yoritomo. Her father, fearing the Taira, tried to marry her to someone else, but she is said to have fled to Yoritomo on a rainy night. In time her father accepted them and backed Yoritomo.
Yoritomo rose against the Taira. During the fighting Masako was sheltered at Izusan Shrine, praying for her husband's safety, and later moved to Kamakura.
She gave birth to her eldest son Yoriie. Around then, learning that Yoritomo favored another woman, she reportedly had the woman's house torn down, showing her fierce side (Kame no Mae incident).
When Yoritomo raged at Shizuka Gozen for dancing her love for Yoshitsune, Masako interceded, it is said, recalling that she had felt the same when she loved the exiled Yoritomo.
In the year Yoritomo became shogun, she gave birth to her second son Sanetomo.
Her eldest daughter Ōhime died of illness. Masako grieved deeply for the girl, who had never recovered after her fiancé was killed on her father's orders.
Yoritomo died and Masako became a Buddhist nun. The 17-year-old Yoriie succeeded, but government was to proceed through a council of thirteen leading vassals.
The Hiki, family of Yoriie's wife, clashed with the Hōjō and were destroyed. Yoriie was removed as shogun and sent to Shuzen-ji in Izu, where he lost his life the next year. The 11-year-old Sanetomo became shogun, and her father Tokimasa became regent (shikken).
Her father Tokimasa and his second wife Maki no Kata plotted to oust Sanetomo (Maki Incident). With her brother Yoshitoki, Masako protected Sanetomo and forced their father into retirement in Izu.
Shogun Sanetomo was struck down at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū by Kugyō, Yoriie's son. Masako had now lost her husband and all her children. The Minamoto line of shoguns ended after three generations, and the infant Fujiwara no Yoritsune was brought from Kyoto. As his guardian Masako ran the government and was called the "Nun Shogun".
Retired Emperor Go-Toba raised troops to topple the shogunate. Before the wavering vassals, Masako reportedly declared, "Lord Yoritomo's favor is higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea." United, the vassals defeated the retired emperor's side, and shogunal power extended to the west.
When her brother Yoshitoki died, a succession dispute threatened (Iga Incident). Acting swiftly, Masako installed her nephew Yasutoki as regent and steadied the shogunate.
She died at 68. Though she lost her husband and children, she protected the shogunate and its vassals to the very end.
A. Wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo. After his death she became a nun, was called the "Nun Shogun" and held the Kamakura shogunate together. During the Jōkyū War of 1221 she is said to have rallied wavering vassals by reminding them of Yoritomo’s favours, contributing to the shogunate’s victory.
A. Period: Late Heian–Kamakura. Born in 1157, died in 1225.
A. Hōjō Masako was born in Izu Province (around today’s Izunokuni, Shizuoka).
A. In 1221 the retired emperor Go-Toba raised troops to overthrow the shogunate. Shogunate forces took Kyoto and won, and Go-Toba was exiled to the Oki Islands. Afterwards the shogunate’s power reached deep into western Japan.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Minamoto no YoritomoHōjō Yasutoki
HōnenMinamoto no YoritomoMinamoto no YoshitsuneShinranHōjō YasutokiDōgenNichirenHōjō Tokimune
People of the Kamakura period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.