Who was this person?
The fifth shikken (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate. He destroyed the powerful Miura clan in the Hōji War, strengthening Hōjō power, and set up the hikitsuke to make trials faster and fairer. A devout follower of Zen, he built Kenchō-ji, was known for his frugal life, and legend says he travelled the provinces to see how the people lived.
| Name | Hōjō Tokiyori (北条時頼) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1227 – 1263 |
| Period | Kamakura period |
| Birthplace | Kamakura, Sagami Province |
| Also known as | Saimyōji Nyūdō |
| Main achievements |
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He was born the son of Hōjō Tokiuji and grandson of Hōjō Yasutoki, regent of the Kamakura shogunate. His elder brother was Tsunetoki. His grandfather Yasutoki was a renowned regent who had issued the Goseibai Shikimoku, and Tokiyori grew up watching his government closely. It was the very centre of the Hōjō clan, which held real power in the shogunate.
His father Tokiuji died young of illness. The small Tokiyori and his brother Tsunetoki were raised under their grandfather Yasutoki. Yasutoki is thought to have taught his grandsons the proper attitude of a warrior and the importance of fair government. This experience was put to use in Tokiyori's later rule.
He came of age at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū and took the name Tokiyori. The character "yori" in his name is said to have been given by the shōgun Fujiwara no Yoritsune. From his youth he excelled at archery and horsemanship and is said to have been held in high hopes by his grandfather Yasutoki. He would later come into sharp conflict with that same Yoritsune.
His brother Tsunetoki, who had succeeded their grandfather Yasutoki, fell gravely ill, and at 19 Tokiyori was handed the post of regent. Soon after, an anti-Hōjō move centred on the former shōgun Fujiwara no Yoritsune arose, but Tokiyori quickly suppressed it and sent Yoritsune back to Kyoto (the Miya Disturbance).
Tension deepened between the Hōjō and the family of Miura Yasumura, a powerful shogunal vassal, and finally erupted into fighting in Kamakura (the Hōji War). The Miura were defeated and destroyed, and no great vassal remained who could rival the Hōjō. Tokiyori had the strong backing of his maternal grandfather Adachi Kagemori and others.
To speed up and keep fair the trials of land disputes among vassals, he set up a new office called the hikitsuke. Carrying on the spirit of the Goseibai Shikimoku issued by his grandfather Yasutoki, he had suits examined carefully. Tokiyori's government, which tried to protect the vassals' livelihoods, was highly regarded.
His son and future heir Tokimune was born. Tokiyori raised the young Tokimune with great care and taught him the attitude of a future regent. Tokimune later became regent and would face the two Mongol invasions.
He sent the shōgun Fujiwara no Yoritsugu back to Kyoto and welcomed Prince Munetaka, a son of Retired Emperor Go-Saga, to Kamakura as the new shōgun. He was the first shōgun of imperial blood; the shōgun became a figurehead, and the system in which the Hōjō regents held real power grew even firmer.
He invited the Zen monk Lanxi Daolong from Song China and founded Kenchō-ji in Kamakura. It was a temple for full-fledged Zen training, and Tokiyori himself studied Zen with devotion. This spread Zen among the warriors of Kamakura, and the temple became the centre of the later Five Mountains of Kamakura.
Prompted by illness, he took Buddhist vows and handed the regency to his kinsman Hōjō Nagatoki. But this was only a stopgap until the young Tokimune grew up, and as head of the main Hōjō line Tokiyori continued to hold real power. Thus the system in which the main Hōjō line held power grew stronger.
Amid continuing earthquakes, famines and epidemics, the monk Nichiren wrote the Risshō Ankoku Ron and presented it to Tokiyori. Nichiren argued that disasters would strike the country unless people believed in the Lotus Sutra as the true teaching, and he harshly criticized other sects. The shogunate did not accept it, and Nichiren was later exiled.
He died young at 36 at Saimyō-ji in Kamakura. Having trained in Zen, he is said to have died quietly while seated in meditation. He was loved as a regent who lived simply and cared for the people, and later legends arose, such as "The Potted Trees," which tell of him travelling the provinces disguised as a wandering monk.
A. The fifth shikken (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate. He destroyed the powerful Miura clan in the Hōji War, strengthening Hōjō power, and set up the hikitsuke to make trials faster and fairer. A devout follower of Zen, he built Kenchō-ji, was known for his frugal life, and legend says he travelled the provinces to see how the people lived.
A. Period: Kamakura period. Born in 1227, died in 1263.
A. Hōjō Tokiyori was born in Kamakura, Sagami Province.
A. It tells how Tokiyori, after taking vows, travelled the provinces disguised as a wandering monk and was given shelter on a snowy night by a poor samurai. The samurai burned his treasured potted trees to warm him, and Tokiyori later rewarded his loyalty. It is a legend known from the Noh play Hachinoki, and whether it really happened is uncertain.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
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People of the Kamakura period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.