Hōjō Ujimasa

Who They Were

Hōjō Ujimasa (北条氏政, ほうじょう うじまさ) was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period, the era of near-constant civil war that preceded Japan’s unification. He was the fourth head of the later Hōjō clan, a powerful warrior house based at Odawara in the Kantō region. Ujimasa held the title of daimyo, meaning he governed a domain with substantial military and administrative authority.

Ujimasa was born in 1538, during the Muromachi period (1336–1573), in Japan. His father was Hōjō Ujiyasu, the third head of the clan, and his mother was Zuikei-in. Ujimasa’s birth fell in the seventh year of the Tenbun era (天文, てんぶん), a nengō, or Japanese era name, used from 1532 to 1555. He was a samurai by occupation, and his family name was Hōjō.

Life and Career

Ujimasa succeeded his father as clan head, continuing the territorial expansion that Ujiyasu had begun. Under Ujimasa’s leadership, the later Hōjō clan reached the greatest extent of territory in its history. He expanded the clan’s holdings across the Kantō plain, consolidating control over provinces that his father had fought to secure.

Ujimasa was married twice. His first wife was Ōbai-in, and his second was Hōshōin. He fathered several children, including Hōjō Ujinao, who would become the fifth and final head of the clan, as well as Hōjō Katsuchiyo, Hōjō Shinkurō, Hōjō Naosada, and Ōta Ujifusa. His daughters included 芳桂院 (Hōkei-in) and 竜寿院 (Ryūju-in), and one daughter married Suzuki Shigemitsu (鈴木繁光). Other sons were Chiba Naoshige, Ōta Gengorō, and another son who was adopted into the Ōta family.

Ujimasa participated in two notable battles: the Battle of Mifuneyama and the Battle of Ogawadai. These engagements were part of the broader military struggles that defined the Sengoku period, as rival daimyo fought for control of land and influence.

His career ended in 1590, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the warlord who was unifying Japan, launched a massive campaign against the Hōjō at Odawara. The siege of Odawara concluded with the clan’s surrender. On August 10, 1590, Ujimasa died in Japan. His son Ujinao succeeded him as clan head, but the Hōjō domain was dismantled after the defeat.

Why They Matter

Ujimasa matters because he presided over the peak of the later Hōjō clan’s power. His father Ujiyasu had built a strong base, but it was under Ujimasa that the clan’s territory reached its maximum extent. This made the Hōjō one of the most formidable powers in eastern Japan during the Sengoku period.

His defeat by Hideyoshi in 1590 was a turning point in Japanese history. The fall of Odawara removed the last major independent daimyo in the Kantō, clearing the way for Hideyoshi’s unification of the country. Ujimasa’s death marked the end of the later Hōjō clan as a ruling house, even though his son Ujinao briefly held the title of head.

Ujimasa’s life illustrates the trajectory of many Sengoku daimyo: rise through inheritance, expansion through war, and eventual destruction when a larger power emerged. His story is also a reminder that the later Hōjō, despite their name, were not descended from the earlier Hōjō clan of the Kamakura shogunate; they were a new house that adopted the name to claim legitimacy.

The Name in Japanese

The name is written 北条氏政 in kanji.

• Kana reading: ほうじょう うじまさ
• Romaji: Hōjō Ujimasa

The family name is 北条 (Hōjō). It is made of two characters:

• 北 (きた, kita) — meaning “north.” In this name, it is read as ほう (hō), a reading that comes from the on’yomi, the Chinese-derived pronunciation.
• 条 (じょう, jō) — meaning “article,” “clause,” or “strip.” Here it is read as じょう (jō), also an on’yomi reading. Together, 北条 originally referred to a place name, and the combination is read as Hōjō.

The given name is 氏政 (Ujimasa). It is made of two characters:

• 氏 (うじ, uji) — meaning “clan,” “family,” or “lineage.” In this name, it is read as うじ (uji), using the kun’yomi, the native Japanese reading. The character carries the sense of a family name or clan designation.
• 政 (まさ, masa) — meaning “government,” “politics,” or “rule.” Here it is read as まさ (masa), a common reading for this character in male given names. The character relates to governance and administration.

So the full name, 北条氏政, reads as “Hōjō Ujimasa,” with the family name meaning something like “north strip” or “north article” and the given name meaning “clan government” or “family rule.”

Legacy

Ujimasa’s legacy is tied to the rise and fall of the later Hōjō clan. He expanded the clan to its largest territorial extent, but he also presided over its destruction at the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The siege of Odawara in 1590, which ended with his death, became one of the defining events of the Sengoku period’s final phase.

His son Ujinao was the last head of the clan. After the surrender, Ujinao was spared by Hideyoshi and sent into exile, but the Hōjō name lost its political power. The clan’s former territories in the Kantō were redistributed to Hideyoshi’s allies, including Tokugawa Ieyasu, who later became shogun.

In Japanese history, Ujimasa is often remembered as a capable administrator and military leader who was ultimately outmatched by the larger forces of national unification. His reign marked the high point of the later Hōjō, and his defeat marked the end of an era of regional warlord independence. The name Hōjō Ujimasa remains associated with the final decades of the Sengoku period and the fall of Odawara.