* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Hojo Ujiteru
北条氏照
Commander of the Late Hojo, Lord of Hachioji Castle
Description
Life and Origins
Hojo Ujiteru (1542–1590) was the third son of Hojo Ujiyasu, the celebrated second-generation leader of the Late Hojo (Odawara Hojo) clan that dominated the Kanto region. Around 1559, Ujiteru was adopted into the Oishi clan of Musashi Province, inheriting their landholdings and castle.
Hachioji Castle and Military Career
After experiencing the limits of Takiyama Castle during Takeda Shingen's invasion of 1569, Ujiteru constructed Hachioji Castle — a formidable mountain fortress regarded as nearly impregnable — and relocated there by around 1587. He played a crucial role in the Late Hojo's diplomacy, negotiating with the Uesugi, Takeda, Satake, and Utsunomiya clans. Known for his compassion, he sheltered the daughters of the Takeda clan after their father Shingen's line fell.
Siege and Death
During Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Odawara Campaign of 1590, while Ujiteru and his brother Ujimasa held Odawara Castle, Hachioji Castle was attacked by a coalition of 15,000 troops and fell in a single day — its defenders and many women committing suicide in what remains one of the great tragedies of the Kanto Sengoku period. Odawara Castle surrendered in July; Ujiteru was ordered to commit suicide alongside his brother on July 11, 1590, at age 51.
Notable Swords
- Soshu-tradition tachi (Late Hojo clan heirloom)