Hōjō Ujitsuna

Hōjō Ujitsuna (1487-1541) was the second head of the Later Hōjō clan and a sengoku daimyō who further expanded the foundation his father, Hōjō Sōun, had built in Izu and Sagami, establishing the Hōjō clan's hegemony in the Kantō. In Ujitsuna's time the family name was changed from “Ise” to “Hōjō,” and by adopting the name of a prestigious lineage he projected the legitimacy of his rule over the Kantō.

Ujitsuna displayed outstanding talent not only in military strategy but also in domestic administration and law. In Tenbun 10 (1541) he left behind the “Five-Article Admonition (Gokakioki)” addressed to his eldest son, Ujiyasu, setting out the principles of trustworthiness, martial virtue and command of his retainers, and thereby consolidating the spiritual foundation for governing his domains. He also actively pursued territorial expansion into Sagami, Musashi, Shimōsa and Kazusa, and built a robust defensive system centered on Kawagoe Castle and Odawara Castle.

In relation to swords, since Ujitsuna made Sagami (Odawara) his base, he is said to have patronized swordsmiths of the Sōshū-den tradition, which dates back to the Kamakura period. The Sōshū-den is the lineage of master smiths that produced Masamune, Sadamune and Hiromitsu. The first generation of Tsunahiro, a swordsmith who served the Hōjō family of Odawara, is said to have been granted the “Tsuna” character by Ujitsuna. In the testament he laid down in his later years, he emphasized above all the keeping of righteousness, passing on to his successor the noble spirit of a warrior.