Hōjō Yoshitoki

Hōjō Yoshitoki (1163-1224) was a military commander who, as the 2nd shikken of the Kamakura shogunate, established the power base of the Hōjō clan. As Minamoto no Yoritomo's brother-in-law, he served Yoritomo from the time of his rising in arms and played an important role in founding the shogunate. After Yoritomo's death, he seized real power in the shogunate together with his father, Hōjō Tokimasa. Later he drove Tokimasa out of power and took sole control of the post of shikken.

Yoshitoki's greatest achievement was his victory in the Jōkyū War of 1221. When Retired Emperor Go-Toba plotted to overthrow the shogunate and issued an order in his name to pursue Hōjō Yoshitoki, Yoshitoki gathered the gokenin and sent a large army to Kyoto. The shogunate's forces, with overwhelming numbers, subdued the imperial court's forces, and Retired Emperor Go-Toba was exiled to Oki. Through this victory the shogunate established an authority that surpassed the court, and the position of the warrior government became firmly secure.

Yoshitoki's political skill and martial prowess set an example for the warriors who came after him. He was a great commander who laid the foundation for the Hōjō clan's long period of rule.