Imagawa Ujichika

Imagawa Ujichika (1473-1526) was the head of the Imagawa clan in the early Sengoku period and is known as the father of Imagawa Yoshimoto. He achieved the unification of the two provinces of Suruga and Tōtōmi and established the foundation of the Imagawa family as a Sengoku daimyō. He is also highly regarded as a law-based ruler who enacted the "Imagawa Kana Mokuroku" (1526), which is considered one of Japan's first domain laws (bunkokuhō).

Ujichika was born in 1473 (Bunmei 5) as the son of Imagawa Yoshitada. When his father, Yoshitada, was killed in 1476 (Bunmei 8) in battle against local lords (kokujin) of Tōtōmi, a succession dispute over the headship of the Imagawa house arose while he was still a child. After this turmoil (the internal strife within the Imagawa clan), Ujichika secured the headship with the assistance of Ise Sōzui (later Hōjō Sōun). Thereafter, in close cooperation with Ise Sōzui, he consolidated his control over Suruga and Tōtōmi, and contested Tōtōmi with the Shiba clan, the shugo (military governor). In 1517 he subdued Shiba Yoshitatsu and pacified Tōtōmi.

Among Ujichika's political achievements, the most important is the enactment of the "Imagawa Kana Mokuroku." It is a domain law (bunkokuhō, territorial governance law) consisting of 33 articles, which codified the codes of conduct for retainers, litigation procedures, punishments, and other matters. Reflecting the advanced legal thought of its time, this code, together with the "Kana Mokuroku Tsuika" later established by Imagawa Yoshimoto, formed the foundation of the Imagawa clan's system of rule.