Imagawa Ujiteru

Imagawa Ujiteru (Eishō 10 (1513) – the 17th day of the 3rd month of Tenbun 5 (7 April 1536)) was the 10th head of the Suruga Imagawa clan. He was born the eldest son of Imagawa Ujichika and Jukei-ni. When his father died in Daiei 6 (1526), he succeeded to the headship of the clan at the age of 14. During his childhood, his mother, Jukei-ni, effectively served as his guardian and managed the affairs of government.

From around Tenbun 1 (1532), when Ujiteru began to rule directly, he carried out steady domestic administration and diplomacy. These included the implementation of land surveys in Tōtōmi Province and the maintenance of the Sunsō Alliance (Suruga–Sagami alliance) with the Hōjō clan. He was also cultured and studied waka poetry under Reizei Tamekazu. No major rebellions by his retainers are recorded during his ten-year reign, and he is evaluated as having inherited and stabilized the foundations of the Imagawa house that his father had built.

On the 17th day of the 3rd month of Tenbun 5 (7 April 1536), he died suddenly at the young age of 24. On the same day, his younger brother Hikogorō also died, an unusual situation. Various theories exist, including epidemic disease, poisoning, and suicide, but there is no conclusive evidence in the historical sources. Ujiteru's sudden death led to the Hanakura Rebellion, in which his brother Shōhō (later Imagawa Yoshimoto) and Genkō Etan contended for the headship of the clan. In the end, Shōhō prevailed, and Yoshimoto came to lead the Imagawa house as Ujiteru's successor. Ujiteru's own name tends to be overshadowed by Yoshimoto's, but he is regarded as the man who laid the foundations for the peak of Imagawa power.