Biographies CXXII: The Shogunal Retainers, Part V: Hōjō Yoshitoki, Miura Yoshimura, Miura Yasumura

Hōjō Yoshitoki

¶Hōjō Yoshitoki was the second son of Hōjō Tokimasa, Tōtōmi-no-kami, Governor of Tōtōmi. He was called Ema-no-Koshirō. Profoundly composed and possessed of courage and strategy, his breadth of character surpassed that of ordinary men (Note: the sources are the Azuma Kagami and the Masukagami). When Minamoto-no-Yoritomo raised his banner, Yoshitoki took the field with his father and elder brother and fought at Ishibashiyama. When Taira-no-Munemori fled to the western seas, Yoshitoki came under the command of Minamoto-no-Noriyori and struck down Harada Tanenao in Bungo. After Yoritomo had destroyed the Taira, Yoshitoki, being the younger brother of Masako, was trusted more with each passing day. Once Tokimasa, nursing a grievance against Yoritomo, returned to Hōjō without leave. Yoritomo was furious and ordered Kajiwara-no-Kagesue: "Ema is a prudent man; he will surely not follow his father. Go and see how things stand." When Kagesue came back and reported, "He is still remaining in Kamakura," Yoritomo was delighted, comforted Yoshitoki, and said, "You read my heart well. Surely one day you will become the aide of my descendants." Later, in a letter to Yūki Tomomitsu, he named Yoshitoki as the one he valued most among his house retainers. When Yoritomo died, Yoriie plotted with Hiki Yoshikazu to remove the Hōjō. Tokimasa lured Yoshikazu out and killed him. Yoshikazu's kin barricaded themselves in the residence of Yoriie's son Ichiman, but Yoshitoki led troops, broke them, and killed Ichiman. In the end Yoriie was deposed, and soon afterwards he too was killed (Note: the Gukanshō says Yoriie was killed the following year. Judging from its sense, it seems that Yoshitoki killed him in accordance with Tokimasa's wishes, but this is not clear. The details are recorded in the biography of Yoriie). Around this time Yoshitoki became Sagami-no-kami, Governor of Sagami, and in his father's place took up the office of shikken, regent. When the construction of the Kan'in Palace was completed, he was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower for his merit (Note: Azuma Kagami).

¶In the first year of Kenpō (1213), Izumi Chikahira plotted to set up Yoriie's son Senjumaru and to attack Yoshitoki. Wada Yoshimori's sons Yoshinao and Yoshishige, and his nephew Tanenaga, had joined in it. When the affair came to light, Yoshimori petitioned for the lives of his two sons, and Sanetomo granted it. He then petitioned for Tanenaga's life as well, but this was refused. Yoshitoki, acting as the bearer of the order, had Tanenaga bound in public with his face exposed (menbaku; Note: to bind a man so that his face is exposed to the eyes of onlookers), deliberately had him led past Yoshimori, and then had him handed over to the officials. Yoshimori, filled with shame and rage, resolved to take up arms, and one report of imminent danger followed another. Yoshitoki happened to be playing a game of go with a guest; without a change of expression he finished the game, calmly changed his clothes, and went to Sanetomo's residence. Yoshimori surrounded it, and Yoshitoki, together with Ōe-no-Hiromoto, took Sanetomo under his protection and withdrew to the Hokke-dō. Yoshitoki's son Yasutoki and the others fought hard and held the enemy off, but many officers and men were killed or wounded. At daybreak Yoshimori drew back somewhat, but his partisans came to his aid and his strength surged again. The officers and men of the Soga, the Nakamura, and others merely watched the course of events and did not hasten to the rescue. Yoshitoki consulted Hiromoto and informed the men by letter, urging them: "Yoshimori's troops have already broken, and the shogunate is secure. Lead your troops at once and destroy the remnants." Soldiers then gathered in competition, and in the end Yoshimori fell in defeat. When order was restored, in recognition of this merit he was granted the two estates of Yamanouchi and Shōbu in Sagami province (Note: Azuma Kagami), and became Bettō, Chief of the Samurai-dokoro (Note: Shōgun Shikken Shidai). In the fifth year (1217) he became Ukyō-no-gon-no-daibu, Provisional Master of the Right Capital Office, and took over from Hiromoto the concurrent post of Mutsu-no-kami, Governor of Mutsu. At that time Sanetomo delighted in letters and histories and was fond of waka; he was not close to the affairs of government, and military preparedness slackened day by day. Yoshitoki, though inwardly coveting private power, never once admonished him. In the following year, claiming that an oracle had foretold misfortune, he built the Yakushi-dō. That winter Sanetomo was appointed Udaijin, Minister of the Right. In the following year he performed the ceremony of thanksgiving at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine. Yoshitoki attended him bearing the sword, but as he entered the gate he declared himself ill, handed the sword to Minamoto-no-Nakaakira, and went home. When the ceremony ended and Sanetomo was about to return in his palanquin, Yoriie's son Kugyō, under cover of night, killed Sanetomo, and Nakaakira was cut down as well. Yoshitoki said, "I saw a white dog pass by my side, fell ill, and so escaped the calamity." He then went to worship at the Yakushi-dō. Sanetomo had no heir, and Yoshitoki, acting on Masako's wishes and in a joint petition with the other commanders, asked that an imperial prince be received as shogun (Note: Azuma Kagami). The Retired Emperor Go-Toba did not consent (Note: Gukanshō). Since the Sesshō, Regent, Kujō Michiie was a relative by marriage of Yoritomo, Yoshitoki received his son and installed him. This was Yoritsune (Note: Gukanshō and Azuma Kagami). As Yoritsune was only two years old, the conduct of government issued from Masako, and Yoshitoki carried out her commands. He brought old retainers such as Hiromoto into the deliberations, and everything followed the procedures that Yoritomo had laid down, with no alteration (Note: Azuma Kagami). The Retired Emperor had long resented that Yoritomo, holding military power, had threatened and controlled the court; now that the shogun's line had come to an end, he thought that authority should naturally return to the court. Yet Yoshitoki installed a child of another surname and, though a mere subject of a subject, held sway over the government of the realm. The Retired Emperor's heart grew ever more resentful (Note: Hōryaku Kanki). When the Retired Emperor made a progress to Kumano, Nishina Moritō presented himself with his son at the roadside. The Retired Emperor saw the boy's appearance, was pleased with it, and made him a warrior of the Saimen, the Western Guard. Moved with gratitude, Moritō remained in the capital. Yoshitoki was angered that a vassal of the Kantō had presumed to serve the Retired Emperor, and confiscated his domain. The Retired Emperor ordered it restored as before, but Yoshitoki did not obey this edict (Note: Jōkyūki). At the request of his favorite dancer Kamegiku, the Retired Emperor dismissed the jitō, stewards, of Nagae and Kurahashi (Note: Azuma Kagami and Jōkyūki). Yoshitoki did not obey this edict either, saying: "The office of jitō is not something that has existed from of old. The late Udaishō (Yoritomo) destroyed the Taira and for that merit was first appointed sō-jitō, general steward. In those days the jitō of the provinces served in the army for six years, fathers and sons alike serving as vassals, and those who lost their lives on the battlefield lay side by side in the fields. The Udaishō by no means bestowed these offices arbitrarily. He rewarded merit and repaid loyalty. That they should now suddenly be abolished, when no offense has been committed, is beyond my understanding." The Retired Emperor was enraged and resolved to have Yoshitoki put to death. Before this, Miura Taneyoshi had been serving on guard duty in the capital, and because his wife bore a grudge against Yoshitoki, he did not return to the Kantō even after his term had expired. The Retired Emperor had Fujiwara-no-Hideyasu, Noto-no-kami, Governor of Noto, draw Taneyoshi in; Taneyoshi accepted the edict and further tried to persuade his elder brother Yoshimura to take the court's side. The Retired Emperor was pleased (Note: Jōkyūki). In the fourth month of the third year of Jōkyū (1221), the Retired Emperor had Emperor Juntoku abdicate and set up Emperor Kujō (Emperor Chūkyō), and with one heart they planned the attack on Yoshitoki (Note: Azuma Kagami, Jōkyūki, and Hōryaku Kanki). In the fifth month, using the yabusame at Jōnan-ji as a pretext, he called up troops, and those from the home provinces who answered numbered seventeen hundred. The Retired Emperor's spirit grew ever keener; he seized the Udaikōe-no-taishō, Right Major General of the Palace Guards, Fujiwara-no-Kinitsune, and his son, and sent troops to put to death Fujiwara-no-Mitsusue, Kyoto shugo, Protector of Kyoto, whom Yoshitoki had appointed (Note: Jōkyūki). He issued an inzen, retired emperor's decree, to the Five Home Provinces and the Seven Circuits, listing Yoshitoki's offenses and ordering his chastisement (Note: Azuma Kagami). He stripped Yoshitoki of his office and rank (Note: Hyakurenshō; however, the original text does not make clear when this happened, so it is placed here by conjecture). The Retired Emperor asked Taneyoshi: "How many warriors in the Kantō would be willing to die for Yoshitoki?" Taneyoshi replied: "He has become an enemy of the court; who would willingly throw away his life? Even if there were some who did not understand what is right, they would number no more than a thousand." Kodama Ienasada stepped forward from the side and said: "That is a slip of the tongue on Taneyoshi's part. Since the Jishō years, many have received private favors, and those who would cast away their lives for him will surely not number fewer than ten thousand. Even if you were to keep me in Kamakura, I too would follow Yoshitoki." The Retired Emperor was displeased. Among Hideyasu's retainers was a swift-footed man named Oshimatsu, who carried the inzen to the Kantō and proclaimed it to commanders such as those of Oyama and Utsunomiya. Taneyoshi also sent a letter to Yoshimura, urging him to join forces. Yoshimura showed Taneyoshi's letter to Yoshitoki, who said: "Survival or ruin rests on you alone. I will simply follow whatever you think best." Yoshimura swore that he had no double heart. Yoshitoki laughed and said: "If so, there is nothing more to fear. I have known of this scheme from the start. The messenger bearing the inzen must already have entered Kamakura." He ordered a great search, seized Oshimatsu, took the inzen from him, and burned it (Note: Jōkyūki). Yoshitoki went with Yoshimura to Masako and reported what had happened. Masako gathered the commanders beneath the blinds and exhorted them herself: "From the time the late Udaishō opened up Kamakura until today, you have shared in his favor and have kept wealth and rank in the world. That debt may be called deeper than the sea. How could you say you have no will to repay it? Now treacherous courtiers have stirred up trouble and are misleading the ears of the Son of Heaven. If you value your names and honor, you should at once strike down Hideyasu, Taneyoshi, and their like, and fulfill the work left by the three shoguns. If any of you wishes to obey the inzen, decide here and now, today, where you stand." The commanders were moved and roused, and all asked to take the lead themselves. That very day they gathered at Yoshitoki's residence and held a council of war. Miura Yoshimura, Adachi Kagemori, and others argued that they should rely on the defiles of Ashigara and Hakone and wait for the court's army. Ōe-no-Hiromoto said: "When men's hearts are not united, what is the use of holding a defile? If we spend time idly, morale will decline and we will only bring calamity and defeat on ourselves. It is best to entrust our fate to Heaven and advance to attack Kyoto directly." Masako approved. She planned to make Musashi-no-kami Yasutoki the commanding general, gather troops in Musashi, and dispatch them once they were assembled. She also summoned troops from Tōtōmi and Shinano eastward. Among the commanders there were some who said that sending the army in haste to attack the capital was not the wiser course. Hiromoto said: "Now the great policy is already settled; if we merely postpone it, dissenting opinions will arise one after another. Even waiting for the Musashi troops is undesirable. How much more so if we dither for days? Even if the Musashi troops come, I fear that some other change will occur in the meantime. If the Musashi-no-kami sets out this very night alone on horseback, the armies of the Kantō will follow behind him like clouds following a dragon." Miyoshi Yasunobu also came, forcing himself up from illness, and stated the same view as Hiromoto. Yoshitoki was greatly pleased (Note: the Jōkyūki records the following. When the commanders held their council of war, Yasutoki said: "To begin such a great undertaking now, with few troops it will be hard to achieve our aim. We should wait a few days, and set out once the troops have gathered." Yoshitoki angrily said: "I have been loyal to my lord, but unfortunately have been set upon by slanderers and branded an enemy of the court. Even with a million troops, there is no certainty that we could achieve our aim. It is best to entrust our fate to Heaven and decide the matter in a single stroke. We must advance the troops at once." Yasutoki had no choice but to set out. According to that book, all of this is described at length as resulting from Hiromoto's counsel. For that reason this account is not adopted here). He ordered Yasutoki to make strict preparations, and on the following day Yasutoki set out by the Tōkaidō. Those who followed him were only eighteen horsemen, but warriors of the eastern provinces hastened to join him one after another, and within a few days they numbered almost a hundred and several tens of thousands. His younger brother Tokifusa, Ashikaga Yoshiuji, Miura Yoshimura, and Chiba-no-suke Tanetsuna were made deputy commanders; his son Tomotoki, leading Yūki Tomohiro, Sasaki Nobuzane, and others, took more than forty thousand horsemen out by the Hokurikudō. Takeda Nobumitsu, Ogasawara Nagakiyo, Oyama Tomonaga, Yūki Tomomitsu, and others took more than fifty thousand horsemen out by the Tōsandō. In all, an army of more than one hundred and ninety thousand marched straight on Kyoto. Yoshitoki remained in Kamakura with Hiromoto and the others to hold the rear, urged on the levying of troops, and directed military affairs as a whole (Note: the Jōkyūki says that at this time he ordered the officers and men, "Where fathers and elder brothers march out, keep sons and younger brothers behind; where sons and younger brothers march out, keep fathers and elder brothers behind," but since there are many cases such as Ogasawara Nagakiyo in which father and son both marched out, this account is not adopted here). He ordered the hangan Takakuni (Note: his surname is unknown) to write the reply to the imperial order (Note: Azuma Kagami). When he sent Oshimatsu back to Kyoto, he had him convey a verbal message: "Yoshitoki was censured without any offense, and has nothing to say. If the Retired Emperor desires war, I have ordered my younger brother Tokifusa and my sons Yasutoki and Tomotoki to lead one hundred and ninety thousand horsemen and set out together by three roads. Let the Retired Emperor look on closely. If he thinks that is still not enough, I shall further order my younger brothers Shigetoki and Masamura to lead two hundred thousand horsemen. Yoshitoki himself intends to follow after" (Note: Jōkyūki). When the court heard this it was greatly terrified, and the whole capital was in uproar. In the sixth month the Retired Emperor summoned the kugyō, high court nobles, to deliberate (Note: Azuma Kagami). Dividing the commanders such as Hideyasu and Taneyoshi into nine units, he dispatched more than seventeen thousand five hundred troops to take station between Mino and Owari, to guard the two roads, the Tōkaidō and the Tōsandō, and to array themselves across the river. Yasutoki and Tokifusa attacked them, and the imperial army fled in rout. Miyazaki Sadanori, Kasuya Arihisa, and Nishina Moritō had taken station at Tonamiyama and were guarding the Hokurikudō, but Tomotoki broke them. Hideyasu and the others reported their defeat to the Retired Emperor. He then detached more than twenty-five thousand horsemen, drawn from the Dainagon, Great Counsellor, Fujiwara-no-Tadanobu, the former Gon-no-chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor, Minamoto-no-Arimasa, the Sangi, Consultant, Fujiwara-no-Norishige, together with Hideyasu, Taneyoshi, Sasaki Hirotsuna, Yamada Shigetada, and others, and stationed them at Uji, Seta, Yodo, and Imoarai. It was then high summer and the rain had just stopped, and the rivers were swollen. The imperial army tore down the bridges and shot arrows in volleys, Yasutoki's army was hard pressed, and many drowned (Note: Jōkyūki; the Azuma Kagami was also consulted). Yasutoki's son Tokiuji was the first to cross the river, and the imperial army could not withstand him and abandoned its defenses and fled. Yasutoki attacked in one sweep as far as Kyoto and reached Higuchi (Note: Azuma Kagami). The Retired Emperor, not knowing what to do, had Yoshitoki's office and rank restored and the inzen of chastisement withdrawn (Note: Hyakurenshō). He then told Yasutoki: "This raising of troops did not come from my own true heart; I was led astray by scheming courtiers. From now on I shall follow all that the shogunate asks. Restrain your men well, and do not let them commit violence and plunder in Kyoto." Yasutoki bowed but made no reply; he encamped at Rokuhara and demanded the courtiers who had been the instigators of the affair. The Retired Emperor placed the blame on six men: Tadanobu, Arimasa, the Gon-no-chūnagon Fujiwara-no-Mitsuchika, Fujiwara-no-Muneyuki, the Sangi Fujiwara-no-Norishige, and Fujiwara-no-Nobuyoshi. Yasutoki had his commanders each seize one man, arrested those who had deserted from the court's army, and confiscated their domains as well, which came to more than three thousand places; he recorded the particulars and sent them to Kamakura. Masako determined rewards according to merit and distributed them all among the officers and men. Yoshitoki took nothing at all for himself, and reassigned the shugo of the home provinces and the western seas. Hiromoto, following the precedent of the first year of Bunji (1185), when the Taira partisans of Kiyomori were dealt with, weighed the offenses of the courtiers. Tadanobu and those after him were judged to deserve death. Yasutoki did not wish to execute men of the Third Rank or above in Kyoto, and ordered those escorting them to bring them on; by Masako's command only Tadanobu was specially released, and the others were killed along the road. In the seventh month Emperor Kujō (Emperor Chūkyō) was deposed and Emperor Go-Horikawa was set up. The Retired Emperor Go-Toba was removed to Oki, the Retired Emperor Tsuchimikado to Tosa, and the Retired Emperor Juntoku to Sado, and the two imperial princes Masanari and Yorihito were also sent into exile (Note: Azuma Kagami).

¶Outwardly Yoshitoki showed deep loyalty, but inwardly he was exceedingly sinister and cunning. He had already killed Yoriie and his three sons, and had also killed members of his own clan such as Ano Zenjō. The assassination of Sanetomo likewise came from Yoshitoki's design, but the traces were so skillfully concealed that no one could glimpse the truth (Note: this takes up the general sense of the Azuma Kagami, the Hōryaku Kanki, and the Gukanshō). After he defied the court in the Jōkyū disturbance, he came to dispose at will even of the deposition and enthronement of Sons of Heaven and of the advancement and dismissal of ministers. The power of the world came to issue from his one house, and even the Sesshō and those below him, when bringing a suit, had Yoshitoki judge its rights and wrongs. All the great powers of the state came to belong to Kamakura (Note: Azuma Kagami). In the first year of Genin (1224) he was stabbed by a man close to him and died, at the age of sixty-two (Note: Hōryaku Kanki and the Heishi Keizu; the Taiheiki's biography of Myōe was also consulted. The age follows the Azuma Kagami. Incidentally, the Azuma Kagami says "he was seized with kakuran (Note: an acute illness with abdominal pain and vomiting) and died," but this seems to be a way of concealing the facts, so it is not adopted here. Also, the Kokon Chomonjū says that when someone prayed at the Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine, in a dream the god summoned Takeuchi-no-Sukune and said, "The realm is about to fall into disorder. Be born anew into the house of Hōjō Tokimasa and assist it," and for this reason the world passed down that Yoshitoki was a reincarnation of Takeuchi-no-Sukune. As this is extravagantly absurd, it is not adopted here). His Buddhist name was Kankai, and he was styled Tōshō-in (Note: Heishi Keizu). He was always fond of kemari, football, and once, on his way back from a pilgrimage to Kumano, when he stopped in Kyoto, he asked permission to watch the Retired Emperor Go-Toba's kemari. The Retired Emperor granted it. Yoshitoki himself also repeatedly attended at court to play kemari, and the Retired Emperor praised his skill (Note: Azuma Kagami).

¶His sons were Yasutoki, Tomotoki, Shigetoki, Masamura, Tokitsune, Saneyasu, Naomura, Aritoki, and Tokihisa (Note: the various texts of the genealogies differ, and not all the differences are noted here). Yasutoki, Tomotoki, Shigetoki, and Masamura each have a separate biography. Saneyasu, formerly named Saneyoshi, excelled at waka. His great-great-grandson Kanazawa Sadayuki also has a separate biography. Aritoki was appointed Suruga-no-kami, Governor of Suruga, and concurrently served as Ōi-no-suke and Minbu-no-shō (Note: Heishi Keizu).

Miura Yoshimura

¶Miura Yoshimura was called Heiroku and was a son of Yoshizumi (Note: Azuma Kagami and the Miura Keizu). He followed his father and repeatedly won distinction in battle. In the first year of Kenkyū (1190), when Minamoto-no-Yoritomo went up to the capital, Yoshimura was appointed Uhyōe-no-jō, Third Officer of the Right Division of Middle Palace Guards, was advanced to Saemon-no-jō, Third Officer of the Left Division of Outer Palace Guards, and became Suruga-no-kami, Governor of Suruga, with Senior Fifth Rank Lower. He had long been close to Yūki Tomomitsu, and when Tomomitsu was slandered by Kajiwara-no-Kagetoki, he secretly went to Tomomitsu to devise a plan, and together with Wada Yoshimori, Adachi Morinaga, and others petitioned against the false charge. Tomomitsu was able to escape punishment. Yoshimura had charge of the Ogasawara pasture, but a pasture overseer and Yoshimura's retainers quarreled and went to litigation; Minamoto-no-Sanetomo heard of it with displeasure, saying, "Yoshimura cannot control his subordinates; he has oppressed the people and caused strife," and in the end dismissed him from that office. When Yoshimori raised troops, Yoshimura at first joined him, but then he told his younger brother Taneyoshi: "Ever since our remote ancestor Heitarō served Lord Hachiman (Minamoto-no-Yoshiie) and gave body and life in serving him in the campaign against Takehira and Iehira, we have eaten that stipend through the generations and never lost our duty as vassals. If we now once more follow our kin's treasonous plot and turn our blades against our lords of successive generations, we cannot escape the punishment of Heaven. It is better to change our minds and return to the right path." He then went to Hōjō Yoshitoki and reported the rebellion. When Yoshimori attacked the shogunate, Yoshimura defended and won merit. After order was restored, he quarreled with Hatano Tadatsuna over their respective merits before and after the fighting. Tadatsuna also had a case, but Yoshitoki admonished Tadatsuna: "Let us set this matter aside for now and not discuss it. That the sudden disturbance broke out and was put down in a matter of days was largely thanks to Yoshimura's loyalty, was it not?" Soon afterwards Yoshimura was granted Natori district in Mutsu province. When Sanetomo, holding concurrently the post of Sakonoe-no-taishō, Major General of the Left Palace Guards, visited the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine, Yoshimura was included in the selection of escorts and was paired with Nagae Akiyoshi. He was ordered to take the left position, but Yoshimura declined: "Akiyoshi is my senior in years, and it would be difficult to stand on his left. I beg that the ranks be exchanged." Akiyoshi said: "Yoshimura holds rank, and is also head of the Miura clan. By right he should stand on the left." They yielded to one another without end. Sanetomo was delighted and said: "Today's event is what I hold in highest regard. That the two of you yield to each other with propriety is truly praiseworthy. But Yoshimura is still young and has long ahead of him, while Akiyoshi has little time left. It would be well to place Akiyoshi in the left rank and make it an honor for his descendants." The two gladly obeyed the order. When Kugyō murdered Sanetomo, Yoshimura used a stratagem to lure Kugyō out and had Nagao Sadakage kill him, and sent his head to Yoshitoki (Note: Azuma Kagami).

¶In the third year of Jōkyū (1221), the Retired Emperor Go-Toba issued an inzen to the commanders of the eastern provinces, ordering them to attack Yoshitoki. At that time Taneyoshi was in the capital, and he too secretly sent a letter to Yoshimura urging him to take the court's side. Yoshimura sent the messenger away without reply, went straight to Yoshitoki, and showed him the letter (Note: Jōkyūki). Thereupon he settled the deliberations together with Yoshitoki, and it was decided to raise troops and attack Kyoto. He followed Hōjō Yasutoki along the Tōkaidō (Note: Azuma Kagami) and reached Ichinomiya in Owari (Note: Jōkyūki). Advancing to attack Mamedo, the defending commander took fright at his momentum and fled, and Yoshimura's army pursued as far as Nogami and Tarui and encamped there. Yoshimura proposed dividing the troops into five columns and advancing abreast. Yoshimura defeated the imperial army at Yodo and Imoarai, and the imperial army collapsed utterly. Yoshimura entered Kyoto, obtained Taneyoshi's head, and sent it to Yasutoki. From then on he became ever more intimate with Yoshitoki, and, with a single mind, assisted in the conduct of government, his prestige rising day by day. When Yoshitoki died, his wife, of the Fujiwara, plotted with her elder brother Iga Mitsumune and secretly planned to set up Fujiwara-no-Sanemasa as shogun and to make her own son Masamura shikken. Because Yoshimura had the merit of having presented Taneyoshi's head, he was especially close to Masamura and frequently came and went at his residence. People suspected that Yoshimura was a party to this plot, public feeling was in uproar, and all Kamakura was shaken. Masako secretly visited Yoshimura's residence and questioned him sharply. Yoshimura explained himself, and people's hearts at last grew calm. The details of this affair are recorded in the biography of Mitsumune. Later he became a hyōjōshū, member of the Council of State. In the first year of Enō (1239) he died. Yoritsune sent Hōjō Mitsutoki, Sama-no-suke, Assistant Master of the Left Stables, to condole with the family, and had his domains divided among his sons (Note: Azuma Kagami).

¶Yoshimura had ten sons: Tomomura, Yasumura, Mitsumura, Iemura, Sukemura, Nagamura, Shigemura, Tanemura, the priest Ryōken, and Shigetoki. Tomomura was called Kotarō. Mitsumura was called Saburō and became Kebiishi, Police Commissioner, and Noto-no-kami, Governor of Noto. Iemura was called Shirō and became Saemon-no-jō, Third Officer of the Left Division of Outer Palace Guards. He was a master of the bow; when the fifth shogun, Fujiwara-no-Yoritsugu, was watching the yabusame at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine and one of the archers suddenly fell ill, Yoritsune ordered Iemura to take his place, and Yasumura, too, urged Iemura on as the shogun's command. Iemura could not decline; he spurred his horse and loosed his arrows, his bearing perfectly composed, and Yoritsugu marveled and praised him. When Yasumura fell, Iemura also entered the Hokke-dō with him, and people of the time did not know whether he lived or died. Sukemura was called Gorō and became Saemon-no-jō; he died together with Yasumura. Nagamura was called Rokurō and became Saemon-no-jō. Shigemura was called Shichirō (Note: the Azuma Kagami gives Kurō), became Saemon-no-jō, and died together with Yasumura (Note: Miura Keizu). Tanemura was called Hachirō and became Saemon-no-jō. When Yasumura died, Tanemura was in Mutsu; he shaved his head and confined himself. Oyama Nagamura escorted him to Kamakura. Ryōken was called Taifu Risshi, and in the first year of Kōchō (1261), he secretly plotted with Iemura's son Suruga Hachirō and Yasumura's daughter, the nun of Nomoto, to destroy the Hōjō and avenge themselves, but the matter was discovered and they were seized (Note: Azuma Kagami; the Miura Keizu was also consulted). Shigetoki was called Kurō and died together with Yasumura (Note: Miura Keizu).

Miura Yasumura

¶Miura Yasumura was called Suruga-no-Jirō. At the time of the Jōkyū disturbance (1221), at the age of eighteen, he was encamped at Kuriko-yama with Hōjō Yasutoki and Ashikaga Yoshiuji. His father Yoshimura was leading another unit toward Yodo. Yasumura requested: "I ought by rights to follow my father. But on the day we set out from Kamakura I promised to share life and death with the Lord Keichō (Hōjō Yasutoki). I do not wish to break that word. I beg leave to depart from this place." Yoshimura divided off fifty troops and gave them to him. Yasumura advanced as far as the Uji bridge, and when Yoshiuji's army also arrived, Yasumura urged on the soldiers and fought hard all day. The next day he crossed the river with the other armies and fought with all his strength (Note: Jōkyūki). Afterwards he successively held the posts of Kamon-no-gon-no-suke, Provisional Assistant of the Bureau of Housekeeping, and Shikibu-no-shōjō, Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Ceremonial, was appointed Wakasa-no-kami, Governor of Wakasa, and was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: Miura Keizu).

¶During the Katei era (1235–1238) he became a hyōjōshū. When Hōjō Tokiyori took the reins of government, Yasumura was treated with the greatest generosity. He constantly took part in confidential affairs of government. Many famous houses and powerful families formed marriage ties with him, and his influence flourished. In addition, as he was a gaiseki, maternal relative, of the Hōjō, he became arrogant and looked down on the other commanders. His younger brother Mitsumura had served Yoritsune from boyhood, was greatly beloved by him, and always had access even to his bedchamber. When Yoritsune was removed from the post of shogun, Mitsumura, aggrieved, escorted him to Kyoto. At the parting he wept and could not bear his grief, and secretly planned to destroy the Hōjō and restore Yoritsune as shogun, urging this repeatedly on Yasumura, who could not make up his mind. The Hōjō for their part were quite suspicious of this. In the first year of Hōji (1247), a notice was posted at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine, reading: "Wakasa-no-zenji (Yasumura) grows more arrogant each day and has repeatedly violated the laws. He will soon be severely punished. It has already been decided in public deliberation. Be fearful and guard yourself." All who saw it were astonished and afraid. At the very time when Tokiyori, in mourning, was lodging at Yasumura's residence, the Miura clansmen gathered and secretly plotted to kill Tokiyori. Tokiyori clearly heard the clink of armor at night, felt uneasy and unsettled, secretly slipped out of the residence, and returned to his own. Yasumura was greatly alarmed and apologized. Tokiyori sent a man to probe the residence, and when the facts were established, he had Sasaki Ujinobu admonish Yasumura. Yasumura answered: "The recent rumors have stirred up the world, and I am deeply anxious and fearful. I think that we brothers, rising above the rest of the clan, have attained Senior Fifth Rank, that our kinsmen all hold office and rank and between us serve as governors of several provinces, and that we hold estates of tens of thousands of chō. Perhaps it was because our splendor had reached its height that slander was invited." Ujinobu returned and reported: "Bows, arrows, and weapons are piled up inside and outside the residence, and the course of events is hard to foresee." Tokiyori set a strict guard. The next day an anonymous letter was thrown into Yasumura's residence, saying: "You are soon to be put to death. Why do you not make preparations? In secret I fear for you." Yasumura tore it up and said, "This is the work of someone who wants to entrap me," and sent a man to Tokiyori to say: "Judging from the recent rumors, calamity is closing in on me. I have never had any disloyal intention; it is only that my men from distant places heard the rumors and gathered. This has become a pretext for slanderers. I am under suspicion for what is right. I beg you to disperse this disturbance at once." Tokiyori comforted and admonished him in gentle words, but Yasumura's mind was still not at rest, and he fretted over it day and night. Miura clansmen and the troops of Mōri Suemitsu gathered one after another, and the shogunate's troops also massed like clouds and mist. Tokiyori ordered each to disperse. A man named Seki Masayasu, Saemon-no-jō, Third Officer of the Left Division of Outer Palace Guards, was Yasumura's brother-in-law by his sister; he was on his way back to Hitachi with troops, but when he heard that Yasumura was about to be put to death, he turned back and again lent Yasumura his support. Suemitsu's wife was also Yasumura's sister; she came secretly to Yasumura by night and said: "Misfortune will soon reach you, brother. The matter is already settled, and I have heard the details. I beg you, brother, to act at once. My husband will exert himself to the utmost. If he does not, I will surely persuade him to join your side." Yasumura wavered and could not decide. Tokiyori sent messengers to admonish Yasumura and have him stand down his troops. He further sent Taira-no-Moritoki with a letter reading, "Recently suspicion and fear have arisen in people's hearts, but the shogunate has no intention of attacking you. Dispel your doubts at once, and do not forget our former friendship," and attached words of oath. Moritoki also conveyed the intention of peace by word of mouth. Yasumura was glad and complied (Note: Azuma Kagami).

¶Previously, Adachi Kagemori had been at odds with Yasumura, contending with him for power; seeing that Yasumura's authority exceeded his own, he grew ever more discontented and repeatedly urged Tokiyori to remove Yasumura. When he now heard that Tokiyori had made peace, he summoned his son Yoshikage and his grandson Yasumori and said: "Having received that letter, Yasumura will become more arrogant still. This will be a calamity for our house. Today we must settle which of us is to prevail." He hurriedly sent out troops and attacked Yasumura. Yasumura, alarmed and flustered, nevertheless sent out troops and defended himself. By the time Moritoki returned and reported, the troops were already engaged. Tokiyori said: "Now that matters have come to this, this momentum cannot be stopped," and ordered his younger brother Tokisada to lead troops and strike. Suemitsu was about to lead his troops to join the shogunate's side, but his wife caught the sleeve of his armor and remonstrated: "Will you abandon Lord Wakasa and go over to the Hōjō? Disregarding the words you have spoken day after day, and merely siding with whoever has the momentum: is that the conduct of a warrior?" Suemitsu thereupon joined Yasumura's army. When Tokiyori heard this, he feared that victory would not come easily, and ordered the army to set fire to the place, taking advantage of the wind. Yasumura could not hold out and fled into the Hokke-dō. Mitsumura, leading eighty-odd horsemen separately, was encamped at the Yōfuku-ji, and sent a messenger to Yasumura saying: "This place is a stronghold, convenient for both attack and defense. I beg you to lead your troops here and join me." Yasumura replied: "Now that fortune has run out and our strength is spent, what use would it be to rely even on walls of gold and iron? If we must die in any case, I wish to die before the portrait of the late shogun. You should come here." Mitsumura still wished to fight and pressed him strongly, but Yasumura would not listen. Mitsumura had no choice but to leave the temple, but on the way he encountered the troops of Nikaidō Yukiyoshi, Nikaidō Yukikata, Kai-no-zenji Yasuhide (Note: his surname is unknown), and others. Mitsumura fought hard, broke through the enemy lines, and at last was able to enter the Hokke-dō. The pursuers pressed in in great numbers; Yasumura's men held them off for a long time, but their arrows were spent and their strength exhausted. The clan sat in rows before the image of Yoritomo and recited sutras for the repose of the dead. Mitsumura, rousing his spirit, said with deep feeling: "When the shogun was in Kamakura, if we had followed the secret intent of the Zenjō Denka (Kujō Michiie) and carried out the great undertaking at once, our house would have held the shogunate in its hands. Because Lord Wakasa (Yasumura) did not carry it out, we die, our house is destroyed, and we are laughed at by all the world. I cannot repent enough." He then drew his sword, slashed his own face, asked a man, "Can you still tell who I am?", and killed himself. Because Mitsumura had earlier been secretly asked a favor by the Sesshō Michiie, he spoke such words. At this time Mitsumura wished to set fire to the hall and burn the bodies, but Yasumura stopped him, saying: "There is no point in doing that; it would only bring the stain of disloyalty. It must not be done." Yasumura lamented: "Our house of Miura has piled up merit toward the shogunate through the generations. Even if descendants had committed offenses, they should still deserve lenient treatment. How much more I myself, head of the clan through four generations since Daisuke, who in addition as a maternal relative of the Hōjō assisted in government, had merit and no fault. And yet now I am to be put to death through slander. Is this also fate? Yet when our ancestors were engaged in affairs, they also killed not a few innocent men. Perhaps this is the retribution. I have no reason to resent the Hōjō's lack of feeling." So saying, he choked with sobs. Two hundred and seventy-six of the clan, and more than two hundred of their soldiers, all killed themselves. The ties of Yasumura and of Suemitsu's family were wide, and many were implicated (Note: Azuma Kagami. The Hōryaku Kanki says that Adachi Yoshikage slandered and killed Yasumura, but judging by this book, this was the doing of Yoshikage's father Kagemori). Yasumura had nine sons; the eldest was Kagemura and the second Kageyasu, and the other seven sons, though still young, all died with their father (Note: Miura Keizu). After the Miura were destroyed, only the family of Moritsura, Tōtōmi-no-kami, Governor of Tōtōmi, submitted to the Hōjō and survived (Note: Azuma Kagami).