Biographies CXXVII: The Shogunal Retainers, Part X

Hōjō Yasutoki

¶Hōjō Yasutoki was the eldest son of Hōjō Yoshitoki, Ukyō-gon-no-daibu, Provisional Master of the Right Capital Office. His childhood name was Kongō, and he was called Ema Tarō. Once, when he was out on foot, he met Taga Shigeyuki, who did not dismount from his horse. When Minamoto-no-Yoritomo heard of this he was furious, and rebuked Shigeyuki, saying: "Courtesy is something one pays according to the person before one, without distinction of old or young. Even someone like Kongō is not of the same rank as the likes of you." Shigeyuki lied and insisted that nothing of the kind had occurred. Yoritomo grew angrier still and questioned Yasutoki about the facts. Yasutoki, fearing that Shigeyuki would be punished, answered as Shigeyuki had said. Yoritomo praised him for having the generosity to shield another man's fault, and honored him with the gift of a sword. When Yasutoki was thirteen he was summoned to the shogunate, and Yoritomo with his own hand placed the cap of manhood upon him; he took the name Yoritoki, which he later changed to his present name. As he grew up he was magnanimous and thoughtful, and his insight and breadth of mind surpassed those of ordinary men.

¶When Yoritomo died, his son Minamoto-no-Yoriie succeeded him, but he grew arrogant, neglected the business of government, and day and night indulged in kemari, the court football game, with his favorites. In the first year of Kennin (1201) great winds and floods struck and damaged the grain. Yasutoki quietly said to Nakano Yoshinari: "Kemari is an elegant pastime, so there is no harm in the shogun's liking it. But one ought to take it up or put it down according to the times. Now calamities and portents follow one upon another, and the people are starving and pale in the face. He should summon the astronomer-diviner, ask the cause of these disasters, and answer the will of Heaven with awe and care. Instead he pays no heed to the people, spends his days at the playing ground, and sports and mingles with flatterers; that is truly improper. In the Kenkyū years, when the late shogun (Yoritomo) wished to spend a hundred days amusing himself by the seashore, the astronomer-diviner reported a heavenly portent, and he gave up the plan at once. One who bears the heavy office of shogun cannot afford to be careless in his conduct. You are now close to the shogun and trusted by him; why not seize an opportunity to remonstrate?" Yoshinari reported this to the shogun, but received no reply.

¶It happened that a great famine broke out at Hōjō in Izu province, and Yasutoki went there to inspect it. As he was about to set out, the monk Kansei came and told him: "The shogun has heard that remonstrance and is angry that you have given your opinion above the station of your father and grandfather. If I may speak for your own good: if you pleaded illness and kept out of sight at Hōjō for a while, the matter would be settled in less than ten days." Yasutoki answered: "I did not set out to remonstrate. I merely let slip a foolish thought to a man close to me. If he means to hold me guilty, it is the same whether I avoid him or not. Tomorrow I go to Hōjō on business. I have already prepared for the journey, and I am not doing so because of your words." So saying, he showed him his traveling baggage, and Yoriie, too, did not hold Yasutoki to account.

¶Earlier, when the people of Hōjō had been starving, Yasutoki had lent them rice, to be repaid with interest in the autumn; but the wind damage had left them unable to pay, and they were about to wander off in company as vagrants. When Yasutoki arrived at Hōjō, he gathered together all those who owed him, brought out the promissory notes and burned them, gave them food and wine, and presented each person with one to of rice. The elders were greatly delighted (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the first year of Kenryaku (1211), Yasutoki was appointed Shuri-no-suke, Assistant Master of Palace Repairs (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden and the Shōgun Shikken Shidai). In the early years of Kenpō, Wada Yoshimori plotted to destroy the Hōjō family; he drew Tsuchiya Yoshikiyo and others to his side and raised troops, dividing his force into three bodies. One surrounded the shogunate, one besieged Yoshitoki's residence, and one encircled the residence of Ōe-no-Hiromoto. Hiromoto happened to be entertaining guests at a banquet, but on hearing of the disturbance he hastened to the shogunate. The shogunate's defenses were thin and its officers and men were stricken with fear. Yasutoki, together with his younger brother Tomotoki and Ashikaga Yoshiuji and others, led troops to defend it. Yoshimori's son Yoshihide was strong and skilled in battle, and the shogunate's soldiers were thrown into complete rout. Just then soldiers who had rushed to the rescue set a fire, and the shogunal residence burned to the ground (Note: the Meigetsuki says that Hiromoto was at his residence as a guest and, being drunk, set the fire. It is not known which account is correct). The shogun Minamoto-no-Sanetomo fled to avoid it and took refuge at the Hokke-dō. Yoshimori pressed his advantage and attacked, fighting from dusk until dawn; his troops were all picked men, and there was not one of them who was not worth a hundred. Yoshitoki encouraged his officers and men and exposed himself personally beneath the arrows and missiles. Yoshimori fell back somewhat and drew up his lines at Maehama. Yasutoki gathered his troops and held the Naka-Gebabashi bridge, and sent Ashikaga Yoshiuji, Hatta Tomohisa, and others to pursue the enemy.

¶On the following day Yokoyama Tokikane arrived and joined forces with Yoshimori's army, intending to attack the Hokke-dō directly with three thousand men. Yoshiuji and Minamoto-no-Yorimochi, Governor of Ōmi, and others blocked the road, so that Yoshimori could not advance and fought here and there along Wakamiya Ōji. Chiba Shigetane and the troops of Sagami and Musashi, hearing of the disturbance, also hastened to reinforce them. At this time Yoshihide, together with Yoshikiyo and Furugōri Yasutada, rode about in a column of horsemen, and the shogunate's troops were repeatedly driven back. Yasutoki sent a messenger to the Hokke-dō to say: "Our army is numerous, but the enemy's momentum is fierce. Some plan must be devised." Sanetomo was greatly alarmed, summoned Hiromoto, and had him offer a written prayer at the Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. Before long Yoshikiyo was struck by a stray arrow and died, Yoshimori's forces weakened, and Yoshimori and his son were at last defeated and killed.

¶When the rebellion had been put down, rewards were granted for Yasutoki's merit, and he was given the post of jitō, estate steward, of Tōda district in Mutsu province. Yasutoki declined, saying: "Yoshimori had long borne a grudge against the lord (the shogun), and since he also had an old resentment against my late father, he rebelled, and many of the shogunate's officers and men were killed or wounded. I have merely removed the rebel for my father's sake, and have only done what is a son's duty. How can I accept a reward? I beg that what is to be granted be given to the officers and men; then both sides will be satisfied." Sanetomo urged him again and again, and Yasutoki at last accepted (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Soon afterwards he became Shikibu-no-shōjō, Junior Secretary of Ceremonial. He was ordered to hold concurrently the post of Governor of Sanuki, but firmly declined and did not take it up (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki). Afterwards he rose step by step to Junior Fifth Rank Upper, and after serving as Governor of Suruga was transferred to Governor of Musashi (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden).

¶In the third year of Jōkyū (1221), the Retired Emperor Go-Toba sought to destroy Hōjō Yoshitoki. Hearing of it, Yoshitoki summoned Yasutoki and said: "Since matters have come to this, we must fix a plan." Yasutoki said: "In the past, when Taira-no-Kiyomori slighted his sovereign and oppressed his subjects, the late shogun (Yoritomo) received an edict and swept him away, and high and low alike were at ease. Ever since, the shogunate has served the court generation after generation and has never dared to fail in courtesy. Now that we are about to be attacked though guiltless, is it not that a slanderer has misled the Emperor's ear? Yet all the land under heaven is the sovereign's land. To resist him suddenly now is not the way of a subject. It would be best to bind ourselves and go to the palace and simply abide by whatever is commanded. If the Son of Heaven's anger is still not appeased, then even if our whole house submitted to punishment, what would we have to regret? And if pardon is granted, we can hide in the mountains and forests and keep what remains of our lives." Yoshitoki was silent for a while, then said: "To do as you say would be right if the government were just, the country well ordered, and a wise ruler above. But since the Retired Emperor ascended the throne, ordinances and commands have fallen into disorder and the people feel anger and resentment. That they have narrowly escaped disaster is solely because the shogunate governs. If the shogunate were to decline and government came from a single source, what would become of the people? To offend the higher from below, even if one fears the punishment of the gods and buddhas, is not at all for oneself alone; I am grieving in place of the whole realm's grief. If I can achieve my aim, depose a benighted ruler and set up a wise one, and so make firm the foundation of the imperial line for ten thousand generations, then the spirits of the ancestral shrines will surely see this heart of mine. Moreover I do not mean in any way to threaten the palace. I only wish to remove the flatterers who lead the country astray. Set out quickly." He then had Yasutoki report the matter to Hōjō Masako (Note: following the Myōe-den).

¶Masako ordered Yasutoki, Hōjō Tokifusa, and Hōjō Tomotoki to raise troops and march west. Yasutoki and Tokifusa advanced along the Tōkaidō (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Shōkyūki). Soon Yasutoki turned back alone on horseback, and Yoshitoki was startled and puzzled. Yasutoki said: "I have already heard the orders and dispositions. But if the Retired Emperor himself should lead the army and take the field in person, how should we deal with it?" After a while Yoshitoki said: "A good question. If you meet the imperial palanquin (that is, the Retired Emperor's own campaign), take off your helmet, slacken your bow, and entrust yourself to the court's petty officials. But if he sends out commanders and advances with an army, then exert yourselves to the utmost and fight to the death; you may advance but you may not retreat. If the army is defeated, I shall never see you again" (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Yasutoki then parted ways with Tomotoki and the others and they advanced side by side along separate roads.

¶The Retired Emperor sent officers and men to Mino and Owari to secure the strategic points and to meet the two routes, the Tōkaidō and the Tōsandō. Separately he sent troops to Etchū to guard the Hokurikudō. In the fifth month Yasutoki advanced along the Tōkaidō, while Takeda Nobumitsu, Ogasawara Nagakiyo, and others advanced along the Tōsandō. Nobumitsu and his men broke through Ōido, and Ōuchi Koreyoshi fled. The commanders guarding Mamedo and other places scattered at the mere sight of their momentum. Yamada Shigetada had been defending Sunomata, but turned his army back and fought; Yasutoki drove him off. Then he joined with Nobumitsu and Nagakiyo and they advanced together. In the court side's council of war, the commanders were divided and stationed at Uji, Seta, Yodo, and Imoarai. Tokifusa attacked Seta, and Shigetada held the river bank and defended it. Tokifusa fared badly in the fighting and drew in his troops and withdrew.

¶Yasutoki attacked Uji. Sasaki Hirotsuna and more than ten thousand horsemen, monk-soldiers of Kumano and Nara, were defending it. The rain was falling heavily, and Yasutoki encamped on Kuriko-yama (Note: the Shōkyūki gives it as Iwahashi), intending to set out at dawn. Miura Yasumura advanced under cover of night and exchanged arrows across the river. Ashikaga Yoshiuji followed him. Yasutoki feared that the two commanders were advancing rashly and might be defeated (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Shōkyūki), and he prepared to follow them himself. The rain grew heavier still; the armor and horses in the camp were soaked through, the soldiers were exhausted, huddled together with their heads drawn in, resisting the imperial army with their own bodies, yet all of them felt doubt and fear. Yasutoki did not change expression, but calmly encouraged his troops and advanced (Note: following the Shōkyūki).

¶The imperial army had removed the bridge, so the soldiers advanced along the bridge girders, and the dead mounted steadily. Yasutoki rested his troops at the Byōdō-in, and first sent Shibata Kaneyoshi to search for fords in the river. Kaneyoshi returned and reported: "We can cross at Makishima" (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Shōkyūki). Thereupon Kaneyoshi, Kasuga Sadayuki, Sasaki Nobutsuna, Nakayama Shigetsugu, Andō Tadaie, and others began to cross, their horses' bridles side by side. The horses of Kaneyoshi and Sadayuki were struck by arrows and fell, and Sadayuki sank into the water and was near death, but was rescued by his retainers. Yasutoki himself applied moxa to Sadayuki and revived him. With the rain the river had risen, and more than eight hundred men of Musashi and Sagami drowned.

¶The imperial army, riding its victory, raised a war cry. Yasutoki called his son Tokiuji and said: "Our army is about to be defeated. Now is the time when a commander must throw away his life. Cross the river at once." Tokiuji crossed with six horsemen. Yasutoki too was about to cross. Sadayuki held his horse and remonstrated, but Yasutoki would not listen. Sadayuki deceived him, saying: "If you cross wearing your armor, there is no one who will not sink. Please take off your armor." While Yasutoki dismounted and was removing his armor, Sadayuki led the horse away. In the end Yasutoki was unable to cross the river (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). When Yoshitoki heard of this, he judged that Sadayuki's merit surpassed that of taking the lead in the assault. Soon more than five hundred troops advanced after Tokiuji, but the wounded were very many (Note: following the Shōkyūki).

¶Bitō Kagetsuna tore down peasants' houses and made rafts, and the whole army was able to cross. The imperial army could not hold against them, and Minamoto-no-Arimasa, former Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor, and Fujiwara-no-Norishige, Sangi, Counsellor, and others fled. Tokiuji pursued them and defeated them utterly. Mōri Suemitsu and Miura Yoshimura attacked Yodo and Imoarai and defeated them. Tokifusa also won a victory at Seta, and the imperial army collapsed all at once (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶Miura Taneyoshi and Yamada Shigetada returned to the capital and reported the whole affair to the Retired Emperor, but the Retired Emperor shut the gates and would not let them in. Of the commanders, some killed themselves and some fled (Note: see the Azuma Kagami and the Shōkyūki), and at last the capital fell. The Retired Emperor issued an edict to Yasutoki, laying the blame on the courtiers. The details are recorded in the "Biography of Yoshitoki." Yasutoki entered Rokuhara with Tokifusa and made his residence there, took charge of the government, and seized and confined Fujiwara-no-Tadanobu, Minamoto-no-Arimasa, and others; but most of the other kugyō, court nobles, and the warriors who had joined the imperial army he released without inquiring into their guilt, striving to be lenient (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶Then, at Yoshitoki's wish, the infant Emperor Chūkyō was deposed and Emperor Go-Horikawa was set up, and the Retired Emperor Go-Toba was exiled to Oki, the Retired Emperor Tsuchimikado to Tosa, and the Retired Emperor Juntoku to Sado (Note: following the Azuma Kagami, the Shōkyūki, the Hyakurenshō, and the Rekidai Kōki).

¶Yasutoki stayed at Rokuhara for four years; in the first year of Gennin (1224) Yoshitoki died, and Yasutoki returned to Kamakura, succeeded to the office of shikken, regent, and with Tokifusa assisted the shogun Fujiwara-no-Yoritsune. Since Yasutoki had not yet been in mourning even for a month, he did not wish to take up the post, and consulted Ōe-no-Hiromoto. Hiromoto said: "You bear a heavy charge and stand above the whole shogunate staff. It concerns the safety or peril, the rise or fall of the country, and the post cannot be left empty for even a day. Even putting it off until today may already be called too late." Only then did Yasutoki begin to conduct affairs of government (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶Hōjō Masako wished to divide Yoshitoki's estates among his children and had Yasutoki draw up a plan of distribution. Yasutoki gave his younger brothers much and made his own share very small. Masako asked: "Why do you make your own share so small?" Yasutoki apologized and said: "Since I hold the office of regent, what is there for me to seek? I think only of caring for my brothers." Masako sighed in admiration for a long while (Note: following the Azuma Kagami; see also the Taiheiki and the Myōe-den).

¶Yasutoki's stepmother, of the Fujiwara clan, plotted with her elder brother Iga Mitsumune: "Let us set up our son-in-law Fujiwara-no-Sanemasa as shogun, and make the son I bore, Masamura, regent." Mitsumune and the others schemed over this day and night, and someone who heard of the plan told Yasutoki. Yasutoki said: "That is baseless and hard to credit. Yet we must fear that someone may use some pretext to sow the seeds of disorder. Apart from the few men who are engaged in affairs, let us not allow others to come and go at my house."

¶Now Yoritomo had ordered Hōjō Tokimasa to guard Kyoto (Note: following the Azuma Kagami), and ever since it had been the custom to send trusted men there by turns (Note: see the Azuma Kagami and the Teiō Hennenki). At this time the situation in the capital region had only just been settled and people's hearts were easily stirred, so Tokiuji and his cousin Hōjō Tokimori were sent to Rokuhara to guard the capital (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). The duty of commanding military affairs in the home provinces and the western seas was from then on to be borne in turns by able men chosen from among sons and younger brothers, and the two posts of Rokuhara Tandai, South and North, finally became permanent offices (Note: see the Shōgun Shikken Shidai and the Taiheiki).

¶Mitsumune and his brother frequently visited the house of their friend Miura Yoshimura, and sometimes called on the stepmother, exchanging pledges with one another. A maidservant caught a little of what was said and told Yasutoki: "I do not know the whole of the matter, but they are exchanging words such as 'we will not betray one another.' Their conduct is very secretive and truly suspicious." Yasutoki said: "That brothers promise not to betray each other deepens the affection of natural kinship; there is no better thing."

¶But Mitsumune's plot gradually came to light, and baseless rumors filled the streets. Masako went to Yoshimura's house and admonished him. The next day Yoshimura came to Yasutoki and said: "The late Gon-no-daibu (Yoshitoki) praised Yoshimura's services beyond what they deserved, served as eboshi-oya, ceremonial father, at Mutsu Shirō's (Masamura's) coming of age, and treated my foolish son Yasumura as though he were his own. Considering the depth of that kindness, how could I weigh you against Shirō? I desire only that the world be at peace. Recently Mitsumune and his group secretly harbored disloyal thoughts, but I stood between and quietly broke their plan. That, too, is how I serve you." Yasutoki showed neither joy nor anger, and slowly said in an unruffled manner: "I hold nothing whatever against Masamura. How could I have love or hate for him?"

¶Yet all manner of suspicions swirled, and officers and men gathered in rival crowds, so Masako escorted Yoritsune to Yasutoki's residence; after several days of deliberation she settled the matter, driving out Sanemasa, exiling Mitsumune, and not pursuing the rest of the party at all (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the first year of Karoku (1225), Hōjō Masako died, and Yasutoki conducted the government together with Tokifusa. Later he established the Hyōjōshū, the Council of State, so that important matters would be decided by joint deliberation (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden).

¶One day an uproar broke out in Kamakura for no reason; officers and men raised banners and put on armor and hastened to the shogunate, and those who gathered at the gate of Yasutoki's residence numbered nearly several hundred horsemen. Yasutoki had Taira-no-Moritsuna, Bitō Kagetsuna, and others gallop to the seashore, crying: "There are traitors; soldiers, follow after!" When they reached the Inase River, Moritsuna and the others turned and told them: "In truth there is no disturbance at all. We only wished to quiet your commotion. What do you mean by raising troops on your own, without any order? If you have no thought of treason, hand over your banners quickly, before the night is fully gone." More than ten men handed over their banners in response. The next day Yasutoki summoned them and said: "That you heard of the emergency and obeyed the call is to be commended for your good faith. But from now on you must never stir yourselves rashly." He returned all the banners, recorded their names, and sent them home.

¶During the Kanki years, great famine struck the provinces, so Yasutoki released nine thousand koku of rice to relieve the poor. He also remitted the land tax on over a thousand chō of fields in Mino, Ōkure, and elsewhere, and set up post stations and ferry landings to give alms to the wandering people. To those who wished to go to relatives on whom they could rely, he gave provisions according to the length of the journey, and to those who wished to remain where they were he ordered the local estates to look after them (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶As for commoners who had relied on wealthy households and borrowed provisions, he decreed that they should repay the principal after the next year's good harvest, and Yasutoki paid the interest on their behalf. For those who had no estates and the poor, Yasutoki took over and paid both principal and interest himself. He cut down the dishes on his own table, and went on using old clothes and utensils just as they were. He devoted himself to frugality and set an example by taking the lead himself (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Myōe-den).

¶In the second year of Katei (1236), Yasutoki was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower, and soon afterwards concurrently became Sakyō-gon-no-daibu, Provisional Master of the Left Capital Office (Note: following the Azuma Kagami, the Kantō Hyōjōden, and the Shōgun Shikken Shidai). He bestowed virtue and kindness, put the laws in order, dealt with people in a humble manner, and in judging right and wrong never made exceptions even for powerful kinsmen or great families.

¶When Takeda Nobumitsu and Unno Yukiuji disputed the boundary between Kōzuke and Shinano, Yukiuji had evidence, so Yasutoki held Yukiuji's claim to be right. Someone reported: "Nobumitsu bears a grudge and means to attack Yasutoki." Yasutoki said: "If one fears men's resentment and does not distinguish right from wrong, how can one conduct government at all? What can Nobumitsu do to me? In the Kenpō years, Wada Yoshimori led several dozen of his kinsmen and begged that the life of his nephew Tanenaga be spared. My late father (Yoshitoki) not only refused the request, but bound Tanenaga with his own hands and had him led past in front of Yoshimori and handed over to the officials. Afterwards Yoshimori raised troops and rebelled, yet it was possible to defeat him without missing the moment, and that was because of the impartial and upright judgment, free of private interest." Nobumitsu was alarmed and frightened, and sent a written oath stating that "my descendants will never harbor disloyalty." Yasutoki showed it to the commanders and had them all submit written oaths.

¶Yasutoki was warm in his feeling for his brothers. Once, when he was at the court of justice, he heard that bandits were surrounding the residence of his younger brother Tomotoki, and rushed there directly to help him. After he returned, Taira-no-Moritsuna remonstrated, saying: "You ought to take care of yourself for the sake of the whole realm. It is not proper to go lightly into danger. Even if they were enemies of the court, you should first judge the situation and then devise a plan. If you had ordered Moritsuna and the others, we could have dealt with it adequately. If you are not careful in future, I fear you will bring criticism and disaster." Yasutoki said: "In living in this world, the most important thing for a man is to value his own flesh and blood. If someone is trying to kill my brother and I sit and watch without rescuing him, what will people say of me? Would that not draw the greatest criticism of all? That Tomotoki was surrounded by bandits may be a trifle to others, but to me it is a matter no smaller than the disturbances of Kenpō and Jōkyū." When Tomotoki heard of this, he respected and valued Yasutoki all the more.

¶Yasutoki remained long in the post of regent, studied and discussed the essentials of government, and was impartial in deciding lawsuits. In consultation with Miyoshi Yasutsura, Genba-no-jō, Third Secretary of the Bureau of Horses, and others, he drew up a code of fifty articles and named it the Jōei Shikimoku. On days of leisure he practiced archery, instructed his descendants, and invited men of letters to talk over matters of government. He admonished his grandson Tsunetoki, saying: "To conduct government one must rely on learning. You too should keep this in mind" (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the third year of Ninji (1242), Emperor Shijō died, and there was no crown prince. When the news of his death reached Kamakura, Yasutoki was just then enjoying a drinking party with Tokifusa. Yasutoki rose from his seat, sighed, and said: "The imperial throne is of the utmost weight, and gods and men look up to it. If I kept my mouth shut and said nothing, and let only the courtiers of the court decide the plan, there is no knowing what would become of the safety or peril of the country." He then shut himself in a room and pondered, forgetting food and sleep. In his heart he thought of enthroning a son of the Emperor Tsuchimikado, but he did not presume to decide alone. He went to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangū and drew lots, and they indeed agreed with what he thought.

¶He therefore sent Adachi Yoshikage, Akita-no-jō-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Akita Castle, to Kyoto, to have that prince enthroned. On setting out Yoshikage asked: "What if the son of the Retired Emperor of Sado (Juntoku) has already ascended the throne?" Yasutoki said: "A good question. That is why I am sending you specially. If that is the case, have him deposed." Yoshikage entered Kyoto, met Minamoto-no-Sadamichi, former Naidaijin, Minister of the Center, and conveyed all of Yasutoki's intent to him, and at last the son of the Emperor Tsuchimikado was enthroned. This was Emperor Go-Saga (Note: see the Masukagami, the Hōreki Kanki, and the Godai Teiō Monogatari).

¶In the sixth month of that year Yasutoki died, at the age of sixty (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden, the Shōgun Shikken Shidai, and the Heishi Keizu. The Godai Teiō Monogatari says he died in the first year of Kangen, which is a mistake. The Rekidai Kōki gives his age as a little over sixty, and the Teiō Hennenki and the Hōreki Kanki both give sixty-two). His Buddhist name was Kan'a (Note: following the Hōreki Kanki and the Shōgun Shikken Shidai), and his sobriquet was Jōrakuji (Note: following the Shōgun Shikken Shidai).

¶Yasutoki held the office of regent for eighteen years; his government was impartial and his judgments in lawsuits accorded with reason, and the people all settled peacefully to their livelihoods. Yet Yasutoki knew his own station, did not rise to high rank, and did not seek offices for his kinsmen or officers (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki. The figure of eighteen years follows the Hōreki Kanki).

¶Whenever appointments to office were made and an edict arrived conferring Junior Fourth Rank on him, Yasutoki modestly declined. Each time he summoned Abe-no-Tadahisa, Onmyō-no-suke, Assistant Director of the Bureau of Yin and Yang (Note: the surname follows the Abe Keizu), and said: "I have no merit, and yet I have advanced to a high position beyond my station. I fear it will be hard for me to end my life in safety. We should pray to the gods that I may keep this favor." So he held a sacrifice to Taizan Fukun in the garden of his house. He applied himself keenly to government, and when he attended the government office, he never failed to arrive ahead of everyone else.

¶He always warned the shugo, provincial constables, and jitō, estate stewards: "You must not rely on your power and influence to turn your duties to private ends." When he received complaints from provincial governors or estate lords, he summoned the parties to Rokuhara and examined them. Those who did not answer the summons promptly, who sent petitions to Kamakura, or who stayed on in Kyoto and missed the deadline, he made pay compensation for the delay. Those who were in Kamakura yet bore titles in the Palace Guards or as Uchitoneri and neglected their service to the court were each made to pay the court a suitable sum in cash.

¶Yasutoki held to a life of integrity and had no taste for music, women, or amusements. Digging irrigation channels, repairing bridges, and anything else that benefited the people he never failed to do so far as he knew of it. He took turns with the commanders in keeping night watch at the shogunate, and even in old age he did so with greater diligence. Once, while on night duty, a young retainer of his household prepared a mat and offered it; Yasutoki scolded him and sent him away, saying: "One must not set up private things in a public place like this. You serve other men, yet you still do not know this etiquette?"

¶Once, when he visited the Hokke-dō, he made his obeisance below the hall. The temple monk urged him to go up into the hall, but Yasutoki said: "Even when the shogun was alive, one could not approach carelessly. How can I lightly fail in respect now that he is dead?" (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶A jitō of Shimōsa province once disputed with an estate lord over arrears in the tribute. Yasutoki heard the case himself. When he had heard the accusations and the defenses of both sides, the estate lord's case was the more to the point. The jitō clapped his hands and said: "I lose." The people laughed at how quickly he conceded. Yasutoki said: "I have long heard lawsuits. Even when one's case lacks reason, it is the way of litigants to argue again and again and hope for a one-in-ten-thousand stroke of luck. Your claim was not wholly without reason. Yet after hearing the other side's words just once, you yielded of your own accord at once; that is worthy of praise." So saying, he was moved and wiped away tears. The estate lord too was touched, and lightened the jitō's debt of arrears (Note: following the Shasekishū).

¶When Yasutoki went out early one day, he came upon a man lying dead on the road with sword wounds. He consulted the Hyōjōshū, and quickly sent people out in all directions to search, and they seized a man wearing blood-soaked clothing. On examination he confessed to the crime; it was a killing that had arisen from gambling. Yasutoki therefore issued an order strictly forbidding gambling (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶Motonohara in Mikawa province was desolate and wide, and travelers were apt to lose their way. Yasutoki had the local people plant willows for the convenience of travelers. The people loved him for it, as people loved the pear tree under which the Duke of Shao of Zhou had governed justly (Note: following the Tōkan Kikō).

¶Yasutoki spared the people's labor and did not undertake large public works. The boards of the fence around his own residence were coarse and thin, so that one could see through into the house. When someone said, "Why not build an earthen wall and dig a moat to prepare for any emergency?" Yasutoki answered: "To build walls and moats is a small undertaking, but even so it uses up the people's labor. Moreover I serve my lord without fault, and my person and house are kept safe. If one loses the mandate of Heaven, what use would even an iron wall be?" Those who heard this praised the loftiness of Yasutoki's judgment (Note: following the Shasekishū).

¶Yasutoki once said to someone: "When I was in Kyoto, I talked with the monk Kōben of Toganoo (Myōe). Kōben said: 'Have you ever seen someone cure a disease? A good physician looks carefully into the cause of the illness, examines in detail where cold or heat has struck, and then administers medicine, so there is never a case in which a cure is not quickly achieved. If those who govern the world reward and punish at random without examining the cause, treachery and falsehood will arise all the more, and customs will worsen day by day. Then, though one wishes to govern well, there is no way to do so. It is like a mediocre physician who, not knowing where the cause of the illness lies, treats it carelessly. The more he tries to cure the illness, the heavier it grows, and the treatment does not succeed. That is because people have desire in their hearts, and once desire sprouts, all kinds of calamities compete to arise. You hold the real power of government; if you yourself take the lead and strive, what could you fail to accomplish?' I asked again: 'Even if I alone strive and act, what shall I do if the people do not follow?' Kōben answered: 'That is not difficult. It depends on your own heart. The men of old said, "If the body is straight the shadow will not be crooked; if the government is upright the country will not be disordered." To be upright means to be without desire. If you can truly keep this in your heart, then all people will be transformed by your virtue and learn contentment, and it will come about of itself without effort, and good government will be nearly achieved. If even a single quarrel or lawsuit arises, you should first reflect on yourself and reprove yourself strictly, and must not put the guilt on the other party. It is like hating that the shadow is crooked when the body is not upright. If you do not set your own body straight and try to lay the blame on the shadow, how could that be done?' That I, inadequate as I am, have been able to fill the office of regent and escape crime and error is due to Kōben's power" (Note: following the Myōe-den).

¶When Yasutoki died, in the capital and the countryside, high and low alike grieved as though they had lost a father and mother (Note: following the Hyakurenshō; see also the Hōreki Kanki).

¶His sons were Tokiuji and Tokizane (Note: following the Heishi Keizu). Tokiuji was Junior Fifth Rank Lower, Shuri-no-suke. In the Jōkyū war he followed Yasutoki and defeated the court's army. He was a man who cherished his officers and men and treated them with courtesy, and possessed his father's bearing. In the first year of Gennin (1224), together with Hōjō Tokimori, Kamon-no-suke, Assistant of the Bureau of Housekeeping, he pacified Rokuhara, the two of them governing as South and North. In the second year of Kangi (1230) he was relieved of his post and returned to Kamakura. He died that same year, at the age of twenty-eight (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶His four sons were Tsunetoki, Tokiyori, Tametoki, and Tokisada (Note: following the Heishi Keizu). Tokiyori has a separate biography. Tametoki was of Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Tokisada of Junior Fifth Rank Lower, and both became Governor of Tōtōmi. Tokizane, the younger brother of Tokiuji, was killed by one of his own men (Note: the Azuma Kagami has an omission here).

Hōjō Tsunetoki

¶Hōjō Tsunetoki was called Yagorō. In the first year of Bunryaku (1234) he was appointed Kosamurai-dokoro Bettō, Director of the Lesser Samurai Office, and soon afterwards was made Sakon'e-no-shōgen, Lieutenant of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the Azuma Kagami. The Kantō Hyōjōden writes "right" for "left"). He became a member of the Hyōjōshū (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). In the third year of Ninji (1242), when Yasutoki died, Tsunetoki succeeded to the office of regent (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden and the Hōreki Kanki). In the first year of Kangen (1243) he was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower and became Governor of Musashi (Note: following the Shōgun Shikken Shidai). In the fourth year of Kangen (1246), because of illness, he handed over the post to his younger brother Tokiyori. He shaved his head and died soon afterwards. His Buddhist name was Anraku (Note: following the Shōgun Shikken Shidai), and his sobriquet was Renge-ji (Note: following the Heishi Keizu).

¶Tsunetoki was a master of the bow; once, when hunting at Aizawa, he fitted a hikime arrow, the blunt whistling arrow, and shot at a bear, and at the sound of the string the bear fell dead (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). His two sons both became monks, and were called Ryūsei and Raijo (Note: following the Hōjō Keizu).

Iga Mitsusue

¶Iga Mitsusue was the eldest son of Satō Tomomitsu. Tomomitsu served in turn as Saemon-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Left Gate Guards, and Kebiishi, police commissioner, and became Governor of Iga. He was a veteran in military affairs, and Sanetomo once chose brave men from among his attendants to take turns on night duty on the north side of the resting chamber; he specially ordered Tomomitsu and Wada Yoshimori to join the night watch, to be his companions for consultation in his idle hours. Tomomitsu's daughter became the second wife of Hōjō Yoshitoki (Note: on consideration, the Sonpi Bunmyaku calls her the wife of Hōjō Masamura, but this is a mistake). For this reason father and son received special favor. In the third year of Kenpō (1215), when Tomomitsu died, Yoshitoki personally attended and presided over the funeral. Mitsusue became Saemon-no-jō and Kebiishi (Note: following the Azuma Kagami), and was called Iga-no-hōgan (Note: following the Azuma Kagami, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Shōkyūki).

¶In the early years of Jōkyū, Minamoto-no-Sanetomo was assassinated. Earlier, Fujiwara-no-Suetoki had been serving as Kyōto Shugo, Guardian of Kyoto, but on hearing of this disturbance he shaved his head and became a monk. Hōjō Yoshitoki, to prepare for any disturbance in Kyoto, sent Mitsusue to take charge of its protection. Soon he also sent Ōe-no-Chikahiro, and the two together were to keep order in the capital (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the third year of Jōkyū (1221), the Retired Emperor Go-Toba, wishing to destroy the Hōjō, summoned Chikahiro and Mitsusue. Mitsusue had received word from Fujiwara-no-Kinitsune and already knew that matters were pressing, so he replied: "Recently troops and horses have been gathering, and baseless rumors fill the streets. My duty is guarding, so were anything to happen I ought to be informed first, yet I have heard no edict. That I am summoned only now leaves me privately perplexed. I venture to decline." A further imperial order came: "The matter must be conveyed in person. Come at once, and do not disobey." Mitsusue said: "To take orders and face the enemy is a subject's duty. But to enter the palace lightly is none of my concern." And he did not go.

¶His followers urged him to flee to Kamakura, but Mitsusue said: "My duty is guarding. If I ran away first when disaster comes, how could I atone for my own fault? Moreover the roads are now blocked, so how could I escape even if I tried? Rather than collapse by the roadside and leave behind a shameful name, it is better to die here and make clear that I had no divided heart." At this time most of his followers had run away, and those who remained numbered only twenty-seven.

¶His eldest son Mitsutsuna, fourteen years old, was called Juō Kaja. Mitsusue said: "You are still young and weak. Take refuge with someone you are close to, and wait until you are grown to serve the shogunate." Mitsutsuna said: "While my father is about to die for his duty, how could I as his son bear to leave?" Mitsusue was glad of this.

¶The next morning he closed the two gates at Kyōgoku and opened the earthen gate at Takatsuji and waited. At noon the imperial army attacked. His followers met them and the imperial army could not advance, and tried to hack through the Kyōgoku gate. Mitsusue scolded his followers and had them open the gate. Mano Tokitsura, Saemon-no-jō, advanced first, but Mitsusue shot at him and Tokitsura withdrew. Miura Taneyoshi, Kebiishi, came forward and called Mitsusue an enemy of the court. Mitsusue said: "That you deceived your lord and stirred up disorder I know well. Do you still mean to speak? Now I will not forgive you." So saying he loosed an arrow and hit Taneyoshi's bow.

¶When Mitsutsuna saw Sasaki Takashige, Kebiishi, coming, he took up an arrow and said: "You once placed the cap of manhood on me and promised to make me your son-in-law. Now, as I am about to die, I venture to return the arrow you gave me as a token of parting." So saying he shot and hit Takashige in the chest, but being young and weak in the arm he could not pierce the armor. Takashige pitied him, shed tears, and withdrew.

¶The imperial army vied to press in, and the followers scattered and fled. Only Nieda Saburō, with his brother Shirō, fought with all his strength, and Saburō, gravely wounded, killed himself. Mitsusue set fire to his own residence. He first killed Mitsutsuna and threw him into the flames, then cut his own belly, lay down upon the corpse, and burned to death. Nieda Shirō also killed himself (Note: following the Shōkyūki).

¶Mitsusue's sons were Mitsutsuna and Suemura (Note: following the Azuma Kagami), and Tokishige (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Masako summoned Mitsusue's four orphans, shed tears and comforted them, saying: "You all resemble your father. Devote yourselves to loyalty and constancy, and do not let the honor of your house fall" (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). As for Suemura, in the Karoku years Yasutoki, on Masako's instruction, gave him the former estate of Mitsusue, Shiogome estate in Hitachi province (Note: the Azuma Kagami has an omission here). Tokishige became a Kebiishi (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Mitsusue's younger brother was Mitsumune.

Iga Mitsumune

¶Iga Mitsumune became Saemon-no-jō and was called Iga Ichirō Saemon-no-jō (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). At the end of Kenpō, five shoshi, officials, of the Samurai-dokoro were established, and Mitsumune was one of them. In the early years of Jōkyū he was transferred to Mandokoro Shitsuji, Steward of the Administrative Office, and later, on receiving a court office, became Shikibu-no-jō, Secretary of Ceremonial.

¶Now Hōjō Yoshitoki had married Mitsumune's younger sister as his second wife, and she bore Masamura and a daughter. The daughter married Fujiwara-no-Sanemasa, Sangi, Counsellor, so Sanemasa was summoned to serve the shogunate. When Masamura came of age, Yoshitoki, since Miura Yoshimura was a veteran commander of merit, asked him to perform the cap-conferring office, and through this the two houses became close (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the first year of Gennin (1224), when Yoshitoki fell gravely ill, Yasutoki had not yet returned from Rokuhara. Yoshitoki's wife plotted with Mitsumune to depose Yoritsune, set up Sanemasa as shogun, and make Masamura regent. Mitsumune and his brother wielded power as they pleased. Mitsumune, together with his younger brothers Tomoyuki and Mitsushige, secretly made connections with officers and men. When Yoshitoki died, a rumor spread that "when Musashi-no-kami (Yasutoki) returns from Kyoto, he will kill his younger brothers, every one," and people were filled with apprehension.

¶When Yasutoki returned to Kamakura, Kamakura was in an uproar. Mitsumune and his brother repeatedly visited the house of Miura Yoshimura, and their conduct was greatly suspected by the world. They also gathered at the dwelling of Yoshitoki's wife and swore oaths. Yasutoki knew much of this but did not venture to question it. After more than ten days troops from the neighboring provinces gathered one after another, and the town below was almost filled with them.

¶Masako went secretly at night to Yoshimura's house and admonished him: "Since Musashi-no-kami returned, the world has been in turmoil. I hear it said: 'Mitsumune and his brother come and go at your house constantly and whisper in your ear. What is this about? Are they trying to remove Musashi-no-kami and seize his power?' The Jōkyū disturbance was the work of Heaven's will, but Musashi-no-kami's merit was greater than anyone's. Ōshū (Yoshitoki) quelled disorder many times and laid the foundations of the shogunate. Who but Musashi-no-kami is there to succeed to that post and become the pillar of the Kantō? If there were no Musashi-no-kami, how could any of you keep yourselves safe? You and Masamura are as close as father and son, and there is some suspicion that you are conspiring together. You must adjust matters well and settle them." Yoshimura apologized, saying he knew nothing of it. Masako rebuked him in a rage: "Are you setting up Masamura to raise a disturbance, or will you correct him and save him? Decide on one or the other." Yoshimura answered: "Mutsu Shirō (Masamura) has no other intention. It is only that Mitsumune and his men have set up a plan on their own. I shall press them hard and make them swear." Masako then returned.

¶About ten days later, officers and men wearing armor and raising banners rushed in vying with one another, and only after a night of commotion did things settle down. Masako, together with Tokifusa, escorted Yoritsune to Yasutoki's residence and repeatedly sent messengers to urge Yoshimura. Before long she summoned Yoshimura and said: "I am keeping the young lord (Yoritsune) here with me. You should not be outside. Come here quickly and attend upon us." Yoshimura could not decline.

¶Masako also summoned Oyama, Yūki, and the other commanders and said: "The lord is still young and weak, and a conspiracy of rebellion is afoot beneath him. I am old and ill and of no use in the matter, but how is it that none of you has any wish to protect the favor the late shogun (Yoritomo) left behind? If you unite your hearts and exert your strength, what is there to fear?"

¶A few days later Masako herself attended the place of judgment and said: "Mitsumune and the others meant to set up Fujiwara-no-Sanemasa as shogun. This plan has already come to light. But Sanemasa is of high standing at court, so it is difficult to punish him privately. We should petition the court and have it judge him." The wife of Ōshū (Yoshitoki) and Mitsumune and the others were all sentenced to exile, and the rest of the party were not pursued at all. Soon afterwards Sanemasa was sent away to Kyoto, and Tomoyuki and Mitsushige, together with Shikibu Tarō Munayoshi, Iga Saemon Tarō Mitsumori, and others, fled. When Masako returned to her residence, she confiscated Mitsumune's fifty-two holdings and had him confined in the custody of Nikaidō Yukimura, Mitsumune's uncle, and in the end exiled him to Shinano. She confined Yoshitoki's wife at Hōjō, and ordered Rokuhara to seize Tomoyuki, Mitsushige, and the others and exile them to Chinzei, that is, Kyushu. In the court's deliberation, Sanemasa was stripped of his office and exiled to Echizen (Note: following the Azuma Kagami; see also the Hōreki Kanki).

¶Mitsumune shaved his head in exile and took the Buddhist name Kōsai. The following year Masako died, and Yasutoki, to cultivate her posthumous blessing, recalled Mitsumune and the others and gave Mitsumune eight of his former holdings (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). Soon all were appointed to office again. Mitsumune became a member of the Hyōjōshū (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden and the Buke Bunin), and died in the first year of Shōka (1257), at the age of eighty (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden).

¶His sons were Munayoshi and Munatsuna. Munayoshi was Saemon-no-jō. His son Mitsumasa became Governor of Yamashiro (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and a member of the Hikitsukeshū, the Appeals Council (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden and the Buke Bunin). Munatsuna became Saemon-no-jō and a member of the Hyōjōshū. His son Mitsuyasu also became a member of the Hyōjōshū (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).