Biographies CXXVIII: The Shogunal Retainers, Part XI

Hōjō Tokiyori

¶Hōjō Tokiyori was a son of Tokiuji (Note: following the Hōjō Keizu). His childhood name was Kaiju, and his common name was Gorō. In the third year of Katei (1237), his coming-of-age ceremony was held at the residence of his grandfather Yasutoki, where the shogun Fujiwara-no-Yoritsune himself served as sponsor, placing the cap on his head and bestowing his name (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Soon he was appointed Sahyōe-no-shōjō, Junior Lieutenant of the Left Gate Guards (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Kantō Hyōjōden), and was transferred to Sakon'e-no-shōgen, Lieutenant of the Left Palace Guards, and granted Junior Fifth Rank Upper (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). In the second year of Kangen (1244), Yoritsune handed his office to his son Yoritsugu. In the fourth year (1246), Tokiyori succeeded his elder brother Tsunetoki as shikken, the regent (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Teiō Hennenki).

¶Mitsutoki, Tokiyori's cousin on his father's side, enjoyed Yoritsune's favor and secretly plotted to seize Tokiyori's office in his place (Note: following the Hōryaku Kanki). Because of this, public feeling was unsettled; crowds gathered in Kamakura for no clear reason, and the common people shouldered their burdens and fled from the trouble. Tokiyori therefore used soldiers to bar those who sought to enter the shogunal headquarters. In the middle of the night the warriors all put on armor and raised banners, and moved to attack, some toward the headquarters and some toward Tokiyori's residence. When dawn came the disturbance had still not subsided, and Tokiyori posted troops on guard. Yoritsune sent an envoy to Tokiyori's residence, but Tokiyori refused and did not receive him. Mitsutoki, realizing that he could not escape, cut off his hair and begged forgiveness, and Tokiyori exiled him to Izu (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Tokiyori then sought Yoritsune's removal (Note: following the Hōryaku Kanki and the Rekidai Kōki) and ordered Miura Mitsumura and others to escort Yoritsune to Kyoto. Mitsumura wept before Yoritsune, and in his heart secretly held the resolve to welcome Yoritsune back. After he returned from the capital his scheme grew all the more fervent; he secretly carried weapons into his own estates, intending to raise a rebellion. His elder brother Yasumura knew of this and did not restrain him (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶Tokiyori's maternal grandfather Adachi Kagemori had been in conflict with Yasumura over power and was on bad terms with him, and so he told Tokiyori that Yasumura harbored disloyal intentions. Because Yasumura came from a family of meritorious retainers and was also a relation by marriage, Tokiyori still opened his heart to him and trusted him, treating him as generously as before; he had even made a father-and-son pledge with Yasumura's son Komaishimaru. One day when Tokiyori visited Yasumura's house, he found Yasumura's entire clan assembled; each of them, under the pretext of preparing a banquet, withdrew into the inner rooms and did not come out, and the atmosphere was not as it should have been. Tokiyori grew suspicious for the first time. At night he heard the clatter of armor, and fearing that something was afoot, he slipped away and went home. Yasumura was alarmed and frightened and made excuses. Tokiyori secretly sent men to observe his movements, and, learning with certainty that a plot of rebellion existed, ordered a strict guard. Soldiers from the neighboring provinces rushed to assemble, and Yasumura, struck with fear, sent an envoy to apologize and asked that the troops be disbanded. Tokiyori granted this, had the men stand down from their guard, and sent a letter to reassure him, even adding a written oath. Yasumura was glad and moved, but before his reply could arrive, Kagemori suddenly had his grandson Yasumori lead troops to attack Yasumura. Yasumura, startled and flustered, sent out his soldiers to meet them. Tokiyori had no choice but to order Hōjō Sanetoki, Kamon-no-suke, Assistant of the Bureau of Housekeeping, to guard the shogunal headquarters, and sent his younger brother Tokisada at the head of troops to attack the rebels, and had the house next to Yasumura's set on fire. A strong wind was blowing, and the flames spread fiercely; Yasumura's troops could not hold (Note: following the Azuma Kagami), and the whole clan fled to the Hokke-dō, the Lotus Hall, where they killed themselves (Note: following the Azuma Kagami, the Godai Teiō Monogatari, and the Hōryaku Kanki). Tokiyori reported the burning to Kyoto, ordered the shugo and jitō, the provincial constables and stewards, of the provinces to seize Yasumura's partisans on the spot, and sent Ōsuga Tanenori and Tō Sosen to attack Chiba Hidetane and his son, the husband of Yasumura's sister, at Kazusa Ichinomiya and destroy them (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the first year of Hōji (1247), he recalled Hōjō Shigetoki, Sagami-no-kami, who had been serving as commander at Rokuhara, and made him renpitsu, co-signatory to the regency (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Shōgun Shikken Shidai). In the first year of Kenchō (1249), Shigetoki was transferred to be Mutsu-no-kami, and Tokiyori succeeded him as Sagami-no-kami (Note: following the Shōgun Shikken Shidai and the Kantō Hyōjōden). In the third year (1251), he advanced to Senior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Kantō Hyōjōden). Yoritsune was angry at having been removed by Tokiyori, gathered troops in Kyoto, and a considerable number answered his call (Note: following the Hōryaku Kanki). Before the matter came to light, Sasaki Ujinobu happened to arrest Chō Kuren, the monk Ryōgyō, and others, and when Tokiyori had them examined, the whole affair was laid bare (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Hōryaku Kanki). Kuren and the others were executed or exiled (Note: following the Azuma Kagami), Yoritsugu was sent back to Kyoto, and Imperial Prince Munetaka was invited to become lord of Kamakura (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Shōgun Shikken Shidai). Tokiyori also adopted the daughter of the Regent Kanetsune and took her in as the Prince's consort (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Teiō Hennenki). In the first year of Kōgen (1256), Tokiyori fell ill and took Buddhist orders, with the dharma name Dōsū and the sobriquet Kakuryōbō. He had earlier built the temple Saimyō-ji at Yamanouchi, and he now withdrew to live there and recover; since his son Tokimune was still young, he entrusted his office to Hōjō Nagatoki, Musashi-no-kami, but he continued to take part in military and political affairs (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶One day a man named Suwa lay in wait for Igu Shirō as he returned from the Tsurugaoka shrine and shot him dead on the road. It was dark at the time and the culprit could not be identified; Suwa was arrested and examined closely, but for a long time no conclusion was reached. Tokiyori summoned Suwa, cleared the room, and said, "Igu has been killed, and for a long while the culprit has not been made known. Yet your household retainer says, 'The deed came from you.' It has already been decided in council that you are to die. However much you might argue now, it will avail you nothing. If you tell the truth as it is, there may still be a way for you to live." Suwa was moved and wept, and confessed of his own accord: "Igu once took my estate from me. That is why I avenged myself." Tokiyori therefore ordered that his head be exposed (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Kantō Hyōjōden).

¶Although Tokiyori had already retired from office, he worried that among the officials of the provinces there might be some who, out of private feeling, were making the people suffer. Dressing himself in shabby clothes and posing as a wandering monk, he secretly traveled about in every direction to find out how matters stood in the world. When he found someone suffering from a false accusation, he asked about the circumstances (Note: following the Masukagami and the Taiheiki). On one occasion he said, "I was once in the service of Kamakura. I will plead for you," and wrote a letter in his own hand, handing it over with the words, "Take this to Kamakura." The man did as he said, and the false charge was at last cleared (Note: following the Masukagami). Reaching the Naniwa shore in Settsu, he sought lodging as the day was ending. The house had crumbling, leaning walls, and an aged nun lived there alone, cooking and serving him a meal with her own hands. Tokiyori saw that she did not seem accustomed to menial labor, and wondering at this, asked about it. The nun, tears streaming down her face, said, "My family had governed this village for generations, but unhappily I lost my husband and my children, the house fell into ruin, and in the end it was taken by another. I had no means of bringing a petition, and for more than twenty years I have lived alone, doing no more than keeping myself alive." Tokiyori pitied her, and when he returned to Kamakura he had her old holdings restored to her (Note: following the Taiheiki). In the other places he passed through as well, he secretly investigated the real conditions, and rewarded or punished according to what was good or bad. As a result the shugo and the district officials of the provinces grew careful of their conduct, customs became sincere, and the people lived in prosperity and peace (Note: following the Masukagami and the Taiheiki). In the third year of Kōchō (1263), Tokiyori died, at the age of thirty-seven (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Kantō Hyōjōden).

¶Tokiyori had a deep faith in the teaching of Zen and was nearly versed in its essence; for the Song monk Dōryū (Lanqi Daolong) he founded the temple Kenchō-ji in Kamakura and had him reside there. At the end of his life he put on a monk's patched robe, climbed onto a rope-seat, sat in meditation, and composed a verse. Its meaning was that the mirror of karma had hung on high for thirty-seven years, and that with one blow of the hammer it was shattered and the Great Way lay open and level. The Retired Emperor Go-Fukakusa sent an envoy to offer condolences, and the officers and men, whether close or distant in rank, wept and wailed in grief and longing for him; so many took the tonsure that the shugo of the provinces were ordered to forbid it. Such was the extent to which he had won the hearts of men (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Tokiyori had seen that after Yasutoki's death discipline slackened and lawsuits multiplied (Note: following the Taiheiki and the Masukagami), and in the measures he carried out during his tenure he adhered single-mindedly to the Jōei Code and followed the old institutions of the three shoguns, Yoritomo and his sons (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Warriors and commoners alike submitted to him in their hearts, and the realm was said to be well ordered (Note: following the Masukagami). Once he submitted a proposal to the shogun Yoritsugu, urging him to cultivate both letters and arms. He therefore selected several men, among them Nakahara Morotsura, Nui-no-kami, Director of the Wardrobe Bureau, Adachi Yoshikage, and Oyama Nagamura, and placed them at Yoritsugu's side to be ready for consultation. He also had a copy of the Zhenguan Zhengyao bound and presented to him. He often had his officers and men try mounted archery and compared their skill. By nature Tokiyori was frugal and plain, and did not allow himself more than two dishes at a meal. One night when he was at ease, Nobutoki, who was a father in the clan, happened to call on him. Tokiyori raised a cup in his hand and said, "Better than drinking alone is to share it with you, but at this late hour there is nothing to go with the wine. What is to be done?" Nobutoki immediately rose and went into the kitchen, and by the light of a paper torch he found some leftover miso and brought it to serve with the wine; the two drank through the night and ended in great enjoyment. Such was his plainness (Note: following the Tsurezuregusa).

¶Tokiyori had seven sons: Tokisuke, Tokimune, Munetoki, Masamune, Masayori, the monk Tokigon, and Munevori. Tokisuke at first bore the name Toshitoki (Note: following the Heishi Keizu); his common name was Saburō, and he became Shikibu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant of the Ministry of Ceremonial. In the early years of Bun'ei (1264–1275) he resided at Rokuhara South (Note: following the Shōgun Shikken Shidai). Because Tokisuke's mother was of low standing (Note: following the Hōjō Keizu), Tokiyori made Tokimune his heir. Tokisuke always harbored inward resentment. When Tokimune took over the headship of the house, he was ashamed to stand beneath him and secretly nursed a purpose of rebellion. When the matter came to light (Note: following the Hōryaku Kanki), Tokimune ordered Hōjō Yoshimune to attack him. Tokisuke resisted and died (Note: following the Godai Teiō Monogatari and the Kantō Hyōjōden). Tokimune put his partisans to death along with him. Tokimune has a separate biography. Munemasa became Ukon'e-no-shōgen, Lieutenant of the Right Palace Guards, and Musashi-no-kami, and served as a member of the Hyōjōshū, the Council of State. In the fourth year of Kōan (1281), he died (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). His son Morotoki was adopted by Tokimune, became Sagami-no-kami, and served as shikken in succession to Sadatoki (Note: following the Heishi Keizu, the Teiō Hennenki, and others). In the first year of Ōchō (1311), he died (Note: following the Hōjō Keizu and the Shōgun Shikken Shidai). Munetoki was Tōtōmi-no-kami. Masayori's common name was Saburō (Note: following the Heishi Keizu). Tokigon took the sobriquet Sakurada Zenji, the Zen master of Sakurada, and his son Sadakuni, Jibu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant of the Ministry of Civil Administration, died in defeat at Kamakura in the Genkō disturbance (1331–1333) (Note: following the Taiheiki). Munevori was Shuri-no-suke, Assistant of the Office of Repairs. In the early years of Kōan (1278–1288) he became Chinzei shugo, Constable of Kyushu, went out to live in Nagato, and died at his post (Note: following the Hōjō Keizu).

Aoto Fujitsuna

¶Aoto Fujitsuna was a man of Kazusa; his father was named Fujimitsu (Note: following the Kōchōki). Once, on a night when Tokiyori made a pilgrimage to the Tsurugaoka shrine and lodged there in purification, a god appeared in a dream and said, "If you wish to govern the world well, you should employ a certain Aoto." On awakening, Tokiyori sent down a letter the next day summoning Fujitsuna, and granted him several estates. Fujitsuna wondered at the reason and asked about it, and Tokiyori told him just as it was. Fujitsuna declined, saying, "In the Buddhist scriptures, to describe what has no real substance they say 'like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow.' If you now employ me because of a dream, will you not at some later day cut me down because of another dream? To receive a reward without merit is called being a traitor to the state. I have not yet achieved the slightest service, and I dare not accept." Tokiyori thought his words wise, respected him all the more and treated him with deference, and recommended him to the court, which appointed him Saemon-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Left Gate Guards, and made him a member of the Hikitsukeshū, the Court of Appeals. Someone once contested a field with the Tokusō holdings; his claim was just, but everyone around feared Tokiyori, and in the end the field was made to belong to the Tokusō holdings (Note: following the Taiheiki. At that time the head of the Hōjō house was called Tokusō; following the Baishōron). Fujitsuna reopened the case and had the field returned to its original owner. The original owner was delighted, wrapped up three hundred kan in coin, and secretly left it in Fujitsuna's garden and went away. Fujitsuna said indignantly, "Judging a suit and keeping it fair, is that for you alone? If you think me fair, then it is Lord Sagami (Tokiyori) who should be rewarded. How could your gift stain me?" And he sent the coin back to the man's house. Once, walking along a road at night and crossing the Nameri River, he accidentally dropped ten mon of coin into the water. Fujitsuna immediately ordered his attendant to buy torches for fifty mon, light up the water, and search, and in the end the coin was retrieved. When someone mocked him for spending a great deal of coin to pick up a trifling sum, Fujitsuna frowned and said, "You are exceedingly lacking in thought for the governing of the world. Ten mon is a small sum, but to lose it would be a permanent loss to the wealth of the realm. The fifty mon is a loss to me, but it too benefits others. Together that makes sixty mon, and the benefit is surely great." Those who heard it were convinced. Fujitsuna served two generations, Tokiyori and Tokimune, and his holdings amounted to several dozen places, but he took no heed of household wealth; he conducted himself with integrity and frugality, using coarse clothing and food, and did not even lacquer the scabbard of his sword. When he went out, he always had one man carry a wooden sword and follow behind him. Even when he was given office and came to hold a rank at which he should wear the guards' tachi sword, Fujitsuna made no show of ornament and merely added a bow-string pouch. By nature he loved to give alms, and distributed all the stipend he received among the poor. While in office he was upright and incorruptible, and did not fear the powerful. For this reason crooked officials hid their traces, men watched their own conduct, and within a short time customs were wholly transformed. To this day, all who speak of the fine achievements of Kamakura praise Tokiyori and Tokimune, but it is said that in truth much was owed to Fujitsuna's assistance (Note: following the Taiheiki).

Hōjō Tokimune

¶Hōjō Tokimune, whose childhood name was Masaju and whose common name was Sagami Tarō, was a son of Tokiyori (Note: following the Hōjō Keizu). At only seven years of age he had his coming-of-age ceremony at the residence of Imperial Prince Munetaka, who gave him the name Tokimune. He learned the bow in childhood and was known early for his skill. In the first year of Kōchō (1261), Imperial Prince Munetaka watched archery at his Gokuraku-ji residence and ordered a kogasakake, a small-target mounted shooting, whereupon everyone present declined, saying they were unaccustomed to the form. When Tokiyori called Tokimune and ordered him to do it, Tokimune rode onto the field and pierced the target with a single arrow. He was then eleven years old. Imperial Prince Munetaka could not stop marveling. Tokiyori was delighted and said, "This boy surely has the capacity to carry on the family's calling." In that year Tokimune was appointed Sama-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Director of the Left Bureau of Horses, and granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower. In the first year of Bun'ei (1264), he became renpitsu. In the second year (1265), for his services he advanced to Junior Fifth Rank Upper, concurrently became Tajima-no-gon-no-kami, and soon was transferred to Sagami-no-kami (Note: following the Shōgun Shikken Shidai, the Teiō Hennenki, the Kantō Hyōjōden, and others). In the third year (1266), attendants of Imperial Prince Munetaka plotted to assassinate Tokimune. When the matter came to light, Tokimune consulted with Hōjō Masamura and others and decided to "depose Imperial Prince Munetaka and send him back to Kyoto, and set up his son Koreyasu." In the fifth year (1268), he resigned as Sama-no-gon-no-kami but remained Sagami-no-kami as before. Originally, when Tokiyori took Buddhist orders Tokimune had been still young, and Hōjō Nagatoki and Hōjō Masamura had in turn performed the duties of shikken in his stead; now Tokimune became shikken (Note: following the Shōgun Shikken Shidai and the Kantō Hyōjōden).

¶The Yuan state sent a letter through Goryeo offering tribute and seeking relations, and Tokimune reported this to the court (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden, the Godai Teiō Monogatari, and others). In the court's deliberations, it was decided to have Sugawara-no-Nagashige, former Gon-chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor, draft a reply (Note: Nagashige's office and rank follow the Kugyō Bunin), and Tokimune's opinion was sought. Tokimune judged that the wording of the Mongol letter was discourteous and that no reply should be sent, and in the end the matter was set aside (Note: following the Godai Teiō Monogatari). In the eighth year (1271), Goryeo sent envoys to report that the Yuan would invade. Soon afterward the Yuan sent Zhao Liangbi with a letter demanding tribute. Tokimune reported both through Fujiwara-no-Sanekane, Dainagon, Major Counsellor. The Retired Emperor Go-Saga conferred with the high nobles and decided that "Nagashige's draft should be slightly revised and used as the reply" (Note: following the Kikki, the Teiō Hennenki, and others). Yet in the end no reply was sent in this case either (Note: following the Godai Teiō Monogatari. This book does not give the details of the matter, but considering the circumstances of the time, it must be that Tokimune did not agree, and so no reply was sent). In the winter of the eleventh year (1274), Yuan forces invaded the western frontier, but the officers and men of Chinzei met them and drove them back (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Hachiman Gudōkun).

¶In the first year of Kenji (1275), the Yuan again sent Du Shizhong, He Wenzhu, Sadurdin, and others, who reached Muroratsu in Nagato. Tokimune ordered Du Shizhong and the others seized, had them taken to Kamakura, and had them all beheaded (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). He then made Hōjō Sanemasa Chikushi Tandai, Commissioner of Tsukushi, to command military affairs. Selected officers and men of Chinzei were assigned to guard the coast. The Kyoto guard service, the Ōban-yaku, was suspended for the time being, and by economizing national expenditure and lightening the burdens of the people he prepared in advance for the attack (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). In the spring of the following year, he intended to send troops to attack Goryeo, and ordered the Saikaidō and the Sanin, Sanyō, and Nankai circuits to build and repair warships and replenish arms (Note: following the Nogami Monjo and the Satsuma Monjo). Soon the Yuan commanders Xia Gui and Fan Wenhu sent Zhou Fu and Luan Zhong as envoys, but these too were seized and beheaded at Hakata (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). In the fourth year of Kōan (1281), the Yuan raised a great army and sent its commander Fan Wenhu and others at the head of a fleet to attack Dazaifu (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Rekidai Kōki; for Fan Wenhu, the Yuanshi is followed). Tokimune had Utsunomiya Sadatsuna lead the troops of the Chūgoku region to defend against them (Note: following the Utsunomiya Keizu). Before they arrived, a violent storm arose, and the Yuan forces were sunk entirely in the sea (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, the Kantō Hyōjōden, and the Hōryaku Kanki). In the seventh year (1284), Tokimune died, at the age of thirty-four. His dharma name was Dōka and his sobriquet Hōkō-ji. His son was Sadatoki (Note: following the Heishi Keizu and the Shōgun Shikken Shidai).

Hōjō Sadatoki

¶Hōjō Sadatoki's childhood name was Kōju (Note: following the Hōjō Keizu). In the fifth year of Kōan (1282), he became Sama-no-gon-no-kami (Note: following the Shōgun Shikken Shidai and the Teiō Hennenki). In the seventh year (1284), he succeeded his father as shikken, at the age of fourteen. The following year he was appointed Sagami-no-kami (Note: following the Heishi Keizu, the Teiō Hennenki, the Hōryaku Kanki, and others). Adachi Yasumori, a maternal relative, and his son Munekage were arrogant, relying on the favor they enjoyed. Taira-no-Yoritsuna, the naikanrei, chief steward of the household, contended with them for power and sought to bring both down, and secretly slandered them to Sadatoki, saying, "Not long ago Munekage falsely claimed to be a natural son of the late Udaishō, Commander of the Right (Minamoto-no-Yoritomo), and has arbitrarily taken the Minamoto surname. This is nothing other than an ambition for the post of shogun." Sadatoki believed these words and investigated, and since there seemed to be evidence of the truth of it, he sent out troops, put Yasumori and his son to death, and wiped out their whole clan and followers. Yet Yoritsuna's desires were still not satisfied, and he plotted to set up his second son, the Awa-no-kami, as shogun, though Sadatoki did not know of it. Some years later, Yoritsuna's eldest son Munetsuna reported the conspiracy, and Sadatoki then put Yoritsuna and the Awa-no-kami to death and exiled Munetsuna to Sado. Soon he was recalled and made to succeed to his father's office, but later he again incurred blame and was banished to Kazusa (Note: following the Hōryaku Kanki).

¶In the second year of Shōō (1289), he deposed the shogun Imperial Prince Koreyasu and sent him back to Kyoto, and invited the Emperor's brother Imperial Prince Hisaaki to be installed as shogun (Note: following the Masukagami). In the third year (1290), a son of Hōjō Tokisuke plotted rebellion together with Miura Yorimori, and Sadatoki seized and executed them (Note: following the Hōryaku Kanki). In the fifth year (1292), Goryeo sent its subject Kim Yusŏng as envoy (Note: following the Dongguk Tonggam) and announced that "it would be well to communicate with the Yuan anew; otherwise force would be used again" (Note: following the Kugyō Chokushi Sangū Shidai). Sadatoki summoned Yusŏng and detained him without letting him return, and so the Yuan at last gave up its ambitions toward Japan (Note: following the Dongguk Tonggam). In the third year of Shōan (1301), after repeated promotions, he reached Junior Fourth Rank Upper. Soon afterward he resigned his office and took Buddhist orders, with the dharma name Sūen and the sobriquet Saishō-enji. In the first year of Ōchō (1311), he died, at the age of forty-one (Note: following the Heishi Keizu, the Shōgun Shikken Shidai, the Teiō Hennenki, and others).

¶Sadatoki admired the achievements of his grandfather Tokiyori, and after resigning his office he put on a monk's robe himself and traveled the provinces, observing customs and asking about the sufferings of the people. At that time Minamoto-no-Michimoto, former Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior, had incurred the displeasure of the Retired Emperor Go-Uda (Note: Michimoto's name follows the Sonpi Bunmyaku), had his estates taken from him, and was living shut away in a country house. Sadatoki came to the capital and happened to pass before the house; taking a liking to its quiet seclusion, he lingered about the neighborhood for a while. A man came out, and Sadatoki asked the name of the master of the house; the man answered in detail and told him as well of the circumstances in which he had been blamed and cast aside. Sadatoki said, "If the minister bears such a false accusation, why does he not appeal to Kamakura and state his case?" The man answered, "We too said so before, but the minister says, 'To expose a superior's fault in order to prove my own innocence is not the duty of a subject. Even if my house is cut off because of it, that is fate. What is there to lament?'" Sadatoki pitied him. After he returned to the east, he reported the matter to the court. The Emperor was greatly ashamed and regretted it, and restored Michimoto's estates as they had been. Sadatoki, exposed to wind and rain and sleeping in the open, tasted every hardship, and after about three years returned to Kamakura (Note: following the Taiheiki).

¶Now, after the death of Emperor Go-Saga, discord had arisen between the Retired Emperor Go-Fukakusa and the Emperor Kameyama (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki and the Masukagami). The Retired Emperor sent an envoy to instruct Tokimune (Note: following the Masukagami), having him say that "the late emperor's (Go-Saga's) original intention was not necessarily to set aside the senior line and set up a junior one" (Note: following the Masukagami and the Ibon Taiheiki). Tokimune then inquired of the Ōmiya-in, and learned for the first time that the late emperor's wish had rested with Emperor Kameyama; but as it could not be overturned, he left matters as they were (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki). When Emperor Go-Uda ascended the throne, the Retired Emperor Go-Fukakusa, in his indignation, wished to take Buddhist orders. Hearing this, Tokimune was grieved, and he deliberated and said, "Although the late emperor's wish rested wholly with Emperor Kameyama, if we consider the origin of the matter, Emperor Go-Fukakusa was the late emperor's legitimate eldest son and committed no failing of virtue while on the throne. If a crown prince is to be set up, he should be chosen from among Emperor Go-Fukakusa's descendants." He therefore hastily reported to the Retired Emperor Kameyama, and Imperial Prince Hirohito, a son of Go-Fukakusa, was installed as Crown Prince to Emperor Go-Uda. Prince Hirohito soon ascended the throne, and this was Emperor Fushimi (Note: following the Masukagami).

¶Emperor Fushimi secretly sought to secure his own position, and privately instructed Sadatoki, saying, "Formerly, when Emperor Kameyama was on the throne, he bore deep resentment that your ancestors had banished Emperor Go-Toba to Oki, and he vowed to take revenge. As there was then no opening, he did not act lightly. If now the descendants of Emperor Kameyama remain long on the throne and the hearts of men turn to them and submit, it will surely be to your disadvantage. By the lingering virtue of the late emperor I have been favored to obtain this weighty position. I desire only to unite my heart with yours, join our strength, and bring about a peaceful age; I have no other thought." Sadatoki deeply approved this, and, not wishing the descendants of Emperor Kameyama to inherit the imperial line again, he at last joined his plans with the Emperor's and set up Emperor Go-Fushimi (Note: following the Baishōron). Because of this the Retired Emperor Go-Uda was displeased, and sent Fujiwara-no-Sadafusa, Sachūben, Middle Controller of the Left, to Kamakura to rebuke Sadatoki, saying, "A country must not have two lords. Why do you repeatedly go against the edicts of the late emperor?" Sadatoki then fixed a plan under which the descendants of the two emperors, Go-Fukakusa and Kameyama, would alternately take the throne, each for a term limited to ten years. The sons of the two retired emperors were to be set up first, and the throne was to be handed on in due order. At this time Emperor Go-Fushimi had been on the throne for only three years when he suddenly yielded it to Emperor Go-Nijō, and the matter was for the time settled. But the Genkō disturbance had its very origin here (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki, the Baishōron, and others).

¶He had sons, Takatoki and Yasuie, each of whom has a separate biography.