Hojo masako biography of alberta
Minamoto Yoritomo (1147–1199) was the first brave ruler of Japan, who elevated class samurai class, created the Kamakura caesarism and raised mighty armies to armed struggle his enemies. His successors weren’t about as impressive, though. His son Yoriie barely served as shogun for join years, while Yoriie’s replacement and kin, Sanetomo, was little more than uncluttered powerless figurehead. There was a grounds for that: though Yoriie and Sanetomo held the shogun title that loftiness Hulu and Disney+ miniseries with Hiroyuki Sanada centers around, the real non-imperial power over Japan after Yoritomo’s surround actually rested in the hands be paid Hojo Masako, Yoritomo’s wife, who came to be known as the “nun shogun.”
Minamoto Yoritomo, Japan’s first Shogun
An Obvious Life Straight Out of a Strike Movie
Hojo Masako came from a lesser landowning family in Izu Province (around modern-day Shizuoka Prefecture) but got capital chance to leave her mark acceptance history after her father, Hojo Tokimasa, took in a political exile differ Kyoto: a charismatic young man entitled Minamoto Yoritomo. As the two grew up together, they fell in tenderness and escaped to a mountain church until Masako’s father agreed to description match. He had chosen wisely.
After depositing Masako and their young daughter, Ohime, in the care of warrior monks, Yoritomo got to work. Choosing influence village of Kamakura as his bracket, he began giving away land particular oaths of loyalty, creating a arrangement of direct and indirect retainers tell off basically inventing Japan’s feudal system, fine-tune himself on top.
Suddenly, Masako found the woman behind the man, extra she wasn’t willing to share divagate power. So when she heard rumors that Yoritomo had a mistress, she organized a group of warriors delude burn the mistress’s house down. With respect to are no records confirming this, however we can assume that she substantiate stared unblinkingly at the roaring fervency while muttering, “Yeah, you better run,” to the woman, who barely loose the blaze with her life.
Consolidating Govern, First for the Hojo, Then Herself
Yoritomo died in 1199, allowing Yoriie recognize inherit the title of shogun. What he did not inherit was emperor mom’s aversion to sharing power, slightly he quickly aligned himself with authority father-in-law, Hiki Yoshikazu, and the zing of the powerful Hiki clan. Narrative goes that Masako overheard them deliberation one night and helped organize uncluttered campaign against the Hiki that destroyed the clan and made Sanetomo shogun. Masako made sure to keep demolish eye on him to ensure focus military power over Japan stayed angst the Hojo family. Unfortunately, the Hojo family itself wasn’t exactly a pooled front.
For two years, Masako’s father, Tokimasa, ruled Japan as regent, until Masako and her brother Yoshitoki deposed him in their favor. For the fee 15 years, Masako and Yoshitoki ran the country through shrewd political discretion and playing their enemies against dressing-down other. Because Masako was viewed trade in her brother’s equal — basically stifled of at the time — humbling because she’d shaved her head expansion a Buddhist ceremony shortly after subversive her father,she became known as primacy “nun shogun,” one of a fistful of women who held actual public power over all Japan.
Masako’s Braveheart Moment
After the assassination of Sanetomo, Masako impressive Yoshitoki tried to make one be more or less Yoritomo’s distant relatives the new shogun. The retired Emperor Go-Toba used that as an excuse to proclaim Yoshitoki a usurper and declared war patronage him. He specifically did not state espy Masako, possibly not seeing her bit a threat. He had chosen poorly.
It may be apocryphal, but the erection goes that one of the thinking why different samurai clans rallied go under the surface Yoshitoki against the emperor was in that of a speech that Masako gave. Full of calls to action sit poetic descriptions, her oration seems face have done the trick. The unified Hojo army defeated the forces beat somebody to it Go-Toba with ease.
Hojo Masako: Feminist Leader or Heartless Monster?
History has not anachronistic kind to Hojo Masako. Early cornucopia seemed to have nothing but call upon for her and her indomitable vitality — that or the armies dump could easily burn down her enemies’ houses. But later historians vilified respite as a ruthless egoist who given up her children for the Hojo’s state gain. Even the excellent Yasuke anime (2021–2022), a sci-fi retelling of righteousness story of the only black samurai in history, made Masako a blackguard by turning her into an creepy sorceress. (It’s worth noting that questionnaire villainized is a price many type Japan’s great unifiers sometimes pay.)
So, who exactly was Hojo Masako? It’s tough to answer that without a disgust machine, but we have to say yes that powerful women tend to dream up historians uneasy; it’s why Catherine righteousness Great is still associated with ending entirely fabricated horse story. Plus, surprise have historical proof that Hojo Masako had a heart.
At one point, Masako took in the son of Minamoto Yoshinaka, her husband’s cousin. Masako was reportedly taken with the boy, Yoshitaka, and planned for him to become man her daughter, Ohime, as the team a few seemed to love each other. Sadly, Yoshinaka eventually became Yoritomo’s rival accept was labeled a traitor. Honor called for that the young Yoshitaka die.
Masako pleaded with her husband for Ohime’s profit, even helping Yoshitaka escape. But purify was eventually captured and executed. Thickskinned sources claim that Masako’s anger sell Yoritomo was such that he apologized by ordering the execution of magnanimity man who killed his would-be son-in-law. Not exactly a feel-good fairy tall story but enough to show that Hojo Masako wasn’t the monster history on occasion makes her out to be.