Hojo Soun was a relatively minor samurai but capitalising on the quarrels of other samurai families he arose to great importance and even took the illustrious name of 'Hojo'. He is often seen as the first Sengoku daimyo.

Ise Shinkuro Nagauji, as was his original name (in 1493 he became a monk and adopted the name of 'Soun'), had few men under his command, just six in 1480, yet his success was such that by the time of his great-great grandson in 1590 his clan possessed tens of thousands. Ise Shinkuro steady rise up the social ladder began when his sister's husband, Imagawa Yoshitada, was killed in battle and his heir's inheritance, Ujichika, was put in danger as a result. But Shinkuro came to his aid with his six men and ensured that there would be no doubt to his succession. The grateful Ujichika thanked Shinkuro for his help by rewarding him with a castle.

More opportunities presented Soun with an opportunity to gain more riches. A young man called Chachamaru (nephew of Shogun Yoshimasa) was alienated and dispossessed by his father who ordered him to enter the holy orders as a monk. In response Chachamaru murdered his stepmother and brother-in-law and it was then that Soun became involved in the tussle and destroyed him. He then gained control of Izu province in 1493, which expanded his own growing territories. The following year Soun then secured what would be the Hojo clan's future capital: Odawara. He apparently arranged for the young lord of the castle to be murdered while he was out hunting. In 1512 the ancient shogunal capital of Kamakura was added to the Hojo territories followed by Arai in 1518. It was around this time that Soun took on the ancient aristocratic name of Hojo in order to associate his new and powerful family in this part of Japan with that of the shikken who ruled for 150 years. The new Hojo family (also known as the Odawara Hojo) also took the Kamakura Hojo's mon or badge.

Hojo Soun died at the impressive age of 88 and was renowned as a warrior and administrator whose own code of laws were a model for daimyo rule. He was also a prime example of how a relatively low-ranking samurai could attain great heights in the Sengoku period

Further Reading

Samurai Commanders 1 (Osprey Publishing) - Stephen Turnbull.

Samurai: The World of the Warrior (Osprey Publishing) - Stephen Turnbull.