Hōjō Tokiyuki

Who was Hōjō Tokiyuki?

Hōjō Tokiyuki was a samurai of the Hōjō clan who fought both for and against the Imperial Court. His father was Hōjō Takatoki, last Regent and de facto ruler of the Kamakura shogunate.

Tokiyuki had fought against both the Imperial forces and those of the Ashikaga in order to save the Kamakura shogunate, of which his clan had been the ruler for over a century. After the 1333 siege of Kamakura, his father's seppuku and the almost complete destruction of his family, he escaped to Shinano province and the home of Suwa Yorishige, where he gathered an army with which to return and try to regain power. He re-entered Kamakura in 1335, forcing Ashikaga Tadayoshi to flee before he was forced to flee himself by Tadayoshi's elder brother and future shogun Ashikaga Takauji.

Shortly after his defeat, Tokiyuki asked to be pardoned by Emperor Go-Daigo, and formally entered into the service of the Southern Court, fighting under the command of Kitabatake Akiie, and later Prince Munenaga. He also aided in the 1352 recapture of Kamakura, led by Nitta Yoshioki. However, when Nitta was pursued by Ashikaga Takauji and sought refuge in Echigo Province, Tokiyuki fled to Sagami province, where he was discovered and beheaded by forces loyal to the Ashikaga.