[To Kamakura (21)] Hojo Tokimasa, The Final Conspiracy

This is the 21st installment.
Last time, I wrote about how Hojo Tokimasa lost his centripetal force after killing Hatakeyama Shigetada, the model of a Kamakura samurai.

His son, Hojo Yoshitoki, confronted Tokimasa with his anger head-on, and the potential conflict between the Hojo father and son finally surfaced.
Cornered, Tokimasa decided to take a gamble.

Rewards for the suppression of the Hatakeyama clan

About two weeks after the death of Hatakeyama Shigetada due to false charges.
On July 8, Genkyu 2 (1205), when the anger and sadness of the gokenin (vassals) likely still remained, the rewards for the suppression of the Hatakeyama clan were distributed.
Even if Shigetada was innocent, since they acted under the Shogun's orders, they were granted land.
"Go-on and Hoko" (favors and service) is the pillar of the Kamakura Shogunate.

This important distribution of rewards was carried out by the Shogun's birth mother, Masako, acting on behalf of the young Sanetomo.
This meant that Hojo Tokimasa had been stripped of the authority to act on behalf of the Shogun in the most important exercise of power, the granting of "favors" (Go-on), by his daughter, Masako.

As I wrote before, Tokimasa is who he is today because Minamoto no Yoritomo took Masako as his wife; Yoritomo did not take Masako as his wife because he valued Tokimasa's ability or family lineage.
Politically speaking, "Father Hojo Tokimasa exists because of Masako".
Tokimasa's power had the weakness that it would collapse all at once when Masako decided he was no longer useful.

With Masako directly acting on behalf of the Shogun's power, the beginning of Tokimasa's decline and ruin became clear to everyone's eyes.

Hojo Tokimasa's final gamble

However, Hojo Tokimasa and Maki no Kata were not the kind of couple to just quietly step down.
Masako can act on behalf of the Shogun's power because she is the Shogun's birth mother.
In that case, it would be better to replace the Shogun.
Tokimasa and Maki no Kata plotted to kill Sanetomo and make their son-in-law, Hiraga Tomomasa, the Shogun.
They must have thought it was fully achievable if it were Tomomasa, a Shinano Genji who was well-regarded by Retired Emperor Go-Toba as a court noble.

However, this conspiracy was exposed in advance.
On the 19th of the intercalary seventh month, at Masako's instruction, Yuki Tomomitsu, Miura Yoshimura, and others were sent to Tokimasa's Nagoe residence, which had become the Shogun's palace, and took Shogun Sanetomo out.

Yuki Tomomitsu (Kikuchi Yosai, "Zenken Kojitsu")

Sanetomo entered Hojo Yoshitoki's residence, and all the gokenin who had been guarding the Shogun at the Nagoe residence also moved to Yoshitoki's residence.
With this, Tokimasa, having exhausted all options, realized his defeat and decided to become a monk.
A schemer drowns in his own schemes.
It was the downfall of a conspirator who had destroyed his powerful political enemy, the Hiki clan, and had seized the Shogunate's power by replacing the Shogun.

The next day, the 20th, Hojo Yoshitoki replaced his father, Tokimasa, as Mandokoro Betto (Shikken/Regent). Tokimasa headed to Izu Province, his former base, and lived in seclusion there until his death.

As soon as he became Shikken, Yoshitoki ordered the suppression of Hiraga Tomomasa, who had been a candidate for Shogun.
On the 26th, Hiraga Tomomasa was killed in Kyoto.
The one who struck him down was Yamauchi Sudo Michimoto. He was the son of Yamauchi Sudo Tsune-toshi, who had fled during the Mikka Heishi Rebellion and had his governorship of Ise and Iga taken by Tomomasa.

The dawn of a new era

Not long after Tokimasa's downfall, on August 7, rumors of rebellion arose regarding Utsunomiya Yoritsuna of Shimotsuke Province, and his suppression was planned.

Utsunomiya Yoritsuna (painted by Utagawa Sadahide)

Since Yoritsuna's wife was the daughter of Tokimasa and Maki no Kata, the reality was that he was targeted by Masako and Yoshitoki, and I think there was no plan to actually commit treason.
In any case, because Yoritsuna became a monk and asked for forgiveness, the suppression was called off.

Following the death of Minamoto no Yoritomo, bloody conflicts between retainers involving the Shogunate have continued until this year, but with this, the series of disputes will come to an end.
A political system led by siblings Hojo Masako and Yoshitoki supporting Shogun Sanetomo will be established, and the shogunate government will enter a period of stability.

Retired Emperor Go-Toba will continue to support Shogun Sanetomo from Kyoto, and cooperation between the imperial court and the shogunate will strengthen.
However, he must have had mixed feelings about the fact that Hiraga Tomomasa, whom he trusted and kept by his side, was killed in a conflict within the shogunate. After all, Tomomasa was also a subject of Retired Emperor Go-Toba.
It was only six days from Tokimasa's downfall to Tomomasa's death.
I believe it is unlikely that Masako and Yoshitoki consulted with Retired Emperor Go-Toba's side about the assassination of Tomomasa in advance(*Perhaps it was not a consultation, but rather an ultimatum?)
Later, Retired Emperor Go-Toba would lose even Shogun Sanetomo, whom he trusted most, in the conflicts within the shogunate, and the murder of Tomomasa was a precursor to that.
Around the time of Tomomasa's death, Retired Emperor Go-Toba, in addition to the existing Hokumen no Bushi (Northern Guards), newly established theSaigomen no Bushi (Western Guards)to strengthen the military power of the Retired Emperor's court.

Next Episode Preview

Biographies of those who have fallen from power.
Next time is a special edition: "Biography: Hojo Tokimasa."

Aside

From the first episode to this one, many retainers have lost their lives to schemes and assassinations.
Minamoto no Noriyori, Yasuda Yoshisada, Kajiwara Kagetoki, Ano Zenjo, Hiki Yoshikazu, Minamoto no Yoriie, Hatakeyama Shigetada...

Hojo Tokimasa's downfall is only a temporary peace, but I still feel it is a clean conclusion to this chain of conflicts, flowing from the death of Hatakeyama Shigetada, who stood by his justice and hated murky schemes, to Hojo Yoshitoki's straightforward anger at Shigetada's death, and the failure of Hojo Tokimasa's plot to replace the Shogun.
Since the influence of the Azuma Kagami, which honors Yoshitoki, is strong, I think there are some parts that have been beautified, but I still like the flow from the previous episode to this one.