--- Kitsuno <
samurai-listowner@...>
wrote:
> Anyone have any English sources for the below
> invasion of Izu? I
> only have one Japanese source which isn't very
> clear, and no english
> sources available to me.
7 pages of hits on Yahoo (English), but 50% of them
were about the anime "Ranma 1/2", which apparently has
one character named Soun and one named Hojo. Who knew?
The other range from, well, SAMURAI-ARCHIVES.COM (I
was really tempted to post THAT for you, he he) to
some pages claiming Hojo Soun was a model samurai and
a textbook practitioner of Bushido (this from the same
site that COMPLETELY butchers the Chushingura
story--did you know the 47 ronin killed the Shogun?
It's true--I saw it on the web). One excerpt I found
follows:
" 1507-51
A typical Sengoku daimyo, who rose by his wits
Soun founded the 'later' Hojo. This clan is to be
distinguished from the Hojo of the Kamukura Period.
His original name was Ise Shinkur�, but he took the
tonsure and assumed a monk's name, Soun. He was
probably born into the Ise family of Kyoto, although
this is not certain and details are unclear. In the
Sengoku Period there were many who rose to prominence
from humble beginnings, and so whose early life is not
recorded. Skill in war assured such men a place among
the 'upstart' daimyo class.
Soun won the trust of the Imagawa when he interceded
in their internal familial disputes. He was given
charge of Kokokuji Castle, which had a strategic
location guarding the Kanto. In 1491, he built
Nirayama Castle to reside in. Soun gained control of
Izu, and took Odawara Castle in Sagami, thus mounting
the first step in the unification of the Kanto. He
organised the development of towns around his castles,
conducted land surveys, and laying the foundations of
long-lasting rule.
In 1518, control of his house was usurped by Hojo
Ujitsuna. Soun died the following year at Nirayama
aged 88. He was regarded as a calm and honest man who
would rather govern in peace than attack, and he is
said to have been love by his people. He rose from
being a nameless wanderer to being the master of the
entire states of Izu and Sagami through his wits, and
his efforts ensured Hojo rule for five generations and
over a century. He was also a man of great physical
beauty, without which none of this might have been
possible."
http://www.sengoku-expo.net/text/person/E/172.html
I wasn't aware that Soun's son, Ujitsuna, "usurped"
power. Takeda Shingen, yeah, he usurped power from his
father. My recollection is that Soun retired while he
could "mentor" his son, and that became a practice in
the Go-Hojo family.
I'm next going to hit Japanese Google, but I think you
may be out of luck when YOUR website is the best
source on the web in English--fabulous accomplishment,
but it's not going to help YOUR knowledge that much!
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail