Hōjō Takatoki 北条 高時 | |
|---|---|
 Hōjō Takatoki fighting with a group oftengu, as depicted in a print byYoshitoshi | |
| Shikken | |
| In office 1316–1326 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Shōgun | Prince Morikuni |
| Rensho | Hōjō Sadaaki |
| Preceded by | Hōjō Mototoki |
| Succeeded by | Hōjō Sadaaki |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1304-01-09)9 January 1304 |
| Died | 4 July 1333(1333-07-04) (aged 29) |
| Spouse | daughter of Adachi Tokiaki |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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Hōjō Takatoki (北条 高時, 9 January 1304 – 4 July 1333) was the lastTokusō and rulingShikken (regent) of Japan'sKamakura shogunate; the rulers that followed were his puppets. A member of theHōjō clan, he was the son ofHōjō Sadatoki, and was preceded asshikken byHōjō Mototoki.
Takatoki became regent at the age of eight, and thus actual power was held for a time byAdachi Tokiaki ofAdachi clan, his grandmother, andNagasaki Takasuke of Nagasaki clan, a minister and retainer ofHōjō assigned to him by his father Sadatoki. Takatoki fell ill in 1326, at the age of twenty-three, some time after having taken power himself; the shogunate was under attack at this time, and would fall within a few years. Takatoki retired and became a Buddhist monk, though he still held some influence at shogunate. That same year, the shogunal government askedEmperor Go-Daigo to abdicate in favor of his successor, in order to continue the tradition ofcloistered rule and the alternation of branches of the Imperial family within the line of succession; Go-Daigo chose to maintain rule, and the ensuing controversy would lead to theNanboku-chō Wars in which agents of the two Imperial branch families would come to outright war.
George Sansom thus describes this move on the part of the shogunate a "fatal blunder" and describes Takatoki as "scarcely sane. His judgement was poor, his conduct erratic. He indulged in extremes of luxury and debauch". Upon retirement, he handed over his duties to "certain unworthy deputies".[1] In 1331, as events began to come to a boil, Takatoki argued with his advisor Nagasaki over how to react to theBurei-kō plot, in which members of theHino clan, loyal to Go-Daigo, conspired against the shogunate. This was but one of many events leading up to the outbreak of war, and the conflicts within the shogunal administration, between Takatoki and others, meant slow reactions and inadequate handling of such situations.Ashikaga Takauji would soon be placed in command of the shogunate's armies, to be mobilized against Go-Daigo's supporters; strongly supported by Takatoki, while this support and trust was misplaced, for Takauji would soon use these same armies against Kamakura, tearing down theMinamoto/Hōjō government and establishing his ownAshikaga shogunate.
Takatoki committed suicide alongside his family during the 1333Siege of Kamakura, one of the most dramatic events of that war, when forces ofNitta Yoshisada set fire toKamakura, putting an end to the Kamakura shogunate.[2] His oldest son,Hojo Kunitoki was killed inSiege of Kamakura and his second sonHojo Tokiyuki was the last son ofHojo Clan. Takatoki's brotherHojo Yasuie helpedHojo Tokiyuki after his father's suicide.
| Preceded by | Hōjō Regent 1316–1326 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Tokusō 1311–1333 | Succeeded by (none) |
| International | |
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| National | |
