Hojo Sadatoki

Japanese: 北条貞時 - ほうじょう・さだとき

Year of death: 1st year of Ocho, October 26th (1311.12.6)
Year of birth: Bun'ei 8 (1271)
The ninth regent of the late Kamakura Shogunate. Son of Hojo Tokimune and the daughter of Adachi Yoshikage (or Adachi Yasumori). Childhood name Kojumaru. After his father's death in 1284 (Kōan 7), he became regent at the age of 14. At that time, Adachi Yasumori, a maternal relative who was supported by the outside vassals in the Council of Ministers, was in conflict with Taira Yoritsuna, the internal kanrei (chief steward of the Hojo clan) who represented the power of the head of the Hojo clan (tokuso) and his subordinates (onnain). In November of the same year, Yoritsuna supported the young Sadatoki and defeated Yasumori (Shimotsuki Incident), and Yoritsuna's period of sole authority continued. However, in April of 1293 (Eijin 1), Sadatoki, who had just turned 23, executed Yoritsuna and took real power in the shogunate, reinstating Kanazawa Akitoki and others who had been ousted in the Shimotsuki Incident, and focused his efforts on controlling the Hojo clan and the onnain and outside vassals, forming a powerful ruling system with Tokuso at the top. First, Sadamune abolished the Hikkiju in October of the same year, replaced the Hikkiju head with a shuso, and decided that Sadatoki would directly decide on trials. He reinstated the Hikkiju two years later, but the power of the Tokuso was strengthened even more than before, and instead of the Council of Hyōjōshū, important matters of shogunate government were decided by a council of yorigaishū, which was composed of specific members centered around the Tokuso. This was known as Tokuso autocracy. The foundation of Sadatoki's government was the maintenance of the Gokenin system, and the most representative policy was the Tokuseirei of 1211. This was intended to protect and provide relief to the Gokenin, who were becoming impoverished, but he also worked to strengthen control over the Gokenin, for example by prohibiting excessive requests for retrial in 1300. In August of the following year, he became a monk (under the Buddhist name Sugyo, later Suen), and handed over the regent position to his son-in-law, Morotoki, but he continued to hold real power in the shogunate government as Tokuso. He is buried at Butsuni-an, Engaku-ji Temple. <References> Ryusaku, "Kamakura Period" Vol. 1; Shinichi Sato, "On the Despoticization of the Kamakura Shogunate" (Collection of Japanese Medieval History Essays); Takayuki Okutomi, "Basic Research on the Hojo Clan of Kamakura"

(Eiji Nitta)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：応長1.10.26(1311.12.6)
生年：文永8(1271)
鎌倉後期の幕府の9代執権。北条時宗と安達義景(あるいは安達泰盛)の娘の子。幼名幸寿丸。弘安7(1284)年父の死後14歳で執権に就任。このころ評定衆で外様御家人に支持されていた外戚の安達泰盛と,北条氏家督(得宗)被官(御内人)勢力を代表する内管領(北条氏の家宰)平頼綱とが対立していたが,同8年11月,頼綱は幼い貞時を奉じて泰盛を滅ぼし(霜月騒動),以後頼綱の専権時代が続いた。しかし,永仁1(1293)年4月,23歳に達した貞時は頼綱を誅して幕政の実権を握り,霜月騒動で失脚した金沢顕時らを復帰させ,北条一門以下御内人・外様御家人の統制に力を注いで得宗を頂点とする強力な支配体制を形成した。貞宗はまず,同年10月引付を廃し,引付頭人にかえて執奏を置き,貞時が裁判を直断することとした。2年後引付を復活したが,得宗の権限は前より一段と強化され,また評定衆の会議にかえて,幕政の重事は得宗を中心とし特定のメンバーで構成される寄合衆の会議で決定されるようになった。いわゆる得宗専制政治である。貞時の政治の根幹は御家人制の維持で,そのもっとも代表的な政策が永仁5年の徳政令であった。これは窮乏化しつつあった御家人の保護・救済を目的とするものであったが,一方正安2(1300)年には越訴(度を超えた再審請求)を禁止するなど御家人統制の強化にも努めている。翌年8月出家して(法名崇暁,のち崇演),執権職を聟の師時に譲ったが,その後も得宗として幕政の実権を握っていた。墓所は円覚寺仏日庵。<参考文献>竜粛『鎌倉時代』上,佐藤進一「鎌倉幕府政治の専制化について」(『日本中世史論集』),奥富敬之『鎌倉北条氏の基礎的研究』

(新田英治)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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