Sengoku Clan Introduction: Hojo news

The Hojo clan, or more specifically, the “later” Hojo / Odawara Hojo; to distinguish from the family with the same name in Kamakura period, was a powerful clan ruling most lands of the Kanto region during the Sengoku period.

The founder of the Hojo clan, Hojo Soun, used to be an official from Kyoto. By assisting the Imagawa clan, he gained his first fief, the Kokokuji castle. Later, he conquered Odawara castle in 1495 and went on to become one of the most powerful clans of the Sengoku period, rivaling Takeda and Uesugi clans. That was until the clans downfall after the Siege of Odawara (1590), in which the final ruler of the clan, Hojo Ujinao, was banished by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Hojo Ujiyasu, also known as “the Lion of Sagamino”, is the third ruler of Hojo clan. The Siege of Kawagoe is perhaps the most renowned battle Ujiyasu fought in, in which he lead 8,000 men and defeated the combined force of Ashikaga and Uesugi with 80,000. The victory was the peak of Hojo clan's power. But unfortunately, the successors of Hojo Ujiyasu had failed to achieve something greater.

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi became the Kanbaku, the Hojo clan was one of the last clans who didn't bend the knees to him, and denied his authority by refusing to go to Kyoto as Hideyoshi commanded. Angered by Hojo clan's resistance, Hideyoshi summoned an army of 220,000 men and besieged Odawara castle (1590) (the largest siege in Sengoku history, even bigger than the Siege of Osaka). Although Odawara castle had strong defense that repelled attacks of Uesugi (1561) and Takeda (1569), Hojo Ujimasa and his men lost their will to fight the overwhelming army, and surrendered. After Ujimasa committed seppuku and his son Ujinao was banished, the Hojo clan fell. Some of the Hojo land was split up and eventually given to Tokugawa. The last remnants of the Hojo clan went to Hōjō Ujinori, who was a friend of Toyotomi and younger brother of Hojo Ujimasa; being given a small land holding which he ruled throughout the Edo period.

At the peak of its power, the Hojo clan owned vest fertile lands with a good amount of horses, allowing them to mobilize massive forces of cavalry units. Their holdings covered Kamakura, which is famous throughout history for having skilled horse archers. Their unique unit, the Kamakura Yabusame, is a powerful cavalry archer with good range and attack, who fires 3 arrows at a time.

The Hojo clan were an excellent cavalry clan who excelled when it came to building castles. Odawara castle was a huge and powerful fortification, rivalring that of Osaka castle and others. It's been stated in some historical sources that Hojo even had fortified towers covered in metal plates to protect against Teppo and cannons. They are a defensive clan, with strong castles and siege units.

A group of Kamakura Yabusame and Yumi Ashigaru hold off from a Takeda assault.

All information here is subject to change. This is an alpha preview and may not represent the final game version, due to game re-balancing, new ideas or otherwise.