Hōjō Ujimasa was a Sengoku-period daimyō based in Sagami Province and the fourth head of the Later Hōjō clan.
【Anniversary of the Death of Hōjō Ujimasa】
July 11, Tenshō 18 (August 10, 1590)
Hōjō Ujimasa was the fourth head of the Later Hōjō clan and the son of Hōjō Ujiyasu.
Under Ujimasa, the Hōjō clan reached the height of its power, ruling a vast domain of approximately 2.4 million koku that stretched across the Kantō region and into parts of the Tōkai region.
However, the Hōjō were defeated in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Odawara Campaign. Ujimasa was ordered to commit seppuku together with his younger brother, Ujiteru, bringing the rule of the Later Hōjō clan to an end.
Inscribed on Ujimasa's uma-jirushi (battle standard) were the words:
「鑊湯に冷処無し」
“Kakutō ni reisho nashi.”
Literally, it means:
“In a cauldron of boiling water, there is no cool place.”
It is a Zen expression teaching that when faced with unavoidable hardship, one should not waste one's strength searching for an escape. Instead, remain within the situation and confront it with complete focus and unwavering resolve.
Words that speak of extraordinary determination.
KAZNO's Samurai Chronicle — July 11
Today, I introduced Hōjō Ujimasa in remembrance of the anniversary of his death.