Hōjō Ujimasa

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Hōjō Ujimasa (北条氏政, Hōjō Ujimasa^?)(1538-1590) was the fourth head of the late Hōjō clan, and daimyo of Odawara. He commanded in many battles, consolidating his clan's position, and retired in 1590. His son Hōjō Ujinao became head of the clan and lord of Odawara, but later that year they failed to hold Odawara against the forces of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (see Siege of Odawara (1590)). Ujimasa was forced to commit suicide along with his brother Ujiteru.

Like many samurai who committed seppuku in the face of shameful defeat, Ujimasa composed a death poem:

Autumn wind of eve

Blow away the clouds that mass

O'er the moon's pure light.

And the mists that cloud our mind

Do thou sweep away as well.

Now we disappear

Well, what must we think of it?

From the sky we came

Now we may go back again

That's at least one point of view.

[edit] Appearances in popular culture

Hōjō Ujimasa has appeared as an NPC in Capcom's video game Sengoku Basara. He is portrayed as an aged man who fights for his ancestors. He wields a spear with hooked blades. In Devil Kings, he is renamed Orwik.