Hojo Ujiharu (北条氏治)

Ujiharu HOJO was the fourth lord of the Sayama Domain in Kawachi Province.

He was born in 1639 as the second son of Ujitoshi HOJO, who was the second son of Ujimori HOJO, the first lord of the domain. Ujiharu became the adapted son-in-law of Ujimune in 1648 since Ujimune HOJO, the third lord of the domain, did not have a son. He succeeded the family headship after Ujimune's retirement and became the fourth lord of the domain on November 13, 1670. However, Ujimune neither had an audience with the Shogun nor had any official ranks. Since Roju (a member of shogun's council of elders) Masanori INABA opposed Ujiharu's succession to the family headship for that reason, an exceptional condition that Ujiharu was not allowed to succeed the family headship continued for a while. However, with help from the Tairo (chief minister) Tadakiyo Sakai, who was convinced by the HOJO family, Ujiharu was awarded with 10,000 Goku (crop yields) under the pretext of establishing a new domain, and thus he was able to succeed Sayama Domain.

He was appointed the Osobashu (Shogun's aid) in 1688 after he successively held various position including the Joban (castle administrator) of the Minakuchi-jo Castle in Omi province and the Obangashira (Chief guard) of the Nijo-jo Castle in Yamashiro Province. He died on July 10, 1695. He was 58 years old when he died. Ujitomo HOJO, Ujiharu's younger brother and an adapted child, succeeded the domain.

[Original Japanese]