Ujizane Imagawa

Ujizane Imagawa is the twelfth head of the Imagawa and the son of Yoshimoto Imagawa as well as Lady Hayakawa's husband. Although he suffered numerous setbacks as clan leader, he found renown as a patron of the arts after surrendering to the Tokugawa. He was also famed for his love of culture and kemari, traits which have been given to his father in popular culture.

He placed forty-eighth in the Nobunaga no Yabou Taishi poll for most favorite father.

Role in Games
Ujizane is a non-playable officer who fights for the Imagawa clan in the Samurai Warriors series. Like his father, he does not appear in Samurai Warriors 2, but is present in the first Empires spin-off as leader of his faction.

In Samurai Warriors 4, he plays a prominent role in the Hōjō story where the conflicts in Suruga are given a particular highlight. First, the Hojo help repel the Tokugawa offensive at Kakegawa castle with Naotora Ii's allegiance. Secondly, they beat Shingen Takeda in a field battle at Enshu. Ujizane is portrayed as very cowardly and incompetent with many of his vassals defecting to the enemy. Regardless of the Hojo's efforts, Ujizane is soon rendered powerless and a deal is exchanged in where his life is spared and he can live out his days in peace while the other daimyo allocate the Imagawa's lands between themselves. In Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada, his role is much the same though he does share a far closer affinity to his wife, Lady Hayakawa.

In Pokémon Conquest, Ujizane is a generic warrior who shares his father's affinity for Bug type Pokémon, particularly the Pineco family.

Voice Actors

 * Yuki Sakakihara - Nobunaga no Yabou Hadou

Historical Information
Born as the eldest son of Imagawa Yoshimoto and Jōkei-in, Ujizane spent his formative years at Sunpu where he later married Lady Hayakawa in 1554 as part of an agreement between their respective clans and the Takeda. Their marriege yielded five children as well as one adopted son from the Hōjō.

Although Ujizane inherited the position of clan head after his father's death, his tenure was marred with insurrections and hostilities that offset the Imagawa's reign over Suruga, Mikawa, and Tōtōmi. Several vassals like Ii Naochika and Iio Tsuratatsu wanted to break away from the Imagawa, though only Tokugawa Ieyasu was successful in gaining independence. Ujizane, for his part, tried to appease the people with tax relief policies, though this failed to quell much of the hostile factions surrounding him.

Even with the Hōjō's assistance, the Imagawa soon lost Sunpu to the Takeda. In retaliation, Ujizane enacted a salt embargo against them, though it had little effect thanks to the Uesugi selling salt. Holed up in Kakegawa Castle alongside the loyal Asahina clan, Ujizane surrendered to the Tokugawa and was allowed to keep Suruga in exchange for their unanimous support. He eventually died at his family estate in Shinagawa.

While Ujizane was criticized for his indecisiveness, indulgent behavior, and military ineptitude, he found fulfillment through cultural endeavors like poetry and Kemari. Having taken the Buddhist name Sōkan in Edo, he became a master of the tea ceremony and frequented teahouses to socialize with the upper class. He even organized a Kemari exhibition at the request of Oda Nobunaga despite their clan's previous enmity.

As a poet, Ujizane received formal training from Tamekazu Reizei in writing and manners. He wrote 428 waka poems throughout his lifetime, some of which were penned during a religious pilgrimage from Hamamatsu to Okazaki. Some of these were found and reprinted in 1658.

Gallery
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