Ujiyasu Hōjō

Ujiyasu Hōjō is a new playable character featured in Samurai Warriors 3. He has been a non-playable character in the series since Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends. Known as the "Lion of Sagami", he is the third head of the Hōjō family. A fearsome warrior, he is also a cunning man who was said to have matched Shingen and Nobunaga's level of intelligence. He is famous for his strategies that defeated Shingen and Kenshin. He is Ujimasa Hōjō and Kagetora Uesugi's father.

He is symbolized by the characters "unadulterated" (粋) and "lion" (獅).

Role in Games
Since he purely gained his lands from his previous successors, Ujiyasu starts his story being called "the fool of Sagami" by his enemies in Samurai Warriors 3. When the Uesugi troops near Kawagoe refuse to listen to peace talks and taunt Ujiyasu, he uses their confidence against them and rouses his army for a night raid. After he leads a frontal assault on the surprised Uesugi army, he reunites with Tsunashige Hōjō to confront the enemy commander. Shingen and Yoshimoto appear on the field to stop him, but he ultimately succeeds. With his victory, Ujiyasu escalates his reputation. To protect his people, he decides to defeat Yoshimoto in Suruga while simultaneously driving back his other rivals, Shingen and Kenshin.

Ujiyasu soon becomes one of the main powers in the Kantō region. When Kenshin tries to conquer the area once more, Ujiyasu resists him at Odawara Castle. After Yoshimoto passes away at Okehazama, Shingen attacks the Hōjō. Overly confident in their victory, Ujiyasu's sons assemble in Mimasetōge to prevent Shingen's advance. Their father joins them later in the encounter to make sure that their plan actually succeeds. Thanks to him, they are able to locate the daimyo's true location on the field and claim victory. Following the conflict, Ujiyasu asks Shingen's reasons for going to war and the latter states his ambitions to rule the land. While Ujiyasu scoffs at the vision, he allows his rival to live as Ujiyasu is confident that he, Shingen, and Kenshin can always cancel the other's abilities.

With the trio on equal terms, they decide to unite their strengths to bring peace to Kantō and follow their respective ambitions. Wanting to live beside his people, Ujiyasu is content to guard Kantō in the other two daimyos' absence. Some time after their agreement, Masamune and Ieyasu attempt to invade his home and take it for themselves. As Ujiyasu resists them during the struggle, Kunoichi and Aya appear to his aid and Kantō is defended. Ujiyasu spends his spare time quietly fishing until Kunoichi and Kaihime arrive with a letter from Shingen. He reads it privately back at the castle, as it informs him that Shingen is now the land's ruler.

Personality
Ujiyasu is a master of war and a crafty general who aims to seize complete supremacy of the Kantō area. Although seemingly fearless and brazen, he is really a compassionate man who can easily understand and empathize the words of his countrymen, whether they are common man or soldiers.

Voice Actors

 * Unshō Ishizuka - Samurai Warriors 3 (Japanese)
 * Mugihito - Nobunaga's Ambition Online (Japanese)

Fighting Style
His cane sword is capable of multiple uses. He can use the bottom of his cane to fire bullets and he can manipulate his sword to use as a lance. Ujiyasu doesn't completely rely on his weapon, however, as he can perform physical attacks such as various headbutts and jumping elbows. He also uses explosives during his special attacks and Musou.

Weapons
Stage to clear for Unique Weapon - Defense at Kantō

Historical Information
Upon his father's death in 1541, a number of the Hōjō's enemies sought to take advantage of the opportunity to seize major Hōjō strongholds. Ogigayatsu Tomosada tried unsuccessfully to take Edo Castle, and a few years later, in 1545, an army led by Ashikaga Haruuji and Uesugi Norimasa besieged Kawagoe Castle. Hōjō Tsunashige, the stepson of Ujiyasu's brother Tamemasa and son-in-law of Ujitsuna, was outnumbered 3,000 to allegedly 80,000, and Ujiyasu led a relief force of 8,000 soldiers. Ujiyasu slipped a samurai past the enemy lines to inform Tsunashige of the enemy's approach, and made use of ninja to learn of the enemy's strategy and attitude. Using this intelligence, he led a night attack against the Ashikaga/Uesugi force. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Hōjō army defeated the besiegers because, under Ujiyasu's orders, they were not bulked down by heavy armor, and were not slowed down by seeking to take heads. This battle proved the end of the Ōgigayatsu Uesugi line and destroyed the prestige of Norimasa of the Yamanouchi Uesugi clan as the Governor-General of Kantō region, until Uesugi Kenshin, who had subsequently been adopted by Norimasa, assumed the post in 1561.

Hōjō Ujiyasu expanded the Hōjō territory, which now covered five provinces, and managed and maintained what his father and grandfather had held. He took Kōnodai in Shimousa Province in 1564 following a battle against Satomi Yoshihiro. Towards the end of his life he saw the first major conflicts between his own clan and Takeda Shingen, who would become one of the greatest warlords of the period. As a response to Hōjō's intervention in his invasion of Suruga Province, Shingen came into Musashi Province from his home province of Kai, attacking Hachigata and Takiyama Castles, where Ujiyasu's sons repulsed them. However, despite the intact castles behind him, Shingen pressed on to the Hōjō central home castle of Odawara, burning the castle town and withdrawing after three days. Two of Ujiyasu's seven sons fought Takeda at the battle of Mimasetoge in 1569, ending the first of the Takeda campaigns against the Hōjō.

Subsequently, Ujiyasu managed to make peace with Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, the most powerful adversaries of Hōjō, letting his seventh son be adopted by childless Kenshin and accepting the fait accompli of Shingen's reign over Suruga. Ujiyasu died in 1571, passing on the Hōjō domains to his eldest son Ujimasa in a relatively favourable situation.

Trivia

 * Ujiyasu was among the characters highly requested by Japanese fans.