Background
Yoshitoki was born in 1162. He was the son of Tokimasa.
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Yoshitoki 北條義時
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When Yoritomo Minamoto rose in revolt against the Taira family, he and his father followed him in his campaigns. Yoshitoki then followed Noriyori Minamoto and rendered valuable services in destroying the Taira family. After the death of Yoritomo, he held important posts in the Kamakura Shogunate. When his father, Tokimasa, attempted to get rid of Shogun Sanetomo, he replaced his father as Shikken. Defeating Yoshimori Wada (1213), Yoshitoki became the unrivalled military as well as civil administrator.
In 1219, he instigated Kugyo, son of Yoriie, to murder Shogun Sanetomo and then put Ku.gyo to death as the murderer of Sanetomo. Yoshitoki then brought Yoritsune Fujiwara from Kyoto and made him Shogun. When ex-Emperor Gotoba ordered Imperial forces to attack YosMtoki (1221)，he sent a large army led by his sons, YasutoKi and Tokifusa, to Kyoto. The Hojo forces routed the Imperial forces. Yoshitoki put a stop to the government of ex-Emperor Gotoba, deposed Emperor Chukyo and enthroned Emperor Gohorikawa and exiled ex-Emperors Gotoba, Tsuchimi- kado and Juntoku to far-off islands. He established in Rokuhara, south of Kyoto, military headquarters to supervise the Imperial Court.
