Talk:Hōjō Sōun

The Twenty-One Precepts of Hojo Soun

THE TWENTY-ONE PRECEPTS OF HOJO SOUN

Hojo Nagauji (1432-1519 A.D.)

Hojo Nagauji was a general of the late Muromachi Period who, through marriage and a succession of political maneuvers, became master of the Suruga, Izu and Sagami Provinces. His origins are obscure, but he may have been connected with the Heiji of Ise, and first went by the name of Ise Skinkuro. Later he married off his son, Ujitsuna, to a descendant of the ancient Hojo family and took their name for his own, supposedly for the prestige it would render and possibly to indicate his own political intentions. His line is called the Go-Hojo, or the Later Hojo.

Around 1475 Hojo Nagauji came to Suruga and attached himself to the Imagawa clan, later taking advantage of a succession problem within that clan to become master of the province. In 1491, under similar circumstances, he was able to add Izu to his domains; and finally in 1495, under the pretense of hunting for deer, he marched into Sagami, taking the castle town of Odawara. From this point, Nagauji extended his attacks and eventually his domains northward, fighting successively with the Uesugi and other neighboring clans. At Odawara he built one of the first great castle towns in Japan, attracting many samurai from other fiefs by its general prosperity and peace. In his later years he became a priest, taking the name Soun.

Like Asakura Toshikage, Hojo Soun has not received great praise from historians due to his somewhat cunning and ruthless methods in extending his domains. Yet he was admired by other daimyo as a good general and administrator. In addition to attract­ing more samurai to Odawara, he cut crop taxes from one-half to two-fifths of the harvest, and generally looked out for the welfare of his people.

The Twenty-One Precepts were written some time after Hojo Soun had become a priest, and reflect the fullness of his own experiences. The articles are basically rules for the daily life of the common warrior, and show his familiarity and sympathy for those in the lower echelons. The subject matter ranges from encouraging the study of poetry and horsemanship and the avoidance of games like chess and go, to advice on how to keep one's house in better order and well-protected. There is a strong tone of self-reliance throughout, reflecting Hojo Soun's unsparingly meticulous char­acter and his own rise to power.

The Twenty-One Precepts of Hojo Soun

Above all, believe in the gods and Buddhas.

In the morning, rise as early as possible. Rising late, one will be negligent as a servant and a hinderance to both the master's and one's own business; and, in the end, one will be forsaken by the master. Great prudence should be taken in this matter.

One should be soundly asleep at night before eight o'clock, for thieves are most likely to break in between midnight and two in the morning. Having useless long conversation at night, one will be asleep between 12 and two, his money will be taken, and damage will be done. This will not be good for one's reputation.

One should put away the firewood and lamp oil that would be uselessly burned away during the night, and at four in the morning rise and do his ablutions and devotions, dress oneself properly, explain the day's labors to his wife and retainers, and go to attend his work before six o'clock. According to an old proverb, one should retire by midnight and rise by four in the morning, but this is up to the individual. Rising by four o'clock would be beneficial for anyone, however. Staying in bed until eight or ten in the morn­ing, one will complete neither his work for the master nor his own private business, and the opportunity of the day will be wasted for no reason at all.

Before washing one's face and hands in the morning, one should first check the lavatory, the stables, and outside the gate; instruct the appropriate people concerning the places needing cleaning, and then quickly wash himself.

One should not assume that water is plentiful, and carelessly wash his mouth out and throw it away. Furthermore, one should do this quietly and not assume that, as he is in his own home, he can go about gargling and spitting loudly, for this is acting without reserve toward others and is unpleasant to hear. There is a saying that goes, "Walk stealthily where still under the arch of heaven."

To worship the gods and Buddhas is the correct conduct for a man. It can be said that one will be in conformity with the feelings of the gods and Buddhas if he will simply make his heart straight-forward and calm, respect honestly and wholeheartedly those above him and have pity on those below, consider that which exists to exist and that which does not exist to not exist, and recognize things just as they are. With such a frame of mind, one will have divine protection even though he does not pray. But if his mind is not straight, he had best be prudent lest it be said that he has been abandoned by Heaven, prayerful or not.

It will not do to think that one must have swords and clothing as fine as everyone else's. It is sufficient to intend not to be un­sightly. Borrowing and seeking after things one doesn't have, and piling up debts, one will be scorned by others.

Even when one is thinking of staying home all day due to ill­ness or private business, he should quickly arrange his hair. This goes without saying when he is going out to his responsibilities. To expose people to one's sloppy appearance is both impolite and incompetent. If a person himself is negligent concerning these mat­ters, his retainers, too, are likely to follow in a similar manner. Moreover, when one's comrades come to visit, it will be unsightly if all the members of one's household are in disarray.

When one is performing his duties, he should not just simply appear before the master. He should wait for a moment in the next room, check his colleagues' appearances, and then go in to audience. If it is not done this way, his effort will likely be in vain.

When one has been addressed by the master, even though he is seated at a distance he should quickly answer, "Yes!" draw forward immediately approaching on his knees, and make his re­sponse with full respect. He should thereupon quickly withdraw, prepare his answer, and relate the facts as they are. One should not make a display of one's own wisdom. Moreover, according to the circumstances, when one is considering how best to give an an­swer, he should consult with a man who is adroit at speech. It is a matter of not pushing through one's own personal opinion.

One should not be close by when someone is relating something to the master. It is best to withdraw to the side. Still more, if one gossips or laughs foolishly in such a place, it goes without saying that he will be avoided by men of high status, and even men of sensitivity within his own rank are likely to turn their backs on him.

There is a saying that goes, "Even though one associates with many people, he should never cause discord." In all things one should support others.

When one has the least bit of spare time, he should always take out some piece of literature or something with characters on it that he has kept in his pocket, and read where no one will be look­ing. Characters are such that if one is not used to them both wak­ing and sleeping, they will soon be forgotten.

The writing of characters is also like this.

When one is going by the place where the elders are in atten­dance to the master, he should stoop a bit and place his hands to the ground as he passes. To be without deference and simply stamp through the area would be outrageously rude. To be a samu­rai is to be polite at all times.

One should not tell a lie, no matter to whom he is speaking or how little is said. Even the most trivial matters should be shown as they are. If one tells a lie, it will become a habit, and in the end he will be forsaken by others. One should understand that to be ques­tioned by others can bring on shame for a lifetime.

A person who has not studied poetry is the poorer for this lack, and thus one should study it. One should always be genteel in his speaking. A man shows his inmost self by a single word.

In the intervals of one's work, one should learn horsemanship. After becoming well-founded in the basics, other techniques should follow with training.

If one would seek good companions, he will find them among those with whom he studies Learning and calligraphy. Harmful companions to avoid will be found among those who play go, chess, and shakuhachi.2 There is no shame in not knowing these latter amusements. Indeed, they are matters to be taken up only in the stead of wasting one's time completely.

A person's good and evil are dependent on his companions. When three people are together there will always be an exemplary person among them, and one should choose the good person and follow his example. Looking at the bad person, one should correct his own mistakes.

When one has some spare time and returns to his home, he should walk around the stables and rear areas mending the walls and fences and filling the places where the dogs have been digging. Ignorant maids and the like will pull the leaves under the eaves and burn them, doing only what is needed for the present, but will not know what to do after that. One should have a deep understanding that all things are like this.

At six o'clock in the evening one should close his gate tightly and not open it again except to let people in and out. Not to do so is negligence, and will inevitably invite disaster.

At night, one should go about himself checking the fires in the kitchen and living room, and make firm instructions concerning them. Other than that, he should make instructions nightly in order to form habits in caution against spreading fires. Women of both high and low ranks have no feelings for such things, and will leave household goods and clothing spread around, and be greatly negligent. One should not think he can hire others and have them do everything, but rather he should be of the mind to rely on him-self and to know the condition of things. Only then should he delegate to others.

It is hardly necessary to record that both Learning and the mili­tary arts are the Way of the Warrior, for it is an ancient law that one should have Learning on the left and the martial arts on the right. But this is something that will not be obtainable if one has not prepared for it beforehand.

NOTES

1From the Confucian Book of Odes.

2A five-holed bamboo flute played vertically.

Hojo Geography

It would be helpful to have some maps of the [later] Hojo territories within the larger context of Japan and the reigning shogunate. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.18.21.207 (talk) 08:04, 3 August 2009 (UTC)

Source for 21 Precepts ?

If the 21 Precepts are genuine they ought to be added to the main article. However, I could only find a wide range of (contradictory) translations and not a single reliable source. Can anyone name a source that meets Wikipedia's standards?

Robinandroid (talk) 21:12, 20 October 2015 (UTC)

Name

So, there's conflicting information on the article on when he actually became Hojo Soun. The penultimate paragraph states that he took it after taking Horigoe Castle following Ashikaga Masatomo's death, but the final one states that Hojo Ujitsuna changed the clan and Soun's name after Soun's death. I don't think there should be any issue with keeping both if the actual course of events is unclear, which it probably is, but they're both presented as fact - which can't be the case, as they contradict each other. --Samborup (talk) 18:16, 30 January 2020 (UTC)