Hōjō Tokiyori was the fifth shikken

Shikken

The was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...

(regent) of the Kamakura shogunate

Kamakura shogunate

The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. He was born to Hōjō Tokiuji

Hojo Tokiuji

was a son of Yasutoki and the father of Tsunetoki and Tokiyori.Tokiuji was expected to be the future shikken by his father, but he lost his health while he served as the Rokuhara Tandai in Kyoto....

 and a daughter of Adachi Kagemori

Adachi Kagemori

Adachi Kagemori was a Japanese warrior of the Adachi family and was a son of Morinaga. He served with Minamoto no Yoriie but became a monk when Minamoto no Sanetomo died. This did not stop him from joining the cause of the Hōjō family for the Jōkyū War of 1221, however.Hōjō Tsunetoki and Hōjō...

.

Tokiyori became shikken following his brother Tsunetoki

Hojo Tsunetoki

Hōjō Tsunetoki was the fourth Shikken of the Kamakura shogunate. He was son of Hōjō Tokiuji and of a former wife of Adachi Kagemori, elder brother of Hōjō Tokiyori and grandson of Hōjō Yasutoki. He ruled from 1242 to 1246 and founded Kōmyō-ji in Zaimokuza. He is buried within the temple.-...

's death. Immediately after the succession, he crushed a coup plot by former shogun Kujō Yoritsune

Kujo Yoritsune

, also known as Fujiwara no Yoritsune, was the fourth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. His father was kanpaku Kujō Michiie and his grandmother was a niece of Minamoto no Yoritomo...

 and Tokiyori's relative Nagoe Mitsutoki. In the next year, he let Adachi Kagemori destroy the powerful Miura clan

Miura clan

The ' was one of the branch families descended from the Taira clan. They held large fiefs, and great political influence. They were one of the primary opponents of the Hōjō family of regents, in the mid-13th century, and again at the beginning of the 16th...

 in the Battle of Hochi. He recalled his experienced grandfather's brother Hōjō Shigetoki

Hojo Shigetoki

Note:There were other Hojo Shigetoki within the ruling family, but with different characters. was a Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period. He was the third Kitakata Rokuhara tandai, serving from 1230 to 1247. He was also known as . His writings influenced later samurai...

 from Kyoto and appointed him as rensho

Rensho

The , literally “co-signatory”, was the assistant to the shikken of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan.The rensho placed his signature next to that of the shikken on official orders. In 1224 the third shikken Hōjō Yasutoki appointed Hōjō Tokifusa as the first rensho...

. In 1252 he replaced Shogun Kujō Yoritsugu

Kujo Yoritsugu

, also known as Fujiwara no Yoritsugu, was the fifth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. His father was the 4th Kamakura shogun, Kujō Yoritsune.Yoritsugu was a member of the great Fujiwara clan...

 with Prince Munetaka

Prince Munetaka

Prince Munetaka was the sixth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan who reigned .He was the first son of the Emperor Go-Saga and replaced the deposed Kujō Yoritsugu as shogun at the age of ten...

. He successfully solidified the power base.

He has been praised for his good administration. He worked on reforms mainly by putting various regulations. He reduced service of the vassals

Gokenin

A was initially a vassal of the shogunate of the Kamakura and the Muromachi periods. In exchange for protection and the right to become shugo or jitō , in times of peace a gokenin had the duty to protect the imperial court and Kamakura, in case of war had to fight with his forces under the...

 to guard Kyoto. He worked toward resolving increasing land disputes of his vassals. In 1249 he set up the legal system of Hikitsuke

Hikitsuke

The Hikitsuke or Hikitsuke-kata was one of judicial organs of the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates of Japan....

or High Court.

In 1252 he started to make policies at private meetings held at his residence instead of discussing at Hyōjō (評定), the council of the shogunate. In 1256 when he became a Buddhist priest, he transferred the position of shikken to Hōjō Nagatoki

Hojo Nagatoki

Hōjō Nagatoki 北条 長時 was the sixth Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu and the 4th Chief of the Rokuhara Tandai North Branch Kitakata....

, a son of Shigetoki while Tokiyori's infant son Tokimune

Hojo Tokimune

of the Hōjō clan was the eighth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class.- Life :Born as the eldest son of the regent and Tokuso Tokiyori of the...

 succeeded to become tokusō

Tokuso

Tokusō was the title held by the head of the mainline Hōjō clan, who monopolized the position of shikken of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan....

, the head of the Hōjō clan

Hojo clan

See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...

. Tokiyori continued to rule in fact without any official position. This is considered the beginning of the tokusō dictatorship.

There are a number of legends that Tokiyori traveled incognito throughout Japan to inspect actual conditions and improve their lives. He died in 1263.