f Yoritomo. Learning of the
projected partition and appreciating the grave effect it must produce
on the fortunes of his grandson, Hiki commissioned his daughter to
relate the whole story to Yoriiye, and applied himself to organize a
plot for the destruction of the Hojo. But the facts came to the lady
Masa's ears, and she lost no time in communicating them to Tokimasa,
who, with characteristic promptitude, invited Hiki to a conference
and had him assassinated. Thereupon, Hiki's son, Munetomo, assembled
all his retainers and entrenched himself in Ichiman's mansion, where,
being presently besieged by an overwhelming force of Tokimasa's
partisans, he set fire to the house and perished with the child,
Ichiman, and with many brave soldiers. The death of his son, of his
father-in-law, and of his brother-in-law profoundly affected Yoriiye.
He attempted to take vengeance upon his grandfather, Tokimasa, but
his emissaries suffered a signal defeat, and he himself, being now
completely discredited, was constrained to follow his mother, Masa's,
advice, namely, to take the tonsure and retire to the monastery
Shuzen-ji in Izu. There he was followed and murdered by Tokimasa's
agents. It is apparent that throughout these intrigues the lady Masa
made no resolute attempt to support her first-born. She recognized in
him a source of weakness rather than of strength to the Minamoto.

SANETOMO

After Yoriiye's retirement, in 1204, to the monastery in Izu, Masa,
with the concurrence of her father, Tokimasa, decided on the
accession of her second son, Sanetomo, then in his twelfth year, and
application for his appointment to the office of shogun having been
duly made, a favourable and speedy reply was received from Kyoto. The
most important feature of the arrangement was that Hojo Tokimasa
became shikken, or military regent, and thus wielded greater powers
than ever--powers which he quickly proceeded to abuse for
revolutionary purposes. His policy was to remove from his path, by
any and every measure, all potential obstacles to the consummation of
his ambition.

Among these obstacles were the lady Masa and the new shogun,
Sanetomo. So long as these two lived, the Yoritomo family could count
on the allegiance of the Kwanto, and so long as that allegiance
remained intact, the elevation of the Hojo to the seats of supreme
authority could not be compassed. Further, the substitution of Hojo
for Minamoto must be gradual. Nothing abrupt would be