occupied a prominent
place on the stage of events, but the figure behind the scenes was
the white-haired intriguer, Tokimasa. Had the lady Maki's son-in-law
succeeded Sanetomo, the former would have been the next victim of
Tokimasa's ambition, whereafter the field would have been open for
the grand climacteric, the supremacy of the Hojo.

HOJO YOSHITOKI

Crafty and astute as was Hojo Tokimasa, his son Yoshitoki excelled
him in both of those attributes as well as in prescience. It was to
the mansion of Yoshitoki that Sanetomo was carried for safety when
his life was menaced by the wiles of Tokimasa. Yet in thus espousing
the cause of his sister, Masa, and his nephew, Sanetomo, against his
father, Tokimasa, and his brother-in-law, Tomomasa, it is not to be
supposed that Yoshitoki's motive was loyalty to the house of
Yoritomo. On the contrary, everything goes to show that he would have
associated himself with his father's conspiracy had he not deemed the
time premature and the method clumsy. He waited patiently, and when
the occasion arrived, he "covered his tracks" with infinite skill
while marching always towards the goal of Tokimasa's ambition.

The first to be "removed" was Wada Yoshimori, whom Yoritomo had
gratefully appointed betto of the Samurai-dokoro. Yoritomo's eldest
son, Yoriiye, had left two sons, Kugyo and Senju-maru. The former had
taken the tonsure after his father's and elder brother's deaths, in
1204, but the cause of the latter was espoused with arms by a Shinano
magnate, Izumi Chikahira, in 1213. On Wada Yoshimori, as betto of the
Samurai-dokoro, devolved the duty of quelling this revolt. He did so
effectually, but in the disposition of the insurgents' property, the
shikken, Yoshitoki, contrived to drive Wada to open rebellion. He
attacked the mansion of the shogun and the shikken, captured and
burned the former, chiefly through the prowess of his giant son,
Asahina Saburo; but was defeated and ultimately killed, Senju-maru,
though only thirteen years old, being condemned to death on the
pretext that his name had been used to foment the insurrection! After
this convenient episode, Yoshitoki supplemented his office of shikken
with that of betto of the Samurai-dokoro, thus becoming supreme in
military and civil affairs alike.

DEATH OF SANETOMO

How far Sanetomo appreciated the situation thus created there is much
difficulty in determining. The sentiment of pity evoked by his tragic
fate has been