Head of the Imagawa clan of Suruga

Imagawa Yoshimoto

今川義元

birth year unknown – 1560

Son of Imagawa Ujichika and Jukei-ni. He became a priest and took the name Shōhō, but in 1536 he defeated his half-brother Genki Etan in the Hanakura Rebellion and, with support from Tōgen Sessai, became the ninth head of the clan. In 1549, he had Tōgen Sessai capture Anjō Castle and take its lord Oda Nobutaka prisoner, then through a hostage exchange involving Takechiyo (later Tokugawa Ieyasu) placed the Matsudaira clan of Mikawa under Imagawa control. In 1553, he issued the "Supplement of Twenty-One Articles to the Imagawa Codex" and the "Imagawa House Dispute Settlement Laws" to establish the legal foundation for his domain spanning Suruga, Tōtōmi, and Mikawa. In May 1560, while advancing toward Owari, he was attacked by Oda Nobunaga at the Battle of Okehazama and fell in battle, with his son Ujisada succeeding him.

Sources　静岡県立中央図書館歴史文化情報センター「今川仮名目録」／藤枝市「文武に秀でた今川一族」／静岡市歴史博物館「今川義元」／岡崎市「市指定：史跡 小豆坂古戦場跡」／安城市「安祥文化のさとまつり」／静岡市「今川氏～駿河に君臨した名家～」