In 1495, Hojo Soun took Odawara castle by befriending the lord, Omori Fujiyori, and after gaining his confidence, he staged a large deer hunt, and in doing so was able to take the castle. I am researching this hunt right now, it is not yet clear exactly how he pulled his trick off - it isn't clear if he used the "deer hunt" as an excuse to bring his soldiers into the castle, or if he used the "deer hunt" through the woods to cover his troops advance, or possibly if he staged a small deer hunt with Fujiyori to get him out of the castle while his own troops took it. The source I am currently translating is vague to the point of ridiculous, and I'm trying to come up with more information.
Current Questions (in addition to the last few):
How exactly did Soun use the deer hunt to take Odawara castle?
Was Hojo Soun's sister who was married into the Imagawa clan younger or older?
(Turnbull says older, so far the Japanese sources I've checked say younger. Sorry Mr. T, I'm going with the J-sources for now).
Who exactly were the six men who started as Hojo Soun's initial group?
Did Imagawa Ujichika assist with the invasion of Izu, or did Soun do this on his own?
