Hōjō Tokimune (北条 時宗, 5 June 1251 – 20 April 1284) of the Hōjō clan was the eighth shikken (officially regent of the shōgun, but de facto ruler of Japan) of the Kamakura shogunate (reigned 1268–84), known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and for spreading Zen Buddhism.

While many in the Japanese government, including members of the royal family, urged that a compromise be reached, the regent defiantly rejected the Mongol demand and sent back the headless bodies of the emissaries.

As a teen and young man, he had been an advocate of the Ritsu sect of Buddhism, but converted to Zen at some point before the invasion.

Expecting an invasion, on 21 February 1280, the Imperial Court ordered all temples and shrines to pray for victory over the Mongol Empire.

In part to the victory over the Mongols under Tokimune's guidance, Zen Buddhism began to spread among the samurai class with some rapidity.

Tokimune also linked Zen with the "moral" code of the samurai class (later called bushido) that stressed frugality, martial arts, loyalty and "honor unto death."

Born from neo-Confucianism, bushido under Tokimune was mixed with elements of Shinto and Zen, adding a dose of wisdom and serenity to the otherwise violent code.