Born in Osaka and a graduate of Kansai University, Hōjō moved to Tokyo in 1926 and found employment with the Hakone Tozan Railway.

In 1933, he quit his job to devote his attention to drama, becoming a student with Okamoto Kido and Hasegawa Shin.

[1] Hōjō was author of more than 200 plays and the leader of commercial theatre in Japan after World War II, working in a wide range of genres, from kabuki, to shinpa and Takarazuka Revues.

[1] His psychological dramas about average citizens appealed to mainstream audiences.

He is especially known for his screenplay adaptations of Miyamoto Musashi, Genji Monogatari, and many other historical dramas.