小田原評定

Odawarahyōjō

Use the left and right arrow keys, or swipe the sign, to move to the next word.

Meaning

endless, inconclusive deliberation

A meeting where people keep talking and never reach a conclusion.

Example

会議が小田原評定にならないよう、最後に誰が決めるかを先に決めておく。

So the meeting doesn't turn into endless debate, we decide in advance who makes the final call.

Origin

In Tenshō 18 (1590), with Odawara Castle besieged by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Hōjō clan held council (hyōjō) after council on whether to hold the castle or sally out, and whether to fight or make peace, but could not settle on a course and let the days go by. In the end they surrendered, and the Hōjō as a Sengoku daimyō house came to an end. One theory holds that the debate dragged on because the Hōjō had a council system that included lower-ranking samurai.

Sources

コトバンクkotobank.jp