Hōjō (北条) is a family name for several of the characters in the Higurashi universe. Specifically, "the Hōjōs" refers to the unnamed stepfather, with the surname Hōjō, and mother of the named characters Satoko and Satoshi. The unnamed stepfather's brother is Teppei, and his wife is Tamae.
The Hōjōs were supporters of the Dam Project in Hinamizawa which caused most of other villagers, including especially Sonozaki Oryō and the Sonozaki House, to shun them and brand the family "traitors." After the stepfather and mother's deaths, this distrust and hatred passed on to the two children. For most of the arcs, the stepfather and mother are portrayed as one of the pairs of victims of Oyashiro-sama's curse: the stepfather's body is found while the mother's body is not. In reality, Satoko suffering from Hinamizawa Syndrome pushed her stepfather and mother through a wooden railing at the edge of a cliff on the day of the Watanagashi Festival. They fell to their deaths in the river below. Only the stepfather's body was recovered.
Meakashi-hen reveals that the Hōjō family became rich through government compensation during their support for the dam project. This fortune is the main reason for Satoshi and Satoko's adoption by their uncle Teppei and aunt Tamae after their parents death.