was a Japanese

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

family whose power stretched from the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

through the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

Origins

The first family head,

Ōtomo Yoshinao Ōtomo Yoshinao (大友能直, January 29, 1172 - December 20, 1223) was a Japanese samurai lord and ''gokenin'' of the early Kamakura period. He was a close retainer of shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, even called his "matchless favorite", and ser ...

(1172–1223), took the name from the Ōtomo territory in

Sagami Province was a province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kanagawa''" at . Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu, Musashi, and Suruga. It had access to the Paci ...

. The clan claims descent from

Emperor Seiwa was the 56th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 清和天皇 (56)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.He was also the pre ...

(850-881) through the

Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto warriors, including Minamoto no Yoshiie, Minamoto no Yoritomo, the foun ...

lineage of the

Minamoto clan was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the ...

. Although the clan genealogy claims Yoshinao to be an illegitimate son of

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

, it has been concluded that he was in fact a descendant of the

Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

History

Following the establishment of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Y ...

in 1185, Yoshinao were granted the post of Constable (''

Shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

'') of Bungo and Buzen Provinces in Kyūshū. As the Ōtomo were one of the major clans of Kyūshū, along with the Shōni and the Shimazu, they had a central role in organizing efforts against the

Mongol invasions of Japan Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attempts are of mac ...

in 1274 and 1281. They also played an important role in the establishment of the

Ashikaga shogunate The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669. The Ashikaga shogunate was establ ...

, in the 1330s. Ōtomo warriors fought alongside those of

Ashikaga Takauji was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromac ...

and enabled him to win a number of key battles, including the battle of Sanoyama; this helped to ensure them powerful government positions in the new shogunate. A powerful clan throughout the Sengoku period (1467–1573), the Ōtomo are especially notable as one of the first clans to make contact with Europeans, and to establish a trade relationship with them. In or around 1542, three

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

ships were carried by a typhoon to the island of

Tanegashima is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 444.99 km2 in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to New ...

, just off the coast of Kyūshū. Within ten years, trade with the Portuguese was fairly regular and common in Kyūshū. The

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

missionary

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December 1 ...

arrived in Japan in 1549, and soon afterwards met with

Ōtomo Sōrin , also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige (藤原義鎮) and Ōtomo Yoshishige (大友義鎮), was a Japanese feudal lord (''daimyō'') of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Roman Catholicism (Christianity). The eldest son of , he ...

, ''shugo'' of Bungo and Buzen provinces, who would later be described by Xavier as a "king" and convert to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

in 1578. Ōtomo was eager to secure for his clan further trade and contact with the Portuguese, seeing the technological and, more importantly perhaps, economic benefits that could be derived. In 1552, emissaries from the Ōtomo clan traveled to

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

with Xavier, to meet with the Portuguese Governor of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Xavier and other Jesuit missionaries would return to Kyūshū, traveling and proselytizing; the Ōtomo were always well-disposed towards them, and they saw some success in Bungo as a result, converting many Japanese to Christianity. Towards the end of the 16th century, the Ōtomo fought both the Shimazu and Mōri clans, the latter of whom were expert sailors. Though they did not play a major role in the campaigns of

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

which ended the Sengoku period, they did retain their domains into the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

Clan Heads

# Ōtomo Yoshinao= (大友能直, 1172–1223) # Ōtomo Chikahide (大友親秀, 1195–1248) # Ōtomo Yoriyasu (大友頼泰, 1222–1300) # Ōtomo Chikatoki (大友親時, 1236–1295) # Ōtomo Sadachika (大友貞親, 1246–1311) # Ōtomo Sadamune (大友貞宗, ? –1334) # Ōtomo Ujiyasu (大友氏泰, 1321–1362) # Ōtomo Ujitoki (大友氏時, ? –1368) # Ōtomo Ujitsugu (大友氏継, ? –1401) # Ōtomo Chikayo (大友親世, ? –1418) # Ōtomo Chikaaki (大友親著, ? –1426), also called "Chikatsugu". # Ōtomo Mochinao (大友持直, ? –1445) # Ōtomo Chikatsuna (大友親綱, ? –1459) # Ōtomo Chikataka (大友親隆, ? –1470) # Ōtomo Chikashige (大友親繁, 1411–1493) # Ōtomo Masachika (大友政親, 1444–1496) # Ōtomo Yoshisuke (大友義右, 1459–1496) # Ōtomo Chikaharu (大友親治, 1461–1524) # Ōtomo Yoshinaga (大友義長, 1478–1518) # Ōtomo Yoshiaki (大友義鑑, 1502–1550) #

(大友宗麟, 1530–1587), originally Ōtomo Yoshishige (大友義鎮) #

Ōtomo Yoshimune Ōtomo Yoshimune (大友義統, 15581610) was a Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period, heir of Otomo Sōrin at the head of the Ōtomo clan. He was the eldest son and successor of Otomo Sōrin as lord of the Bungo Province. His mother was an ant ...

(大友義統, 1558–1610) # Ōtomo Yoshinori (大友義乗, 1577–1612) # Ōtomo Yoshichika (大友義親, 1597–1619)

Notable Members

Ōtomo-Nata Jezebel Ōtomo-Nata Jezebel or Lady Nata (奈多夫人, d. March 23, 1587) was a Japanese noble woman from the Sengoku period. Daughter of Nata Akimoto, she was a high priestess of Usa Jingū. She was the first wife of Christian Daimyō, daimyo Ōtomo Sōr ...

(died 1587) – High priestess of

Usa Jingū The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, wife of Ōtomo Sōrin and mother of Ōtomo Yoshimune *

Myorin Myōrin (妙林) or Yoshioka Myorin-ni (吉岡妙林尼) was a late-Sengoku period female warlord onna-musha. She was the wife of Yoshioka Kyōko, Yoshioka Akioki a samurai warlord, and served Ōtomo clan, Otomo clan in Bungo. She was the heroic w ...

– Lady of Tsurusaki Castle *

(1530–1587),

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of Bungo and Buzen Provinces *

(1558–1610), heir of Otomo Sorin. * Ōuchi Yoshinaga (1532 – May 1, 1557), the younger brother of Ōtomo Yoshishige.

Notable retainers

Tachibana Dōsetsu file:Tachibana Dosetsu.jpg, Painting of Tachibana Dōsetsu , born , also as Bekki Akitsura, and Bekki Dōsetsu, was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who served the Ōtomo clan. He was the father of Tachibana Ginchiyo and adopted father of ...

Tachibana Muneshige The term has at least two different meanings, and has been used in several contexts. People * – a clan of ''kuge'' (court nobles) prominent in the Nara and Heian periods (710–1185) * – a clan of ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) prominent in the Mu ...

Takahashi Shigetane also known as was a Japanese samurai lord and senior retainer of the Ōtomo clan throughout the latter Sengoku period. He was the biological father of Tachibana Muneshige. Biography As Shigetane was additionally known by the name of 'Takahas ...

* Yoshihiro Akimasa * Usuki Akisumi *

Shiga Chikamori is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Pr ...

Popular culture

Otomo is a playable nation in the grand strategy games ''

Europa Universalis IV ''Europa Universalis IV'' is a 2013 grand strategy video game in the ''Europa Universalis'' series, developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive as a sequel to ''Europa Universalis III'' (2007). The game was rele ...

'', ''

Sengoku The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Various ...

'' as well as in ''

Shogun 2 ''Total War: Shogun 2'' is a strategy video game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega in 2011. It is part of the ''Total War'' series and returns to the 16th-century Japan setting of the first ''Total War'' game, '' Shogun: Total ...

''.

References

*Turnbull, Stephen (1998). ''The Samurai Sourcebook''. London: Cassell & Co. {{DEFAULTSORT:Otomo clan Japanese clans