The is a branch of the

Toki clan The is a Japanese kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Toki," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 61 retrieved 2013-5-9. History The Toki claim descent from Minamot ...

, which is descended from 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 ...

. The Akechi clan thrived around the later part of 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 ...

of the 16th century. The Akechi became the head, soryo of the Toki after the Toki fell to the

Saitō clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that ruled Mino province in the Sengoku period. The clan appropriated the name of a defunct samurai clan named "Saitō" that had previously hailed from Echizen province and claimed descent from Fujiwara Toshihit ...

in 1540. The Akechi refused to be under

Saitō Yoshitatsu or Toki Yoshitatsu was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 54 of 80">"Saitō," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', ...

who attacked Nagayama castle.

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period best known as the assassin of Oda Nobunaga. Mitsuhide was a bodyguard of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later a successful general under ...

then served shoguns

Ashikaga Yoshiteru , also known as Yoshifushi or Yoshifuji, was the 13th ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1546 to 1565 during the late Muromachi period of Japan. He was the eldest son of the 12th ''shōgun'', Ashikaga Yoshiharu, and his mother ...

and

Ashikaga Yoshiaki "Ashikaga Yoshiaki" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the 15th and final ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573.Ackroyd, J ...

. After introducing Ashikaga Yoshiaki to

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

, Mitsuhide became a powerful general under

. However, after 1582, Mitsuhide trapped Nobunaga at

Honnō-ji is a temple of the Nichiren branch of Buddhism located in Kyoto, Japan. Honnō-ji incident Honnō-ji is most famous for the Honnō-ji incident – the assassination of Oda Nobunaga – that occurred there on 21 June 1582. Nobunaga lodged at ...

and forced him to commit suicide. The Akechi then gained power due to the collapse of the

Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, several ...

. Later that same year, Akechi Mitsuhide was slain at the

Battle of Yamazaki The was fought in 1582 in Shimamoto, Osaka, Yamazaki, Japan, located in current-day Kyoto Prefecture. This battle is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Mt. Tennō (天王山の戦い ''Tennō-zan no tatakai''). In the Honnō-ji Incident, ...

, twelve days after the

Incident at Honnō-ji Incident may refer to: * A property of a graph in graph theory * ''Incident'' (film), a 1948 film noir * Incident (festival), a cultural festival of The National Institute of Technology in Surathkal, Karnataka, India * Incident (Scientology), a ...

. The Akechi clan then fell from prominence.

Important figures

Akechi Mitsutsugu The is a branch of the Toki clan, which is descended from the Seiwa Genji. The Akechi clan thrived around the later part of the Sengoku period of the 16th century. The Akechi became the head, soryo of the Toki after the Toki fell to the Saitō c ...

, grandfather of Akechi Mitsuhide. Mitsutsugu was father of Omi-no-kata, Saito Dosan wife. *

Akechi Mitsutsuna was a senior retainer under the Toki clan from Akechi clan throughout the latter Sengoku period of feudal Japan. He was the father of Akechi Mitsuhide and brother of "Omi-no-kata" (Saitō Dōsan wife). His father was Akechi Mitsutsugu The i ...

(died 1538), senior retainer under the Toki clan throughout the latter Sengoku period of feudal Japan *

(c. 1520–1582), samurai who lived during the Sengoku period of Feudal Japan. Renowned for his betrayal and murder of

. *

Akechi Hidemitsu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. A senior retainer of Oda Nobunaga's vassal Akechi Mitsuhide, he served Mitsuhide until the latter's death in 1582 at the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He is also known as Akechi Mitsuharu. Early lif ...

(died 1582), retainer beneath the clan of Akechi during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Feudal Japan *

Akechi Mitsutada was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who served the Akechi clan. He was a cousin of his lord, Akechi Mitsuhide. He was castle commander of Yakami Castle. Control over the Yakami Castle passed into Mitsutada hands when the Hatano clan w ...

(died 1582), Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who served the Akechi clan *

Akechi Mitsuyoshi was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period and the eldest son of Akechi Mitsuhide. He stayed at Kameyama Castle when the Honnoji Incident occurred. In 1582, during Honnoji Incident, after Oda Nobutada died at the Nijo Palace, he moved t ...

(died 1582), Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, son of

Hosokawa Gracia Akechi Tama, usually referred to as , (1563 – 25 August 1600) was a member of the aristocratic Akechi family from the Sengoku period. Gracia is best known for her role in the Battle of Sekigahara, she was considered to be a political host ...

(1563–1600), daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide and a famous samurai convert to Christianity.

Hosokawa Tadaoki was a Japanese samurai warrior of the late Sengoku period and early Edo period. He was the son of Hosokawa Fujitaka with Numata Jakō, and he was the husband of a famous Christian convert (Kirishitan), Hosokawa Gracia. For most of his life, he ...

's wife.

Important figures

Family tree

References

See also