The was a powerful clan of the far north of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of

Emperor Tenmu was the 40th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. Tenmu's re ...

(631–686). Kiyohara no Fusanori (9th century) had two sons: the elder was the ancestor of the samurai branch family of Dewa Province; the younger of the ''

kuge The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto. The ''kuge'' were important from the establishment of Kyoto as the capital during the Heian period in the late 8th century until the rise of the Kamakur ...

'' (court nobles) branch of the clan. The position of Governor of Dewa province was passed down within the family; the Kiyohara are particularly known for their involvement in the Zenkunen and Gosannen Wars of the 11th century. The erupted in 1051, when Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and his son Yoshiie arrived in the north, from Kyoto, as agents of the Imperial court. They were there to put an end to a conflict between the Governor of

Mutsu Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. Mutsu Province is also known as or . The term is often used to refer to the comb ...

(which bordered the Kiyohara's Dewa) and the '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Defender of the North),

Abe no Yoritoki (died 28 August 1057) was the head of the Abe clan of Emishi who were allowed to rule the six Emishi districts ( Iwate, Hienuki, Shiwa, Isawa, Esashi and Waga) in the from Morioka to Hiraizumi in what is now Iwate Prefecture. Background The ...

. The Kiyohara Governor of Dewa contributed warriors to the Minamoto effort, and aided in their victory over the Abe clan, which was achieved in 1063. The Kiyohara then took over the administration of Mutsu, along with Dewa. Within the next twenty years, quarrels and conflicts arose within the family over differing interests arising from intermarriage with different warrior families.

Kiyohara no Masahira The was a powerful clan of the far north of Japan during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). Kiyohara no Fusanori (9th century) had two sons: the elder was the ancestor of the samurai branch fam ...

, Iehira and Narihira, heads of branches of the family, created such a disturbance that Minamoto no Yoshiie, who had taken the formerly Abe post of Defender of the North, felt it necessary to interfere in the conflict. In 1083, he was appointed Governor of Mutsu, and arrived in the north to attempt to resolve the situation peaceably; he soon was forced to resort to gathering his own troops. After much fighting, the violence came to an end; Iehira and his uncle

Kiyohara no Takahira The was a powerful clan of the far north of Japan during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). Kiyohara no Fusanori (9th century) had two sons: the elder was the ancestor of the samurai branch fam ...

had been killed, the other Kiyohara leaders surrendered. Control of both Dewa and Mutsu then passed to

Fujiwara no Kiyohira was a samurai of mixed Japanese-Emishi parentage of the late Heian period (794–1185), who was the founder of the Hiraizumi or Northern Fujiwara dynasty that ruled Northern Japan from about 1100 to 1189. Biography Kiyohira was the son of Fuji ...

, an ally of Yoshiie. The ''kuge'' branch continued their legacy of scholarship, spawning writers, scholars, poets and artists. The descendants possessed hereditarily the office of ''daigeki''.

Kiyohara no Yorinari The was a powerful clan of the far north of Japan during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). Kiyohara no Fusanori (9th century) had two sons: the elder was the ancestor of the samurai branch fam ...

(1122–1189), son of the ''Daigeki''

Kiyohara no Suketada The was a powerful clan of the far north of Japan during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). Kiyohara no Fusanori (9th century) had two sons: the elder was the ancestor of the samurai branch fam ...

, was governor of

Etchū Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today Toyama Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Etchū bordered on Noto and Kaga Provinces to the west, Shinano and Hida Provinces to the south, Echigo Province to the east and the Sea ...

and excelled in law, literature and history. The clan's Kyoto mansion, along with all the books and scrolls contained within, was destroyed in the Ōnin War of the late 15th century.

Kiyohara of note

Kiyohara no Fukayabu Kiyohara no Fukayabu (清原深養父, dates unknown) Japanese poet of Heian period (9-10th century). He is an author of the thirty-sixth poem of the ''Ogura Hyakunin Isshu'' and contributor of 17 poems to the ''Kokin Wakashū''. He is the gra ...

* Kiyohara no Motosuke * Sei Shōnagon - daughter of Motosuke, and one of the most famous women poets in all of Japanese history *

Kiyohara no Natsuno The was a powerful clan of the far north of Japan during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). Kiyohara no Fusanori (9th century) had two sons: the elder was the ancestor of the samurai branch fam ...

- jurist of the 9th century *

* Kiyohara no Iehira *

* Kiyohara no Narihira

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiyohara Family Japanese clans Imperial House of Japan