The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the

Taira clan The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divi ...

. Their holdings were in the

Chūgoku region The , also known as the region, is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In 2010, it had a population of 7,563,428. History ''C ...

. They were a powerful clan during 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 ...

but were disbanded during 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 characte ...

after the Battle of Sekigahara. However, the Kobayakawa clan was restored by the

Mōri clan The Mōri clan (毛利氏 ''Mōri-shi'') was a Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's pow ...

during the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

and granted a title of baronage in the new nobility. In addition, the Kusai clan of

Takehara is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on November 3, 1958. As of 2016, the city has an estimated population of 26,035 and a population density of 220 persons per km2. The total area is 118.30 km2. Ōkun ...

which is a branch of the Kobayakawa were granted a rank of nobility.

Origins

The Kobayakawa clan descend from the Kanmu-Heishi branch of the

(平氏) who are descendants of the 50th Emperor of Japan,

Emperor Kanmu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the sco ...

. The son of Taira no Tsunemune (平常宗), Nakamura Munehira (中村宗平) founded the Nakamura clan (中村氏) of

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 Pac ...

. His first son became the next head of the Nakamura while his second son, Dohi Sanehira (土肥実平), founded the Dohi clan (土肥氏). Once again Sanehira's first son continued the Dohi clan while his second son, Kobayakawa Tohira (小早川遠平), founded the Kobayakawa clan. Kanmu-tennō (桓武天皇, 737–806) 　┃ Kazurawara-shinnō (葛原親王, 786–853) 　┃ Takami-Ō (高見王, ?–?) 　┃ Taira no Takamochi (平高望, ?–?) 　┃ Taira no Yoshifumi (平良文, ?–?) 　┃ Taira no Tadayori (平忠頼, 930–1019) 　┃ Taira no Raison (平頼尊, ?–?) 　┃ Taira no Tsuneto (平常遠, ?–?) 　┃ Taira no Tsunemune (平常宗, ?–?) 　┃ Nakamura Munehira (中村宗平, ?–?) 　┃ Dohi Sanehira (土肥実平, ?–1191) 　┃ Kobayakawa Tohira (小早川遠平, ?–1237) 　┃ Kobayakawa Kagehira (小早川景平, ?–1244)

History

Two sons of the third head of the family, Kobayakawa Shigehira (小早川茂平), split the clan into two branches. His third son, Kobayakawa Masahira (小早川雅平) made his base in Numata and became first head of the Numata-Kobayakawa clan (沼田小早川氏). His fourth son, Kobayakawa Masakage (小早川政景) made his base in

and became first head of the Takehara-Kobayakawa clan (竹原小早川氏). Members of the Kobayakawa clan served under the

, and

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

. They held great power in administrating politics in Western Japan because the head of the family,

Kobayakawa Takakage was a samurai and daimyō (feudal lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of the Kob ...

(小早川隆景) was in fact

Mōri Terumoto Mōri Terumoto (毛利輝元, January 22, 1553 – June 2, 1625) was a Japanese ''daimyō''. The son of Mōri Takamoto, and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mōri Motonari, he fought against Oda Nobunaga but was eventually overco ...

's uncle and was recognized as one of the best statesmen by

who appointed

as a member of the Council of Five Elders but he died before

. They were also close allies with the

Kikkawa clan The was a prominent samurai clan of Japan's Sengoku period. The most famous member of the clan is likely Kikkawa Motoharu (1530-1586), one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's generals, who was adopted into the family. Along with the Kobayakawa clan, the ...

which was run by Takakage's brother. The Kobayakawa fought alongside the Kikkawa, Mōri, Toyotomi, and

Ōtomo clan was a Japanese samurai family whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū. Origins The first family head, Ōtomo Yoshinao (1172–1223), took ...

s against the Shimazu, for control of Kyūshū at the end of the 16th century; they were awarded

Chikuzen Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today part of Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū. It was sometimes called or , with Chikugo Province. Chikuzen bordered Buzen, Bungo, Chikugo, and Hizen Provinces. History The original provinci ...

as their fief following the Shimazu's defeat.

Family Heads

*Kobayakawa Tohira (小早川遠平, ?–1237), founder of the clan. *Kobayakawa Kagehira (小早川景平, ?–1244) *Kobayakawa Shigehira (小早川茂平, ?–1264) - his two sons Masahira and Masakage made two branches of the clan. Numata-Kobayakawa clan (沼田小早川氏): #Kobayakawa Masahira (小早川雅平, ?–?) - 3rd son of Shigehira. #Kobayakawa Tomohira (小早川朝平, ?–1348) #Kobayakawa Nobuhira (小早川宣平, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Sadahira (小早川貞平, ?–1375) #Kobayakawa Haruhira (小早川春平, ?–1402) #Kobayakawa Norihira (小早川則平, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Hirohira (小早川煕平, 1416–1473) #Kobayakawa Takahira (小早川敬平, 1452–1499) #Kobayakawa Sukehira (小早川扶平, 1485–1508) #Kobayakawa Okihira (小早川興平, 1505–1527 #Kobayakawa Masahira (小早川正平, 1523–1543) #Kobayakawa Shigehira (小早川繁平, 1542–1574) #

(小早川隆景, 1533–1597) - 3rd son of Mōri Motonari. # Kobayakawa Hideaki (小早川秀秋, 1582–1602) - nephew of

. Takehara-Kobayakawa clan (竹原小早川氏): #Kobayakawa Masakage (小早川政景, ?–?) - 4th son of Shigehira. #Kobayakawa Kagemune (小早川景宗, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Sukekage (小早川祐景, ?–1338) #Kobayakawa Shigekage (小早川重景, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Shigemune (小早川重宗, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Saneyoshi (小早川実義, ?–1364) #Kobayakawa Yoshiharu (小早川義春, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Nakayoshi (小早川仲義, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Hirokage (小早川弘景, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Morikage (小早川盛景, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Hirokage (小早川弘景, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Hirohira (小早川弘平, ?–?) #Kobayakawa Okikage (小早川興景, 1519–1541) #

(小早川隆景, 1533–1597) - 3rd son of Mōri Motonari.

Significant Members

(小早川隆景, 1533–1597) * Kobayakawa Hideaki (小早川秀秋, 1582–1602) * Kobayakawa Hidekane (小早川秀包, 1567–1601) * Lady Toida (問田大方, d. 1619)

References

*Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. *Sansom, George (1961). "A History of Japan: 1334–1615." Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. *Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.

External links