is a Japanese Samurai Clan who are descended from 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 ...

.''The Origin, History, and Crest of the Family Name Matsunaga from Saga'' The lineage of Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide strengthens the Matsunaga clan's claim to

Fujiwara Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamatari ...

lineage through Hisahide's nephew, Tadatoshi Naito (also known as Naito Joan and Fujiwara John). Tadatoshi Naito's mother was Naito Sadafusa who was from the Naito clan. The Naito clan is descended from

Fujiwara no Hidesato , was a '' kuge'' (court noble) of tenth century Heian period Japan. He is famous for his military exploits and courage and is regarded as the common ancestor of numerous clans, including the Ōshū branch of the Fujiwara clan. Hidesato served u ...

(

Hokke (Fujiwara) The was one of the four houses of the powerful Fujiwara clan, the other three being the Nanke, Kyōke and Shikike. The Hokke were the ''de facto'' rulers of Japan through their hereditary position as imperial regents ( ''Sesshō'' and ''Kampak ...

). Tadatoshi Naito would serve as lord of Yagi castle. Hisahide's granddaughter,

Matsunaga Teitoku Matsunaga Teitoku (1570-1653) was a haiku writer, considered by R H Blyth to be the most important of Matsuo Bashō's predecessors. Achievements Teitoku played a significant role in regularising the rules for Haikai, and in raising its importance ...

( 松永貞徳) also strengthened the Matsunaga clan's link to the Fujiwara clan. Her mother was the older sister of

Fujiwara Seika was a Japanese Neo-Confucian philosopher and writer during the Edo period. His most well-known student was Hayashi Razan (1583–1657). Life He was born in Harima Province (now Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture) on February 8, 1561 to the Reizei ...

( 藤原惺窩). Teitoku's cousin was Tadatoshi Naito. Other sources suggest that the Matsunaga clan descended from 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 ...

and via

Takenouchi no Sukune or Takeshiuchi no Sukune was a legendary Japanese hero-statesman of the 1st century, and a Shinto kami. He is recorded in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojiki'' (ca. 712) and the '' Nihon Shoki'' (720). Life Takenouchi no Sukune was ...

, himself a descendent of

Emperor Kogen An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...

. Sukune called himself Matsunaga Ki, after Matsunaga no sho, the domain of Onyu, in

Wakasa Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the southwestern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Wakasa''" in . Wakasa bordered on Echizen, Ōmi, Tanba, Tango, and Yama ...

. This means the Matsunaga clan is descended from the Ki clan, one of the noble clans.

Mikawa Matsunaga clan

It was a powerful clan in the

Mikawa Province was an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mikawa''" in . Its abbreviated form name was . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces. Mik ...

. Matsunaga Heiza'emon (松平平左衛門) served Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (松平清康), who was the 7th head of the

Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of th ...

and grandfather 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 ...

. Heiza'emon's son, Genzo (源藏) served Ieyasu which can be seen in ''Kansei Choshu Shokafu'' (genealogies of vassals in

Edo Bakufu The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Ja ...

). The Matsunagas in this clan used the tsuta mon (ivy) as their family crest. Descendants of this clan continued to serve the

Tokugawa Bakufu The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. Other Japanese people, who used the Matsunaga name but were not samurai retainers, originated from this area. Some emigrated to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

United States 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 territorie ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in the late 1800s.

Yamato Matsunaga clan

The Matsunaga clan that follows the lineage of Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide (松永弾正久秀) is the most famous in

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 ...

. Hisahida was the

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

of the

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, the ...

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 ...

. He was born in the year 1508 and shares the same roots with the

as the Matsunaga clan in the Mikawa Province. They both used the same tsuta- mon (ivy) as their family crest. In Japan, when people think of the Matsunaga clan, it is usually Hisahide they are referring to. Hisahide served as the main retainer for

Miyoshi Nagayoshi , eldest son of Miyoshi Motonaga, was a Japanese samurai and powerful ''daimyō'' who ruled seven provinces of Kansai. Nagayoshi held the court titles of Shūri-dayū (修理太夫) and Chikuzen no Kami (筑前守), and was also known by the more ...

of the

Miyoshi clan is a Japanese family descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and the Minamoto clan (Seiwa-Genji). They were a cadet branch of the Ogasawara clan and the Takeda clan. At the beginning of the 14th century AD, Ogasawara Nagafusa settled in Shiko ...

in the Yamato Province. He also served as retainer briefly for 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 ...

. Together with

Hojo Soun Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones *A nickname for Howard Jones *MGR-1 Honest John, the first nuclear-capable missile ...

and Saito Dosan, they became known as Japan's three greatest villains. Hisahide's actual title was Danjo Shohitsu ( 弾正少弼) which was positioned under the vice minister of Danjo with the

Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', ...

. He would become the

of the Yamato Province. Hisahide later committed

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

after

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 ...

besieged him at Shigisan Castle in 1577. Both of his sons, Kojiro and Hisamichi ( 松永久通), also committed seppuku during the siege. Hisahide's two sons held hostage by Nobunaga in Kyoto were ordered to be executed as well.

Hizen and Higo Matsunaga Clans

Hisamichi, the heir of Hisahide, had a son named Hikobe’e Ichimaru or Kazumaru (彦兵衛一丸). He moved down to Hakata,

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 provincial ...

, opened a pawnshop, and became a wealthy merchant. Hikobe's descendants became retainers of the Saga Domain. They include Matsunaga Munetomo (松永宗伴) as a retainer of the Saga Domain and Matsunaga Shouemon (松永所右衛門) as a retainer of Kashima Domain which was a branched domain of the Saga Domain. There was also another Matsunaga clan that was started by Kuen ( 松永空圓), a Buddhist monk who claimed himself as a younger brother of Matsunaga Hisahide. Their family crest is the pattern based on Japanese ginger and similar patterns but not the ivy ones (tsuta-mon) which had given from the Ryuzoji clan ( 龍造寺氏) which was one of the warlords that dominated the area.

Karatsu Matsunaga Clan

Matsunaga Toh ( 松永東), who served as the Chairman of the 45th House of Representative and the 79th Minister of Education, had Matsunaga family roots in

Karatsu, Saga is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Its name, formed from the Japanese word roots 唐 ''kara'' (China, or continental East Asia in general), and 津 ''tsu'' (port), signifies its historical importance as a ...

, at the time part of the Saga Domain. The Matsunagas in the

Karatsu Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It is associated with Hizen Province in modern-day Saga Prefecture.

were not very wealthy but were well known for being model farmers.

Descendants of Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide

The following are some acknowledged descendants of Hisahide: *Matsunaga Teitoku (松永貞徳) - Grandson of Hisahide. *Matsunaga Sekigo - Great-grandson of Hisahide *Matsunaga Munetomo (松永宗伴) *Matsunaga Shouemon (松永所右衛門) *Baron Matsunaga Masatoshi ( 松永正敏 1851–1912) - Lieutenant General and commander of the IJA Sendai Division. *Matsunaga Toh ( 松永東 born 1887) - Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politician who served as the 45th Speaker of the House of Representatives and 79th Minister of Education. To_Matsunaga_1957

He has family roots from

Karatsu is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Its name, formed from the Japanese word roots 唐 ''kara'' (China, or continental East Asia in general), and 津 ''tsu'' (port), signifies its historical importance as a ...

. * Matsunaga Hikaru ( 松永光 1928–2022) - the 62nd Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politician who briefly served as

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

from 27 January to 30 July 1998 Hikaru_Matsunaga

. He was the adopted son of Toh Matsunaga. *Matsunaga Sadaichi ( 松永貞市 1892–1965) - Vice Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He adopted the Matsunaga name after marrying the daughter of Izuyo Matsunaga. His son is Ichiro and his granddaughter, Mari. *Matsunaga Ichiro ( 松永市郎 1919–2005) - Imperial Navy Captain and the father of Mari. *Matsunaga Mari ( 松永真理 1954–present) - founder of

i-mode NTT DoCoMo's i-mode is a mobile internet (distinct from wireless internet) service popular in Japan. Unlike Wireless Application Protocols, i-mode encompasses a wider variety of internet standards, including web access, e-mail, and the packet- ...

mobile service in Japan. Mari is currently serving as board of director for Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and

Seiko Epson Corporation Seiko Epson Corporation, or simply known as Epson, is a Japanese multinational electronics company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers and information- and imaging-related equipment. Headquartered in Suwa, Nagano, ...

. Other Danjo Hisahide descendants are spread across

Saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

, and

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

Prefectures. Some descendants moved from Kyushu to the

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

with others immigrating to the

in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Villainous Matsunaga HisahideThe Puppet Government of Ashikaga YoshiteruMatsunaga family from SagaTruth of Sengoku document Matsunaga Hisahide
Japanese clans Fujiwara clan Miyoshi clan Samurai Yamato Province Daimyo Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Japan)