The is 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 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 branches of the family continued as daimyo houses until the
Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
. After the Meiji Restoration, all four houses of the clan were appointed
Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
in the new system of hereditary peerage.
History
Origins
The Oda family in the time of Nobunaga 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 ...
, by
Taira no Chikazane, a grandson of
Taira no Shigemori
was the eldest regent of the Taira clan patriarch, Taira no Kiyomori. He supported his father in the Heiji Rebellion. He died two years before his father. His son, Taira no Koremori, became a monk in 1184, and drowned himself. Oda Nobunaga cl ...
(1138–1179).
Taira no Chikazane established himself at Oda (
Echizen Province
was a province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga, Wakasa, Hida, and Ōmi Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abbreviated for ...
) and took its name. His descendants, senior retainers of the
Shiba clan (
Seiwa Genji), ''
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 ...
'' (governors) of Echizen,
Owari and other
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
, followed the latter to Owari Province and received
Inuyama Castle
is a ''yamajiro''-style Japanese castle located in the city of Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The castle overlooks the Kiso River, which serves as the border between Aichi and Gifu Prefectures. The '' tenshu'' of Inuyama Castle, one of only 1 ...
in 1435. This castle was built towards 1435, by Shiba Yoshitake who entrusted its safety to the Oda family. The Oda had been ''
shugo-dai'' (vice-governor) for several generations.
Independence
In 1452, after the death of
Shiba Yoshitake the vassals of the
Shiba, like the Oda in Owari Province and the
Asakura clan
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_in_Echizen_Province,_refused_the_succession_of_Shiba_Yoshitoshi.html" ;"title="DF 7 of 80/nowiki>">DF 7 of 80">"Asa ...
in Echizen Province, refused the succession of Shiba Yoshitoshi">DF 7 of 80/nowiki>">DF 7 of 80">"Asa ...