The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Nitta branch of 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 ...

, who were in turn descendants of

Emperor Seiwa was the 56th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 清和天皇 (56)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.He was also the predecessor of Takeda ryu. T ...

. Serata (Nitta) Arichika, a samurai of the 14th century, was the common ancestor of both the Sakai clan and 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 ...

, which the Sakai later served. In 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 ...

, under

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 ...

(who was the head of what was formerly the main

Matsudaira 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 ...

family line), the Sakai became chief retainers. In 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 characteriz ...

, because of their longstanding service to the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

, the Sakai were classified as a '' fudai'' family, in contrast with the '' tozama'' ("outsider clans").

Clan branches and histories

The ''fudai'' Sakai clan originated in 14th century

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 ...

. They claim descent from Minamoto no Arichika. Arichika had two sons; one of them, Yasuchika, took the name of Matsudaira, while the other son, Chikauji, took the name of Sakai. Chikauji is the ancestor of the Sakai clan.

Sakai Hirochika is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...

, Chikauji's son, had two sons as well, and the descendants of these two sons gave rise to the two principal branches of the clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)
"Sakai" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 50-51
retrieved 8 August 2013. The senior branch was founded by

Sakai Tadatsugu was one of the most favored and most successful military commanders serving Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late-Sengoku period. He is regarded as one of the Four Guardians of the Tokugawa (''Tokugawa-Shitennō''). along with Honda Tadakatsu, Ii Nao ...

(1527–1596). Tadatsugu, a vassal of

, was charged with the defense of

Yoshida Castle is a Japanese castle located in Toyohashi, southeastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Yoshida Castle was home to the Inaba clan, ''daimyō'' of Tateyama Domain. The castle was also known as , and later as Toyohashi Cast ...

in Mikawa Province. In 1578,

Sakai Ietsugu is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...

(1564–1619) succeeded to his father's role as defender of Yoshida Castle. The ''Ie-'' in the beginning of ''Ie''tsugu's name was a special honor bestowed by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who intended to emphasize bonds of loyalty with those who were allowed to share in any part of his name. When Ieyasu's holdings were transferred to the Kantō region in 1590, Ietsugu was installed at

Usui Domain The traditional chinese calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. ''Yǔshuǐ'' / 雨水, ''Usui'', ''Usu'', or ''Vũ thủy'' (in vietnamese lenguage), literally meaning ''rain water'', is the 2nd one of them. It begins when the Sun reach ...

(30,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...

'') in Kōzuke Province, but, in 1604, he was moved to

Takasaki Domain 270px, Surviving yagura of Takasaki Castle, headquarters of Takasaki Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Kōzuke Province (modern-day Gunma Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Takasaki Cas ...

(50,000 ''koku''). In 1616, he was again moved to

Takada Domain , was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It was located in Echigo Province, in the Hokuriku region of Honshū. The domain was centered at Takada Castle, located in what is now part of the city of Jōetsu in ...

(100,000 ''koku''), this time in Echigo Province. In 1619, he was moved to

Matsushiro Domain 300px, Matsushiro Castle Part of the Matsushiro domain's Edo estate, relocated to Kamakura and used as a hall at Ryuko-ji Temple was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is located in Shinano Province, Hons ...

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

; and then, from 1622 to 1868, he was installed at

Tsuruoka Domain is a city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 125,389 in 49,024 households, and a population density of 95.74 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Tsuruoka is the biggest city in Tōhoku region ...

(120,000 ''koku'') in

Dewa Province was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. Dewa bordered on Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History Early peri ...

. The Sakai of Tsuruoka (which later grew to 170,000 ''koku'') in Dewa Province were prominent in the late Edo period as a military power. Charged with the safety of Edo, they were patrons of the Shinchogumi police force, and were very effective in their duties. Following the surrender of Edo, the Sakai withdrew and returned north to their domain, where they were active in the northern theater of the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

, as well as becoming signatories to the pact that created the

Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei The was a Japanese military-political coalition established and disestablished over the course of several months in early to mid-1868 during the Boshin War. Its flag was either a white interwoven five-pointed star on a black field, or a black i ...

in 1868. The head of this clan line was ennobled as a "Count" in the Meiji period.Papinot
p. 50.
/ref> A cadet branch was created in 1647. These Sakai were installed from 1647 through 1868 at Matsumine Domain (20,000 ''koku'') in

; the castle at Matsumine was constructed in 1779. The head of this clan line was ennobled as a "Viscount" in the Meiji period. Another cadet branch was founded by

Sakai Masachika is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...

(+1576). Vassal of the Tokugawa –

Tokugawa Nobutada Tokugawa may refer to: *Tokugawa era, an alternative term for the Edo period, 1603 to 1868 *Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime of Japan during the Edo period **Tokugawa clan, a powerful family of Japan ***Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), most nota ...

Tokugawa Kiyoyasu was the 7th lord over the Matsudaira clan during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. Kiyoyasu was the grandfather of the third "great unifier of Japan", Tokugawa Ieyasu. Biography Kiyoyasu gained control of the whole of northern Mikawa ...

and

Tokugawa Hirotada was the lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa province, Japan during the Sengoku Period of the 16th century. He is best known for being the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Biography Hirotada was the son of Matsudaira ...

. In 1561, he was installed at

Nishio Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Nishio, eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Nishio Castle was home to the Ogyu Matsudaira, ''daimyō'' of Nishio Domain. The castle was also known as , , or . History Nish ...

in Mikawa Province, and the security of the castle was confided in him. In 1590,

Sakai Shigetada is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and in ...

, the son of Masachika, received the

Kawagoe Domain Kawagoe Castle daimyō residence, administrative headquarters of Kawagoe Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is located in Musashi Province, Honshū. The domain was centered at Kawagoe Castle, locate ...

(15,000 ''koku'') in

Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, S ...

; then in 1601, he was installed at Umayabashi Domain (35,000 ''koku'') in Kōzuke Province.Papinot
p. 51.
/ref> In 1749, the descendants of

Sakai Tadakiyo , also known as Uta-no-kami, Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice. (1999) ''Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed,'' p. 442./ref> was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in Kōzuke Province, and a high-ranking government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogu ...

(1626–1681) were transferred to

Himeji Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Harima Province in what is now the southern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered around Himeji Castle, which is located in what is now the ...

(150,000 ''koku'') in

Harima Province or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji. During the ...

; and they remained daimyō at Himeji until 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 ...

. This cadet branch of the Sakai had been created in 1590. The head of this clan line was first ennobled as a "Count" and in the Meiji period. Yet another cadet branch of the Sakai had been created in 1668, These Sakai were installed from 1668 through 1868 at

Katsuyama Domain 250px, Miura Takatsugu, last ''daimyō'' of Katsuyama was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Mimasaka Province in what is now the northern portion of modern-day Okayama Prefecture. It was centered ...

(12,000 ''koku'') in Awa Province. The head of this clan line was ennobled as a "Viscount" in the Meiji period. A further cadet branch of the Sakai had been created in 1681, These Sakai were installed in 1681 through 1868 at Isezaki Domain (20,000 ''koku'') in Kōzuke Province. The head of this clan line was ennobled as a "Viscount" in the Meiji period.

Sakai Tadatoshi was a Japanese samurai daimyō of the Edo period. He was head of a cadet branch of the Sakai clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Sakai" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'' ...

(1562–1627) received the fief of

Tanaka Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Suruga Province in what is now modern-day Fujieda, Shizuoka. It was centered around Tanaka Castle.

(10,000 ''koku'') in

Suruga Province was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture. Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and was bordered by the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay to the south. Its abbrevia ...

in 1601; then his holding was transferred in 1609 to

(30,000 ''koku'') in Musashi province.

Sakai Tadakatsu was a Sengoku period Japanese samurai, and early Edo period ''daimyō'' and served in several important positions within the administration of the Tokugawa shogunate. Papinot, Edmund. (2003)''Nobiliare du Japon'' Sakai. pp. 50–51 Biography Ta ...

(1587–1662) was installed in 1634 through 1868 at

Obama Domain The was a '' Fudai'' feudal domain of the Edo period of Japan. It is located in Wakasa Province, in the Hokuriku region of the island Honshū. The domain was centered at Obama Castle, located in the center of what is now the city of Oba ...

(103,500 ''koku'') 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 cadet branch of the Sakai had been created in 1590. The head of this clan line was ennobled as a "Count" in the Meiji period. Finally, another cadet branch of the Sakai had been created in 1682. These Sakai were installed in 1682 through 1868 at

Tsuruga Domain was a '' fudai'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan. It is located in Echizen Province, in the Hokuriku region of Honshū. The domain was centered at Tsuruga '' jin'ya'', located in the center of what is now the city of Tsuruga in Fukui Prefec ...

(10,000 ''koku'') in Echizen Province. The head of this clan line was ennobled as a "Viscount" in the Meiji period.

Family heads

Shōnai

(1527–1596) *

* Sakai Tadakatsu (1594–1647) * Sakai Tadamasa * Sakai Tadayoshi * Sakai Tadazane * Sakai Tadayori * Sakai Tadaatsu * Sakai Tadaari * Sakai Tadakata * Sakai Tadaaki * Sakai Tadatomo * Sakai Tadazumi * Sakai Tadamichi

Dewa-Matsuyama (branch of the Shonai Domain)

* Sakai Tadatsune * Sakai Tadayasu * Sakai Tadayoshi * Sakai Tadataka * Sakai Tadanori * Sakai Tadamichi * Sakai Tadayoshi * Sakai Tadamasa

Tsuruga

* Sakai Tadashige * Sakai Tadagiku * Sakai Tadatake * Sakai Tadaka * Sakai Tadanobu * Sakai Tadae * Sakai Tadamasu * Sakai Tadatsune *

(1587–1662) * Sakai Tadanao (1630–1682) * Sakai Tadataka (1651–1686) * Sakai Tadasono (1671–1706) * Sakai Tadashige (1691–1735) * Sakai Tadaakira (1720–1740) *

Sakai Tadamochi was the 7th ''daimyō'' of Obama Domain.Meyer, Eva-Mari Universität Tübingen (in German). Biography Tadamochi was the fifth son of Sakai Tadaoto by a concubine, and became ''daimyō'' in 1740 on the death of his elder brother Sakai Tadaakir ...

(1725–1775)Meyer, Eva-Mari
"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit."
Universität Tübingen (in German). *

Sakai Tadayoshi The was a '' Fudai'' feudal domain of the Edo period of Japan. It is located in Wakasa Province, in the Hokuriku region of the island Honshū. The domain was centered at Obama Castle, located in the center of what is now the city of Obama i ...

(1813–1873) * Sakai Tadatsura (1752–1806) * Sakai Tadayuki (1770–1828) *

Sakai Tadayori The was a '' Fudai'' feudal domain of the Edo period of Japan. It is located in Wakasa Province, in the Hokuriku region of the island Honshū. The domain was centered at Obama Castle, located in the center of what is now the city of Obama i ...

(1791–1853) *

Sakai Tadaaki ,Keene, Donald. (2002) ''Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912'', p. 43./ref> also known as Sakai Tadayoshi,Meyer, Eva-Mari Universität Tübingen (in German); Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy ...

(1813–1873; formerly Tadayoshi) Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868,'' p. 339. * Sakai Tadauji (1835–1876) *

(1813–1873)

Himeji

Maebashi domain

The successive leaders at

Maebashi is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 335,352 in 151,171 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It wa ...

were: *

(1549–1617) * Sakai Tadayo (1572–1636) * Sakai Tadayuki (1599–1636) *

(1626–1681) * Sakai Tadataka (Maebashi) (1648–1720) * Sakai Tadami (1667–1708) * Sakai Chikayoshi (1694–1733) * Sakai Chikamoto (1705–1731)

Himeji domain

The successive leaders at

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...

were: *

Sakai Tadazumi (Himeji) was the 11th ''daimyō'' of Shōnai Domain during Bakumatsu period Japan. His courtesy title was ''Saemon-no-jō''. Biography Sakai Tadazumi was the fifth son of Sakai Tadaaki, the 5th ''daimyō'' of Shōnai. When his elder brother, the 10th ...

(1710–1772) * Sakai Tadazane (1756–1790) * Sakai Tadahiro (1777–1837) * Sakai Tadamitsu (1779–1848) * Sakai Tadanori (1809–1844) * Sakai Tadatomi (1829–1853) * Sakai Tadateru (1836–1860) * Sakai Tadashige (1827–1895) * Sakai Tadatō (1839–1907) * Sakai Tadakuni (1854–1879)

Notable members

: *

Saburō Sakai was a Japanese naval aviator and flying ace (''"Gekitsui-O"'', ) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Sakai had 28–64 aerial victories, including shared ones, according to official Japanese records, but his autobiography, ''Samura ...

(1916-2000) * Sakai Chikauji *

(1527–1596) *

(1564–1619) *

(1626–1681) *

(1562–1627) *

(1587–1662) * Sakai Tadakatsu (Shōnai) (1594–1647) * Sakai Tadamasa (Shōnai) *

(1725–1775), 21st Kyoto ''shoshidai'' * Sakai Tadayuki (1770–1828), 37th Kyoto ''shoshidai'' * Sakai Tadazumi,

Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in the city of Himeji which is located in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network o ...

* Sakai Tadashige, ''

Rōjū The , usually translated as '' Elder'', was one of the highest-ranking government posts under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council of Elders as a whole; under the first two ''sh� ...

'' (1863–1864), ''

Tairō ''Tairō'' (, "great elder") was a high-ranking official position in the Tokugawa shogunate government of Japan, roughly comparable to the office of prime minister. The ''tairō'' presided over the governing '' rōjū'' council in the event of an ...

'' (1865–1866). * Sakai Tadasuke (also known as Sakai Tadamasu), ''

Wakadoshiyori The ', or "Junior Elders", were high government officials in the Edo period Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867). The position was established around 1633, but appointments were irregular until 1662. The four to six ''wakadoshiyori'' we ...

'' (1853–1862, 1863, 1864–1866) *

(1813–1873), also known as

49th Kyoto ''shoshidai'' * Sakai Tadakatsu (Meiji era),

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, House of Peers (1925) "Nobility, Peerage and Ranks in Ancient and Meiji-Japan," p. 13.
/ref> * Sakai Tadamasa (Meiji era), Count, House of Peers (1925) * Sakai Tadasuke,

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 judicial ...

, House of Peers (1925)Japan peers, p. 14.
/ref>

References

External links

Nikko Tourist Association. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakai Clan Japanese clans Meiji Restoration