The Taira was one of the four most important

clans A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

that dominated Japanese politics during the

Heian The Japanese word Heian (平安, lit. "peace") may refer to: * Heian period, an era of Japanese history * Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one ...

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the

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 ...

, the

Tachibana The term has at least two different meanings, and has been used in several contexts. People * – a clan of ''kuge'' (court nobles) prominent in the Nara and Heian periods (710–1185) * – a clan of ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) prominent in the Mu ...

, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided into four major groups, named after the emperor they descended from:

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 sc ...

Heishi, Ninmyō Heishi, Montoku Heishi, and Kōkō Heishi. The clan is commonly referred to as or , using the character's On'yomi for ''Taira'', while means "

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

", and is used as a suffix for " extended family".

History

Taira-Clan-Warriors-Ukiyoe-Utagawa-Yoshitora

Along with the Minamoto, Taira was one of the honorary surnames given by the emperors of the Heian Period (794–1185 CE) to their children and grandchildren who were not considered eligible for the throne. The clan was founded when the Imperial Court grew too large, and the emperor ordered that the descendants of previous emperors from several generations ago would no longer be princes, but would instead be given noble surnames and ranks. The decision became applicable during the reign of Emperor Kanmu (782–805) and thus, together with the Taira clan, the Minamoto clan was born. Some grandchildren of Emperor Kanmu were the first to bear the name of Taira, after

825 __NOTOC__ Year 825 ( DCCCXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place India * A group of Persio-Assyrian adherents of the Church of the East, under the leader ...

. Later, the descendants of

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

, Emperor Montoku and

Emperor Koko 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 ...

also received the surname. The specific hereditary lines of these emperors are referred to by the posthumous name of the emperor followed by Heishi, for example ''Kanmu Heishi''. The Kanmu Heishi line, founded in

889 __NOTOC__ Year 889 ( DCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Guy III, duke of Spoleto, defeats the Lombard king Berengar I at the Tr ...

by Taira no Takamochi (great-grandson of the 50th Emperor Kanmu, who reigned from 781 to

806 __NOTOC__ Year 806 ( DCCCVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Asia * February 5 – Emperor Kanmu dies after a 25-year reign, that has seen Korea ...

) proved to be the strongest and most dominant line during the Heian period. Later, another member of this lineage, Taira no Kiyomori, created what was considered the first samurai government in the history of Japan. A great-grandson of Takamochi, Taira no Korehira, moved to Ise Province (currently part of Mie Prefecture) and established an important

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

dynasty. Masamori, his grandson; and

Tadamori Tadamori is a Japanese surname and masculine given name. Kanji Kanji used to write the name Tadamori include: *: "forest with many fields" *: "manages the forest" *: "loyal and flourishing" *: "three protections", "third protection". Also read Mimo ...

, his great-grandson, became loyal supporters of Emperor Shirakawa and Emperor Toba, respectively. Taira no Kiyomori, son and heir of Tadamori, rose to the position of Daijō Daijin (great Minister of State), after his victories in the Hōgen Rebellion (1156) and the Heiji Rebellion (1160). Kiyomori succeeded in enthroning his youngest grandson as Emperor Antoku in 1180, an act that led to the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...

(Genpei no Sōran, 1180–1185). The last leader of the Kanmu Heishi bloodline, was eventually destroyed by Minamoto no Yoritomo's armies at the

Battle of Dan-no-ura The was a major sea battle of the Genpei War, occurring at Dan-no-ura, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshū. On April 25, 1185 (or March 24, 1185 by the official page of Shimonoseki City), the fleet of the Minamoto clan ...

, the last battle of the Genpei War. This story is told in the Heike Monogatari. This branch of the Kanmu Heishi had many other branches, including Hōjō,

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

, Miura and Hatakeyama. Another member of this family was Takamune-ō (804–867), the eldest son of Prince Imperial Kazurahara and grandson of Emperor Kanmu, who received the title of Taira no Ason in the year 825. Thus, there were two groups in Kanmu Heishi, a nucleus that descended from Takamune and another from his nephew, Takamochi (the son of Imperial Prince Takami). The Oda clan at the time of

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 ...

(1534–1582) also claimed Taira descent, they were descendants of

Taira no Chikazane (1178-1225) was the last living member of the Taira clan. He was the son of Taira no Koremori, grandson of Taira no Shigemori, and great-grandson of Taira no Kiyomori. He and his brother, Taira no Takakiyo, were the only male members of the Tair ...

, grandson of Taira no Shigemori (1138–1179).

Genpei War

During the Heiji Rebellion (1160), the Seiwa Genji leader, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, died in battle. Taira no Kiyomori gained power in Kyoto forging alliances with retired emperors Shirakawa and Toba. Kiyomori sent Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the third son of Yoshitomo, into exile. In

1180 Year 1180 ( MCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 24 – Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos) dies after a 37-year reign at C ...

, Yoritomo organized a large-scale rebellion against the rule of the Taira (the

or ''Taira-Minamoto''), culminated with the destruction of the Taira by the Minamoto clan and the subjugation of eastern Japan in five years. In

1192 Year 1192 ( MCXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1192nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 192nd year of the 2nd millennium, the 92nd year ...

, Minamoto no Yoritomo received the title

shogun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

and created the first bakufu based in

(Kanagawa Prefecture).

Branches

The Taira clan had four main branches:The Samurai Crab
/ref> *Taira Kanmu (Kanmu Heishi, 桓武平氏) – descended from the princes, children of 50th Emperor Kanmu. *Taira Nimmyō (Nimmyō Heishi, 仁明平氏) – descended from the princes, grandchildren of the 54th

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

's lineage. *Taira Montoku (Montoku Heishi, 文徳平氏) – descended from princes, children of 55th Emperor Montoku. *Taira Kōkō (Kōkō Heishi, 光孝平氏) – descended from the princes, grandchildren of the 58th Emperor Kōkō's lineage.

Clan members

These were important members of the Taira clan. *

Taira no Takakiyo {{family name hatnote, Taira, lang=Japanese Taira no Takakiyo (平高清/ Taira no Rokudai 平六代, 1173 – March 3, 1199) was a member of the ruling Taira clan from the late Heian period to the early Kamakura period. He was the son of Taira no ...

(1173–1199) * Taira no Kiyomori (1118–1181) *

Taira no Shigehira (1158–1185) was one of the sons of Taira no Kiyomori, and one of the Taira Clan's chief commanders during the Heian period of the 12th century of Japan. Following the Battle of Uji in 1180, Shigehira fought in the Siege of Nara, where he burn ...

(1158–1185) * Taira no Tomomori (1152–1185) * Taira no Munemori (1147–1185) * Taira no Shigemori (1138–1179) *

Taira no Tadanori (1144–1184) was a poet and military leader of the late Heian period of Japan. He was the brother of clan head Taira no Kiyomori, and one of his generals in the Genpei War against the Minamoto. Career Tadanori was the governor of Satsuma an ...

(1144–1184) * Taira no Masakado (903–940)

Mon of the Taira

The ''mon'' (crest, emblem) of the Taira clan is an Agehanochō (揚羽蝶,

Swallowtail butterfly Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the large ...

) with raised wings.

Gallery

File:Yoshitsune_aangevallen_door_Taira_geesten-Rijksmuseum_RP-P-1979-177.jpeg, Yoshitsune and Benkei defending themselves in their boat during a storm created by the ghosts of conquered Taira warriors (by Utagawa Kuniyoshi)

References

{{reflist Japanese clans