is a Japanese aristocratic kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)
"Konoe," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 24
retrieved 2013-8-13. The family is a branch of Hokke and, by extension, a main branch of 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 ...

. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)
"Go-sekke"
in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 260.

History

The family claims descent from

Fujiwara no Kanezane , also known as , is the founder of the Kujō family (at the encouragement of Minamoto no Yoritomo), although some sources cite Fujiwara no Morosuke (908-960) as its founder. Kanezane organised the compilation of the Kitano Tenjin Engi, the histo ...

, third son of

Fujiwara no Tadamichi was the eldest son of the Japanese regent ('' Kampaku'') Fujiwara no Tadazane and a member of the politically powerful Fujiwara clan. He was the father of Fujiwara no Kanefusa and Jien. In the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156, Tadamichi sided with the ...

. After the fall of 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 ...

in 1185, Kanezane became

Sesshō and Kampaku In Japan, was a title given to a regent who was named to act on behalf of either a child Emperor before his coming of age, or an empress regnant. The was theoretically a sort of chief advisor for the Emperor, but was in practice the title of ...

with the support from

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

; Kanezane then founded an independent family as of 1191, and the family name Kujō was named after a residence located on the road "Kujō-Ōji" (九条大路), where his family lived, built by his ancestor,

Fujiwara no Mototsune , also known as , was a Japanese statesman, courtier and aristocrat of the early Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Mototsune" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). He was the first '' kampaku'', a regent of an adult ...

. Since then, the Kujō became one of the five Fujiwara families from which the Sesshō and Kampaku could be chosen, later known as Five regent houses. The fourth and fifth ''

shōgun , 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 Kamak ...

'' of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no ...

Kujō Yoritsune , also known as , was the fourth ''shōgun'' of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. His father was '' kanpaku'' Kujō Michiie and his grandmother was a niece of Minamoto no Yoritomo. His wife was a granddaughter of Minamoto no Yoritomo and daughter o ...

and

Kujō Yoritsugu , also known as , was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. His father was the 4th Kamakura ''shōgun'', Kujō Yoritsune.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Yoritsugu" in . Yoritsugu was a member of the great Fuj ...

, came from this family as well. After 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 ...

, members of the Kujō clan were elevated to

princedom A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

and given the title

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

Family Tree

Tsurudono family

The was founded by the fifth son of Kujō Hisatada, Tsurudono Tadayoshi (1853-1895), in 1888. The kanji used in the family name was originally "靏殿" but later changed to "鶴殿", both names are pronounced "Tsurudono". # Tsurudono Tadayoshi (1853-1895), becoming baron since December 18, 1889 until his death. # (1891-1956), son of Tadayoshi, succeeding baron, after his father's death, in 1895–1947. # Tsurudono Sumiie (b. 1924), son of Iekatsu, and he has three sons.

References

Japanese clans Fujiwara clan {{Japan-clan-stub

History

Family Tree

Tsurudono family

See also

References