Ōtomo Yoshinao (大友能直, January 29, 1172 - December 20, 1223) was a Japanese

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

lord and ''

gokenin A was initially a vassal of the shogunate of the Kamakura and the Muromachi periods.Iwanami Kōjien, "Gokenin" In exchange for protection and the right to become '' jitō'' (manor's lord), a ''gokenin'' had in times of peace the duty to protect ...

'' of the early

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

. He was a close

retainer Retainer may refer to: * Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth * RFA Retainer (A329), RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship * Retainers in early China, a social group in early China Employment * Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer p ...

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

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...

, even called his "matchless favorite", and served as

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of Buzen and

Bungo Province was a province of Japan in the area of eastern Kyūshū, corresponding to most of modern Ōita Prefecture, except what is now the cities of Nakatsu and Usa. Bungo bordered on Hyūga to the south, Higo and Chikugo to the west, and Chikuze ...

s, Defense Commissioner of the West and Lieutenant of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards (''Sakon no shōgen'') under 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 Yori ...

. He was the founder of the

Ōtomo clan The was a Japanese samurai family whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū. Origins The first family head, Ōtomo Yoshinao (1172–1223), ...

. He held the court rank of Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade.

Life

Early life

Kondō Ichihōshimaru was born on January 29, 1172, the son of Kondō Yoshishige, the head of Furushō township in

Sagami Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kanagawa''" at . Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu Province, Izu ...

. His family were mid-ranking court nobility from

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

. Regarding his parentage, there is a theory that he was the illegitimate son of

, but this theory has been widely refuted by modern historians. It has been concluded that he was in fact a descendant of the

Fujiwara clan The 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 ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

. His mother, Tone no Tsubone, was the daughter of Hatano Tsuneie. After his elder sister married court official Nakahara no Chikayoshi, Yoshinao became an adopted son of Chikayoshi, and became known as Nakahara no Yoshinao. He succeeded the position of the head of Ōtomo township from his maternal side of family, and became known as Ōtomo Yoshinao, thus establishing the

Career

From a young age, he served as a close retainer of

Minamoto no Yoritomo. After Yoshinao's '' genpuku'' (coming-of-age ceremony), he succeeded the position of Defense Commissioner of the West previously held by his adoptive father Nakahara no Chikayoshi, and became the steward of Ōno Manor in

(present-day

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,081,646 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, K ...

). In ''

Azuma Kagami is a Japanese historical chronicle. The medieval text chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo's rebellion against the Taira clan in Izokuni of 1180 to Munetaka Shinnō (the 6th shōgun) and his return to Kyoto in ...

'', Yoshinao is described as a very close associate of Yoritomo stating that he was Yoritomo's "matchless favorite". In 1189, he participated in the

Battle of Ōshū The Battle of Ōshū (奥州合戦, ''Ōshū-kassen'') was a major battle between the Kamakura government and the Northern Fujiwara that took place in the Tōhoku region of Japan from September 1 to October 14, 1189. It resulted in the downfall ...

. In 1193, when Yoritomo came under attack by

Soga Tokimune Soga Tokimune (Japanese language, Japanese: 曾我時致, 1174 - June 29, 1193) was a Japanese samurai in the late Heian period, Heian and early Kamakura period, Kamakura periods. He and his brother Soga Sukenari are known for being the perpetra ...

during the

Revenge of the Soga Brothers The Revenge of the Soga Brothers (曾我兄弟の仇討ち, ''Soga kyōdai no adauchi'') was a vengeance incident on 28 June 1193, during the Fuji no Makigari hunting event arranged by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo. The Soga brothers, Soga Sukenari ...

incident, Yoshinao stopped Yoritomo from trying to draw his sword and getting involved in a fight to protect him. On July 19, 1199, Chikayoshi, who was busy in Kyoto, received news that Yoritomo's daughter Sanman was in critical condition. Chikayoshi and Yoshinao hurried straight to Kamakura. Yoshinao brought Tamba Tokinaga, a Kyoto physician, to Chikayoshi's Kamakura mansion. Despite their efforts, Sanman died on July 30 and was buried at a temple in Kamegayatsu, near Chikayoshi's mansion. According to the Ōtomo genealogy, Yoshinao was appointed Defense Commissioner of the West and Governor of Buzen and Bungo Provinces in Kenkyū era. However, this has been pointed out to be an error, and that all of these positions were handed to him by his adoptive father Nakahara no Chikayoshi. Yoshinao died in Kyoto on December 20, 1223, aged 51. He left his government positions to his children and wife Shinmyō.

Genealogy

The Ōtomo clan claims descent from

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. Traditional narrative Seiwa was the fourth ...

(850-881) through the

Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto members, including Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Minamoto no Yoritomo, ...

lineage of the

Minamoto clan was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobili ...

. Although the clan genealogy claims Yoshinao to be an illegitimate son of

, it has been concluded that he was in fact a descendant of the

, as the son of Kondō Yoshishige of the Kondō clan. Yoshinao's paternal uncle was Mutō Yorihira, and Yorihira's nephew (raised like his own son), Mutō Sukeyori, founded the

Shōni clan was a family of Japanese nobles descended from the Fujiwara family, many of whom held high government offices in Kyūshū. Prior to the Kamakura period (1185–1333), "Shōni" was originally a title and post within the Kyūshū ( Dazaifu) gover ...

. In addition, Kondō Kunihira, who was a ''

'' of Minamoto no Yoritomo, was Yoshinao's second cousin, and the descendants of his younger brother, Tamura Nakanori, later became members of the Mizunoya clan. Ōtomo Yoshinao's descendants served as Governor of Buzen and Bungo Provinces for generations further establishing the power of Ōtomo clan in these two provinces. The clan would expand their power in Bungo Province along with the Shiga clan, founded by Yoshinao's eighth son Shiga Yoshisato, that had settled there earlier. Following the unrest of the

Nanboku-chō period The , also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period, was a period in Japanese history between 1336-1392 CE, during the formative years of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate. Ideologically, the two courts fought for 50 ...

, the clan became an influential Shugo Daimyo family in Bungo, Buzen, and

Chikugo Province was a province of Japan in the area of northern Kyūshū, corresponding to part of southwestern Fukuoka Prefecture. Chikugo bordered on Higo and Chikugo to the southeast, and Chikuzen to the north and east, Bungo to the east and Hizen to t ...

s during the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

. Yoshinaga, 19th generation descendant of Yoshinao, along with his son Yoshiaki further became

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

Daimyos. At the time of 21st generation Yoshishige, the Ōtomo clan reached its zenith by expanding its power to Hizen, Higo, and

Chikuzen Province was a province of Japan in the area of northern Kyūshū, corresponding to part of north and western Fukuoka Prefecture. Chikuzen bordered on Hizen to the east, and Buzen east, and Bungo to the southeast. Its abbreviated form name was (a ...

s. At its zenith, the Ōtomo clan ruled six provinces (Buzen, Bungo, Hizen, Higo, Chikuzen and Chikugo) and two half-provinces ( Hyūga and Iyo).

Yoritomo's Illegitimate Son Theory

Yoshinao's mother, Tone no Tsubone, was once a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Yoshinao's adoptive father, Nakahara no Chikayoshi, was a close retainer of Yoritomo. There is a theory that Yoshinao was an illegitimate son of Yoritomo because of his relationship with her mother, and in Ōtomo genealogy, Yoshinao is inscribed as an illegitimate son of Yoritomo. In addition, there is a theory that Tone no Tsubone never was a concubine of Yoritomo as it is not described in the records at that time such as the ''Azuma Kagami''. In the Kōan era Ōtomo genealogy, Yoshinao's paternal lineage goes straight from

Fujiwara no Hidesato was a Japanese aristocrat, courtier, folk hero and samurai lord of the tenth century in the Heian period. He is famous for his military exploits and courage, and is regarded as the common ancestor of numerous clans, including the Ōshū branch ...

to Yoshinari, and states no differing theories to this lineage. From this, it has been pointed out that there was no theory about Yoshinao being an illegitimate son of Yoritomo in the late Kamakura period. Furthermore, it has been said that this theory was created after Yoshinao's 7th generation descendant, Ōtomo Yasushi, and all his brothers, were taken in by

Ashikaga Takauji also known as Minamoto no Takauji was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. ...

as nephews (raised like his own son) during Takauji's revival campaign in

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

. There is a viewpoint that this theory was created to recall the memories about the relationship of Yoritomo and Yoshinao for the fictitious parent-child relationship of Takauji and the Ōtomo brothers.

Family

* Adoptive father: Nakahara no Chikayoshi * Father: Kondō Yoshishige * Mother: Tone no Tsubone (daughter of Hatano Tsuneie) * Wife: Shinmyō (daughter of Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi) ** Eldest son: Ōtomo Chikahide **Eighth son: Shiga Yoshisato ** Son: Takuma Yoshihide ** Son: Ōtomo Tokinao ** Son: Motoyoshi Arinao ** Son: Ōtomo Chikanao ** Son: Ōtomo Satoyoshi ** Son: Ōtomo Asanao ** Son: Ichimada Tokikage ** Son: Washio Hidenao ** Son: Buzen Yoshimoto ** Son: Nakahara no Yasuhiro ** Daughter: Hōjō Tomotoki's wife

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otomo, Yoshinao Samurai People of the Kamakura period 1172 births 1223 deaths People of the Genpei War