The Chiba Clan (千葉氏 ''Chiba-shi'') was a Japanese '' gōzoku'' and

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 ...

family descending from the

Taira clan The was one of the four most important Japanese clans, clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period, Heian period of History of Japan, Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto clan, Minamoto, the Fujiwara clan, Fuji ...

. The clan was founded by Chiba Tsuneshige, originally Taira Tsuneshige. The Chiba governed in Shimōsa Province, and the clan was based in present-day Chiba City. Additionally, for a period, the clan controlled the Sōma Manor that extended into present-day Ibaraki. After the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, the head of the Chiba Clan became the hereditary shugo governor of Shimōsa Province. The Chiba Clan was originally a branch of the Kanmu-Heishi Clan and thrived mainly in the Boso Peninsula during the Middle Ages. On the 1st of June 1126, Taira Tsuneshige moved his base to the area now known as Inohana in Chuo Ward and took the name “Chiba”. This is how the history of Chiba City first began as a town, with the 1st of June known as “Chiba Foundation Day”. Tsuneshige’s son Chiba Tsunetane played a very important role in the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate by helping Minamoto no Yoritomo, who fled to Chiba after being defeated by the Taira Clan. Tsunetane advised him to make Kamakura his base. Records show that Yoritomo trusted Tsunetane so much that he saw him as a father figure. Tsunetane acquired land in various places across Japan and passed this land down to his six sons, known as the “Chiba Rokuto”, leading to the influence of his clan spreading across the whole country.

Origin

The Chiba clan descends from the 8th century Emperor Kanmu through the sequence of Imperial Prince Kazurahara (786–853) — Prince Takami — Taira no Takamochi — Muraoka Yoshifumi — Muraoka Tadayori — Chiba Tadatsune — Chiba Tsunemasa — Chiba Tsunenaga — Chiba Tsunekane — Chiba Tsuneshige — Chiba Tsunetane — Azuma Taneyori . The Emperor Go-Daigo authorized the head of Chiba family, Chiba Sadatane, as chief ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' and

of the

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

. The clan settled in the Shimōsa area in the early 12th century. The Chiba came into conflict with Minamoto no Yoshitomo during the 1140s over estates in present-day

Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...

. The Chiba, however, came to support Yoshitomo in the Hōgen Rebellion (1156).

Genpei War

During the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, 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 Yori ...

(1180–1185) the Chiba clan, as well as the Hōjō, Miura, and Doi clans, opposed the greater 'core' Taira clan and supported

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 ...

. Chiba Tsunetane, clan chief of the period, won Yoritomo’s trust and helped establish the Kamakura shogunate. The power of the clan increased in this period, but ultimately declined 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 ...

(1336–1573).

Later history

The Chiba clan was completely conquered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi before the establishment of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. Many descendants of the Chiba clan live in Chiba Prefecture today. Chiba Castle, reconstructed in 1967, is built on the site of Inohana Castle, an area previously controlled by the clan.

References

{{Reflist Taira clan