The Katō clan (加藤氏, ''Katō-shi'') was a

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 ...

and

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

clan in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It was said that the ''Ka'' in Katō came from 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 ...

of Kaga.

Katō Kiyomasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama period, Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. His court title was . His name as a child was ''Yashamaru'', and first name was ''Toranosuke''. He was one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi's Seven ...

came from the Katō clan, who claimed to be descendants of the ''Fujiwara-Kitaoji clan''. Katō Mitsuyasu and Yoshiaki were descendants of the Fujiwara-Kitaoji clan. The latter two branches became the lords of Ōzu and Minakuchi respectively in the early modern period, and 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, both clans were ennobled as viscounts.

History

It is believed that the first person to be called ''Katō'' was Fujiwara Kagemichi, who served under Minamoto no Yorimitsu. He was given the title of Kaga no Fujiwara, which was later abbreviated to ''Katō''. Katō Kagenobu, who is said to be the great-grandson of Kagemichi, participated in

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 ...

's uprising. After the downfall of 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 ...

and the establishment 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 Yori ...

, he became a vassal of the Kamakura government. He was ordered by Yoritomo to defeat Yasuda Yoshisada, along with Kajiwara Kagesue. Although he later obtained the position of Jito (land steward) in the Ashiba Manor in

Tōtōmi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today western Shizuoka Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tōtōmi''" in . Tōtōmi bordered on Mikawa Province, Mikawa, Suruga Province, S ...

, his land was confiscated when Kajiwara Kagesue was killed, possibly due to his close relationship with Kagesue. Since the

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 ...

, the Kato Mitsuyasu line has been prominent. Katō Mitsuyasu served under

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

and was granted the Kai Province of 240,000 koku. His son, Katō Sadayasu, was reduced to 40,000 koku in Mino Province in 1594, and then transferred to the Yonago Domain in 1610, where he received an additional 20,000 koku, totaling 60,000 koku. In 1617, he was transferred to the Ōzu Domain. The domain continued until the

abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lords) ...

. The last lord, Katō Yasuaki, was appointed as the governor of the Ōzu Domain in June 1869, during the abolition of the han system, and served as the governor until the abolition of the han system in July 1871.

List of ''
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 ...
''

Katō Yoshiaki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period to early Edo period; he served as lord of the Aizu Domain. As a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Katō fought in the battle of Shizugatake in 1583 and soon became known as one of the ''shich ...

Lineage

Japanese_crest_Sagari_Fuji_of_Katou_Yosiaki

Katō Yoshiaki was originally a retainer of 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 the ...

, but he rebelled against his lord, Matsudaira Motoyasu (later Tokugawa Ieyasu), during the

Ikkō-ikki were armed military leagues that formed in several regions of Japan in the 15th-16th centuries, composed entirely of members of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism. In the early phases, these ''ikki'' leagues opposed the rule of local Shugo, go ...

and fled. Born as Noriaki's son,

served under

and became one of the

Seven Spears of Shizugatake The were a sobriquet of 7 vassals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the battle of Shizugatake in 1583. At the decisive moment in the battle, Hideyoshi ordered them to leave the position and charge at the opposing army of Shibata Katsuie. After Hideyoshi ...

. He played an active role in the Odawara campaign and the Korean expedition under the Toyotomi regime. After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he approached Tokugawa Ieyasu and became a daimyō of Iyo-Matsuyama Domain with 210,000

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

in the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

. Yoshiaki was later granted an additional 400,000 koku and became a powerful daimyo of

Aizu Domain was a Han (Japan), domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871.Ravina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 The Aizu Domain was based at Aizuwakamatsu Castle, Tsuruga Castle in M ...

in his later years. However, after Yoshiaki's death, his successor Katō Akinari was deprived of his domain due to the Aizu Incident. Akinari's illegitimate son, Katō Meitomo, was allowed to revive as a daimyō of Omihachiman Domain with 20,000 koku. When he was transferred to

Mibu Domain was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Tsuga District of Shimotsuke Province (modern-day Tochigi Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Mibu Castle in what is now part of the town of Mibu, To ...

Shimotsuke Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Tochigi Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''SHimotsuke''" in . Shimotsuke was bordered by Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Hitachi Province, ...

, he was granted an additional 5,000 koku, and after being returned to Mizuguchi Domain in 1713, the same domain continued to exist until the

. The last

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 ...

Minakuchi Domain was a ''Fudai daimyō, Fudai'' Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It was located in southeastern Ōmi Province, in the Kansai region of central Honshu. The domain was centered at Minakuchi Castle, loca ...

, Akihisa, was appointed as the governor of Minakuchi Domain in June 1869, and served as the governor of the same domain until the abolition of the han system in July 1871. With the integration of court nobles and daimyo families in the administrative officials on June 17, 1869, the peerage system was established, and the Kato clan was also listed as a peerage as a daimyō clan. When the peerage system became the five peerage system with the enforcement of the Peerage Law on July 7, 1884, he was listed as a viscount August 8, 1884 as a former small han governor.

List of ''
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 ...
''

References

{{reflist Japanese clans

History

List of ''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 ...''

List of ''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 ...''

References

List of ''
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 ...
''

List of ''
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 ...
''