Edo clan
Encyclopedia
The Edo clan were a minor offshoot of the Taira clan
, and first fortified the settlement known as Edo
, which would later become Tokyo
. The Imperial Palace now stands at this location.
During the Azuchi-Momoyama period
, the clan was renamed the Kitami.
The clan originated in Chichibu
in Musashi Province
(now Saitama Prefecture
). In the late 12th century, Edo Shigetsugu moved south and fortified the little hill at Edo, located where the Sumida River
enters Tokyo Bay
. This area is now the Honmaru and Ninomaru portions of Edo Castle
.
Here, the Edo grew in military strength under the second patriarch, Edo Shigenaga
.
In August 1180, Shigenaga attacked Muira Yoshizumi, an ally of the rival Minamoto clan
. Three months later, he switched sides just as Minamoto Yoritomo entered Musashi
. Shigenaga assisted the Minamoto in overthrowing the Taira in Kyoto
. In return, Yoritomo granted Shigenaga seven new estates in Musashi Province
, including Kitami in what is now Tokyo's western Setagaya Ward.
Records show that in 1457, Edo Shigeyasu surrendered his main base at Edo to Ota Dokan
. Dokan was a vassal of the powerful Ōgigayatsu branch of the Uesugi clan
under Uesugi Sadamasa. Sadamasa was the Kanto-Kanrei for the Ashikaga
. Dokan built Edo castle
on the site.
The Edo clan then moved to Kitami.
In 1593, in a pledge of obedience to Tokugawa Ieyasu
, Edo Katsutada changed the clan name to Kitami. Katsutada was employed by the first and second Tokugawa shoguns
, reaching the position of Magistrate of Sakai
, south of Osaka
.
Katsutada's grandson-in-law, Shigemasa, found favor with the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
. He rose from the position of hatamoto
, with a stipend of one thousand koku
, to sobayonin, with a stipend of twenty thousand. Sobayonin, or Grand Chamberlain, was an influential post, responsible for relaying messages between the shogun and his senior councilors. He was also awarded a further large domain in 1686.
However, the clan's fortunes suddenly plummeted. In 1689, Shigemasa's nephew violated the Shogunate taboo on bloodshed. Shigemasa was forfeited his status and property and was banished to Ise, where he died in 1693 at age 36. With that the 500-year-old Edo clan vanished.
Tombstones of several generations of the clan are at Keigen-ji, a Buddhist temple founded in 1186 by Edo Shigenaga, in Kitami.
Taira clan
The was a major Japanese clan of samurai in historical Japan.In reference to Japanese history, along with Minamoto, Taira was a hereditary clan name bestowed by the emperors of the Heian Period to certain ex-members of the imperial family when they became subjects...
, and first fortified the settlement known as Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
, which would later become Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. The Imperial Palace now stands at this location.
During the Azuchi-Momoyama period
Azuchi-Momoyama period
The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...
, the clan was renamed the Kitami.
The clan originated in Chichibu
Chichibu, Saitama
is a city in Saitama, Japan. As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 68,701, with a household number of 26,230. The total area is 577.69 km²....
in Musashi Province
Musashi Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Prefecture, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama...
(now Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
). In the late 12th century, Edo Shigetsugu moved south and fortified the little hill at Edo, located where the Sumida River
Sumida River
The is a river which flows through Tokyo, Japan. It branches from the Arakawa River at Iwabuchi and flows into Tokyo Bay. Its tributaries include the Kanda and Shakujii rivers....
enters Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
. This area is now the Honmaru and Ninomaru portions of Edo Castle
Edo Castle
, also known as , is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also...
.
Here, the Edo grew in military strength under the second patriarch, Edo Shigenaga
Edo Shigenaga
Edo Shigenaga was the second head of the Edo clan. He first settled and lent his name to the fishing village Edo that eventually grew to become Tokyo. He was also known as Edo Taro....
.
In August 1180, Shigenaga attacked Muira Yoshizumi, an ally of the rival Minamoto clan
Minamoto clan
was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were demoted into the ranks of the nobility. The practice was most prevalent during the Heian Period , although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku Era. The Taira were another such offshoot of...
. Three months later, he switched sides just as Minamoto Yoritomo entered Musashi
Musashi
Musashi may refer to:* Japanese corvette Musashi * Japanese battleship Musashi* Musashi , a 1935 novel by Eiji Yoshikawa* Musashi's, a Japanese feline musical group* Brave Fencer Musashi, a 1998 Playstation video game...
. Shigenaga assisted the Minamoto in overthrowing the Taira in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. In return, Yoritomo granted Shigenaga seven new estates in Musashi Province
Musashi Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Prefecture, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama...
, including Kitami in what is now Tokyo's western Setagaya Ward.
Records show that in 1457, Edo Shigeyasu surrendered his main base at Edo to Ota Dokan
Ota Dokan
, also known as Ōta Sukenaga or Ōta Dōkan Sukenaga, was a Japanese samurai warrior-poet, military tactician and Buddhist monk. Ōta Sukenaga took the tonsure as a Buddhist priest in 1478, and he also adopted the Buddhist name, Dōkan, by which is known today...
. Dokan was a vassal of the powerful Ōgigayatsu branch of the Uesugi clan
Uesugi clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan and particularly notable for their power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods ....
under Uesugi Sadamasa. Sadamasa was the Kanto-Kanrei for the Ashikaga
Ashikaga clan
The ' was a prominent Japanese samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1336 to 1573.The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga in Shimotsuke province .For about a century the clan was...
. Dokan built Edo castle
Edo Castle
, also known as , is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also...
on the site.
The Edo clan then moved to Kitami.
In 1593, in a pledge of obedience to Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
, Edo Katsutada changed the clan name to Kitami. Katsutada was employed by the first and second Tokugawa shoguns
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
, reaching the position of Magistrate of Sakai
Sakai
Sakai most often refers to one of the following:*Sakai, Osaka, a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan*Sakai , Japanese surnames written with various kanji*Sakai Project, an open-source educational and research software project...
, south of Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
.
Katsutada's grandson-in-law, Shigemasa, found favor with the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
was the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, thus making him the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu....
. He rose from the position of hatamoto
Hatamoto
A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
, with a stipend of one thousand koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
, to sobayonin, with a stipend of twenty thousand. Sobayonin, or Grand Chamberlain, was an influential post, responsible for relaying messages between the shogun and his senior councilors. He was also awarded a further large domain in 1686.
However, the clan's fortunes suddenly plummeted. In 1689, Shigemasa's nephew violated the Shogunate taboo on bloodshed. Shigemasa was forfeited his status and property and was banished to Ise, where he died in 1693 at age 36. With that the 500-year-old Edo clan vanished.
Tombstones of several generations of the clan are at Keigen-ji, a Buddhist temple founded in 1186 by Edo Shigenaga, in Kitami.