The is a Japanese clan which claims descent from Emperor Seiwa

Emperor Seiwa

was the 56th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.-Traditional narrative:...

, and is a branch of the 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...

. They were famous for their role as retainers of the Takeda clan in the 16th century. In the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, the clan produced two daimyo

Daimyo

is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...

 families: one ruling the Aizu

Aizu

is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...

 domain, the other one ruling the Iino Domain

Iino Domain

was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Kazusa Province , Japan. It was centered on Iino Jin’ya, a fortified residence in what is now the town of Futtsu, Chiba...

. The Aizu Hoshina were descended from Hoshina Masayuki, a son of Tokugawa Hidetada

Tokugawa Hidetada

was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.-Early life :...

, adopted by Hoshina Masamitsu

Hoshina Masamitsu

was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan. Masamitsu was the son of Hoshino Masanao, and after having lent his support to Tokugawa Ieyasu at the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara, he was given the Takatō fief in 1600.With his father's death the following year in Takatō,...

.

Matsudaira Katamori

Matsudaira Katamori

was a samurai who lived in the last days of the Edo period and the early to mid Meiji period. He was the 9th daimyo of the Aizu han and the Military Commissioner of Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period. During the Boshin War, Katamori and the Aizu han fought against the Meiji Government armies, but...

 and Hoshina Masaari

Hoshina Masaari

Viscount ' was a Japanese daimyo of the late Edo period who was the last ruler of the Iino Domain...

, two prominent figures of the Bakumatsu period, were members of the Hoshina clan.