was the common name of the head of the Japanese Katakura clan

Katakura clan

The is a Japanese family which claims its descent from Fujiwara no Toshihito by way of Katō Kagekado. The family entered Mutsu Province in the 14th century as subordinates of the Ōsaki clan. However, in 1532, they became retainers of the Date clan, and remained so until 1872. In the Sengoku era,...

, who served as senior retainers to the Date clan. Following the Date clan's move into Sendai han, they were granted holdings at Shiroishi Castle

Shiroishi Castle

is a Japanese castle in Shiroishi, Miyagi, within what was Mutsu Province. It was the castle of the Katakura clan, which was a family of retainers serving the Date clan of Sendai...

 (12,000 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...

in total), which they held through the start of the Meiji Era. A chronologically arranged list of the generations of Edo-era Katakura Kojūrō (listed by their formal name) follows:

Edo-era Katakura family heads

1. Kagetsuna
   Katakura Kagetsuna
   was a Japanese samurai of the Katakura clan during the late Sengoku period. Also known by his court title, Bichū no Kami , or more commonly, as Katakura Kojūrō. Together with Oniniwa Tsunamoto and Date Shigezane, Kagetsuna was known as one of the "Three Great Men of the Date Clan"...
   
    (1557–1615)
2. Shigenaga
   Katakura Shigenaga
   was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. The son of Katakura Kagetsuna, Shigenaga was the 2nd man to bear the common name Kojūrō. His name was originally Shigetsuna; however, to avoid conflict with the 4th shogun Ietsuna's name, he changed it to Shigenaga...
   
    (1585–1659)
3. Kagenaga
   Katakura Kagenaga (2nd)
   was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period, who served as a senior retainer of the Date clan of Sendai han. Bore the same name as his great-grandfather. The lord of Shiroishi Castle, Kagenaga was the 3rd bearer of the common name Kojūrō. During the Date incident , he was a caretaker for the...
   
    (1630–1681)
4. Muranaga
   Katakura Muranaga
   ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain, he was first known as Masanaga . Muranaga was also the fourth Katakura Kojūrō.-External links:* *...
   
    (1667–1691)
5. Murayasu
   Katakura Murayasu
   ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain, he was first known as Kageakira . Murayasu was also the fifth Katakura Kojūrō.-External links:*...
   
    (1683-??)
6. Muranobu
   Katakura Muranobu
   ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain, he was the sixth Katakura Kojūrō.-External links:*...
   
   
7. Murasada
   Katakura Murasada
   ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain, he was first known as Muratoshi . Retired in 1743 in favor of his son Murakiyo. Murasada was the seventh Katakura Kojūrō.-External links:*...
   
    (1676–1744)
8. Murakiyo
   Katakura Murakiyo
   ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain, he was first known as Kagehiro . Murakiyo was the eighth Katakura Kojūrō.-External links:* *...
   
   
9. Muratsune
   Katakura Muratsune
   ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain, he was first known as Kagenaka and Murayasu . Muratsune was the ninth Katakura Kojūrō. He was appointed as bugyō in 1797. On October 27, 1815, he fell ill, and resigned his position as bugyō in favor of his son...
   
    (1757–1822)
10. Kagesada
    Katakura Kagesada
    ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain. Kagesada was the tenth Katakura Kojūrō.-External links:* *...
    
    
11. Munekage
    Katakura Munekage
    ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain. Munekage was the eleventh Katakura Kojūrō.-External links:*...
    
    
12. Kuninori
    Katakura Kuninori
    ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain. Kuninori was the twelfth Katakura Kojūrō, and saw action under Sendai command in the Boshin War...
    
     (1818–1886)
13. Kagenori
    Katakura Kagenori
    ' was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period, and served as a senior retainer of the Sendai domain. Kagenori was the thirteenth Katakura Kojūrō. Kagenori moved with his father and a group of the Katakura clan retainers to Hokkaidō.-External links:...
    
     (1838–1902)
14. Kagemitsu
    Katakura Kagemitsu
    ' was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. A senior retainer of the Sendai domain. Kagemitsu was the fourteenth Katakura Kojūrō. Served the Meiji government in the reclamation of Hokkaidō. Kagemitsu became a baron in the new kazoku system....
    
    

Katakura family heads since 1868

1. Kenkichi
   Katakura Kenkichi
   ' was a Japanese nobleman of the Meiji era. Kenkichi would have been the fifteenth Katakura Kojūrō. Served as chief priest of Aoba Shrine, in Sendai. Held the title of baron.-External links:*...
   
   
2. Nobumitsu
   Katakura Nobumitsu
   was a Japanese scholar of the early to mid 20th century. A direct descendant of the famed Katakura Kagetsuna, Nobumitsu was a scholar of regional history, focusing on Sendai...
   
   
3. Shigenobu

Kagetsuna, the first Katakura Kojūrō, was arguably the most famous, having served alongside Date Masamune

Date Masamune

was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai...

. The clan came to prominence yet again in the Boshin War

Boshin War

The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....

, when Shiroishi Castle was used as the headquarters of the Ouetsu Reppan Domei

Ouetsu Reppan Domei

-External links:**...

. After the war, the 12th Kojūrō, Katakura Kuninori, sold the castle and relocated to Hokkaidō

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

. The castle was then given to the Nanbu clan

Nanbu clan

The ' was a Japanese samurai clan originating in northern Japan, specifically Mutsu Province . The Nanbu claimed descent from the Minamoto clan, and its members first enter the historical record as residents of Kai Province during the Kamakura period. The clan later moved to Mutsu...

 of Morioka, before the domain system was finally ended in the early 1870s. The current head of the family, Shigenobu (who would have been the 17th Kojūrō), is the chief priest of Aoba Shrine

Aoba Shrine

is a Shinto shrine located in Sendai, near the site of the former Aoba Castle. Its current chief priest is Katakura Shigenobu.-External links:*...

, in Sendai.

External links

• Family tree of the Katakura clan (in Japanese)
• Information on the Katakura clan (in Japanese)