Shimazu clan

• Japanese: 島津家 (Shimazu-ke)

The Shimazu, who may have been descended from the Koremune clan, were founded by Shimazu Tadahisa (d.1227), who was appointed as military commander of southern Kyushu by Minamoto Yoritomo in 1187. The Shimazu were splintered into two contending factions following the death of Shimazu Sadahisa (1265-1351) and remained fractured into the Sengoku Period. Building on the efforts of his father Shimazu Takahisa, Shimazu Yoshihisa managed to take much of Kyushu by 1587 but was forced back by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Though they supported Ishida Mitsunari in 1600, the Shimazu remained a powerful house until the end of the Edo Period. It was once believed that Shimazu Tadahisa was an illegitimate child of Minamoto no Yoritomo, a story that has largely been abandoned since the end of the Edo Period.

Selected Members of the Shimazu clan

• Shimazu Tadahisa (1179-1227), 1st family head of the Shimazu
  • Shimazu Tadasue, Tadahisa's half-brother by a different father, & progenitor of the Wakasa Shimazu
  • Shimazu Tadatsuna, son of Tadahisa, & progenitor of the Echizen Shimazu
  • Shimazu Tadatoki (1202-1272), son of Tadahisa, 2nd family head
    • Shimazu Tadatsugu, son of Tadatoki, & progenitor of the Yamada clan
    • Shimazu Tadatsune, son of Tadatoki
      • Tadatsune's sons Shimazu Tadamitsu (progenitor of the Machida clan) and Shimazu Toshitada (progenitor of the Ijûin clan)
    • Shimazu Hisatsune (1225-1284), son of Tadatoki, 3rd family head
      • Shimazu Hisanaga, son of Hisatsune, & progenitor of the Izaku clan
      • Shimazu Tadamune (1251-1325), son of Hisatsune, 4th family head
        • Shimazu Suketada, son of Tadamune, progenitor of the Hongô clan (Miyakonojô Shimazu)
        • Shimazu Sukehisa, son of Tadamune, progenitor of the Kabayama clan
        • Shimazu Tokihisa, son of Tadamune, progenitor of the Niiro clan
        • Shimazu Tadamitsu, son of Tadamune, progenitor of the Sata clan
        • Shimazu Tadauji, son of Tadamune, progenitor of the Izumi clan
        • Shimazu Sadahisa (1269-1363), son of Tadamune, 5th family head
          • Shimazu Yorihisa, son of Sadahisa, progenitor of the Kawakami clan
          • Shimazu Munehisa, son of Sadahisa
          • Shimazu Morohisa (1325-1376), son of Sadahisa, shugo of Satsuma province, progenitor of the Shimazu Sôshû family
            • Shimazu Korehisa (1347-1407), son of Morohisa
              • Korehisa's sons Shimazu Morihisa, Shimazu Tadatomo, Shimazu Hisateru
          • Shimazu Ujihisa (1328-1387), son of Sadahisa, 6th family head, shugo of Ôsumi province, progenitor of the Ôshû Shimazu family (the main lineage of the Shimazu lords of Satsuma)
            • Shimazu Motohisa (1363-1411), son of Ujihisa, 7th family head
              • Shimazu Morikuni, son of Motohisa, aka Chûô-oshô, chief priest of Fukushô-ji
            • Shimazu Hisatoyo (1375-1425), son of Ujihisa, 8th family head
              • Shimazu Mochihisa, son of Hisatoyo, progenitor of the Sasshû clan
              • Shimazu Suehisa, son of Hisatoyo, progenitor of the Hôshû clan
              • Shimazu Tadakuni (1403-1470), son of Hisatoyo, 9th family head
                • Shimazu Hisayasu (Izaku clan), son of Tadakuni
                  • Shimazu Yoshihisa, son of Hisayasu
                    • Shimazu Tadayoshi (Sôshû clan), son of Yoshihisa
                • Shimazu Tomohisa, son of Tadakuni, progenitor of Sôshû clan
                  • Shimazu Yokihisa, son of Tomohisa
                    • Shimazu Tadayoshi, son of Yokihisa
                      • Tadayoshi's sons Shimazu Takahisa, Shimazu Naohisa, Shimazu Tadamasa
                        • Shimazu Mochihisa, son of Tadamasa
                          • Mochihisa's sons Shimazu Akihisa and Shimazu Tadaoki
                • Shimazu Tatsuhisa (1432-1474), son of Tadakuni, 10th family head
                  • Shimazu Tadamasa (1463-1508), son of Tatsuhisa, 11th family head
                    • Shimazu Tadaharu (1489-1515), son of Tadamasa, 12th family head
                    • Shimazu Tadataka (1497-1519), son of Tadamasa, 13th family head
                    • Shimazu Katsuhisa (1503-1573), son of Tadamasa, 14th family head
                      • Shimazu Takahisa (1514-1571), son of Katsuhisa, 15th family head
                        • Shimazu Iehisa, son of Katsuhisa, progenitor of the Nagayoshi Shimazu
                        • Shimazu Toshihisa, son of Katsuhisa, progenitor of the Hioki Shimazu
                        • Shimazu Yoshihisa (1533-1611), son of Katsuhisa, 16th family head
                        • Shimazu Yoshihiro (1535-1619), son of Katsuhisa, 17th family head
                          • Shimazu Hisayasu, son of Yoshihiro
                          • Shimazu Tadatsune (1576-1638, aka Iehisa), son of Yoshihiro, 18th family head, 1st Edo period daimyô of Satsuma
                            • Shimazu Tadaaki, son of Tadatsune, progenitor of the Kajiki clan
                            • Shimazu Mitsuhisa (1616-1694), son of Tadatsune, 19th family head, 2nd daimyô of Satsuma
                              • Shimazu Tsunahisa (1637-1673), son of Mitsuhisa
                                • Shimazu Tsunataka (1650-1704), son of Tsunahisa, 20th family head, 3rd daimyô of Satsuma

References

• Initial text from Sengoku Biographical Dictionary (Samurai-Archives.com) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005
• Kaiyô kokka Satsuma 海洋国家薩摩, Kagoshima: Shôkoshûseikan (2010), 58-59.