Otomo clan

The Otomo kamon.

The Ôtomo of Bungo Province represented one of the oldest of Japan's clans. They were founded by the adopted son of Nakahara Chikayoshi, Ôtomo Yoshinao. He was a loyal follower of Minamoto Yoritomo and in 1193 was established on Kyushu and given responsibility for Bungo and Buzen. The height of the Ôtomo's power came during the reign of Ôtomo Yoshishige (Sôun), who by 1568 had extended the influence of his family over Bungo, Buzen, northern Hyûga, Chikuzen, and Chikugo. Defeats at the hands of the Ryûzôji in 1570 (Imai) and the Shimazu in 1578 (Mimigawa), combined with internal dissension, weakened the Ôtomo and they were on the verge of being destroyed by the Shimazu when Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Kyushu in 1587. Although this preserved the Ôtomo domain for a time, it was lost owing to cowardice on the part of Sôrin's heir in the Korean invasion.