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Shimazu clan

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The Shimazu circled-cross mon, seen above a replica of Shimazu Yoshihiro's armor, on display at Sengan'en
  • 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 no Yoritomo in 1187. It was once believed that Shimazu Tadahisa was an illegitimate child of Yoritomo's, a story that has largely been abandoned since the end of the Edo Period.

The clan took its name from the Shimazu shôen (estate) it was granted in southern Kyushu by Yoritomo. This shôen had been established by Taira no Suemoto in the 11th century, and had grown to encompass as much as half the territory of Satsuma, Ôsumi, and Hyûga provinces. The estate was taken away from the Taira and given by Yoritomo to the Shimazu, who then became shugo in that territory; though they originally appointed daikan to administer this territory for them, following the Mongol Invasions, the Shimazu, like many other clans, relocated from Kamakura to Kyushu, where they began to exercise more direct control over their estates. Militarily and politically fighting off rivals, the Shimazu began to consolidate their power in southern Kyushu.[1]

The Shimazu were splintered into two contending factions following the death of Shimazu Sadahisa (1265-1351) and remained fractured into the Sengoku Period. Beginning in 1550, Shimazu Takahisa, along with his sons Yoshihisa and Yoshihiro, expanded the clan's domains considerably. By 1574, they had secured control of Satsuma province by defeating the Shibuya and Hishigari clans, and Ôsumi province by defeating the Kimotsuki, Kamo, and Ijichi clans. They defeated the Itô clan in 1577 to claim control over parts of Hyûga province, and Ôtomo Sôrin the following year, at the battle of Mimigawa. The Shimazu had even defeated Sagara Giyô and Ryûzôji Takanobu of Higo and Hizen provinces, expanding into northern Kyushu, before they suffered defeats at the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whose 1587 Kyushu Campaign ended in him securing control of the entire island.[1]

The Shimazu remained a powerful house through the end of the Edo Period, controlling Satsuma han, with a kokudaka of 770,000 koku, the second-largest of any domain (han). Members of the family continued to be powerful and influential in government and business from the Meiji period onwards, through the 20th century and today.

Prominent Members of the Shimazu clan[2]

Prominent Branch and Retainer Families

In 1712/11, family head Shimazu Yoshitaka reorganized the status hierarchy of the Shimazu retainer families. The top-ranking group of retainer families, known as the ichimon-yonke (一門四家), were the Kajiki, Shigetomi (Echizen) Shimazu, Imaizumi Shimazu, and Tarumizu Shimazu clans.[5]

Directly below them was a group of families known as the daishinbun (大身分), lower in status than the ichimonke, but still above the Shimazu karô ("House Elders," also known as kokurô, or "Domain Elders") The daishinbun included the Shimazu Saemon clan (also known as the Hioki Shimazu), the Shimazu Suo clan (Hanaoka Shimazu), and the Hongô clan (Shimazu Chikugo clan, or Miyakonojô Shimazu), with the Shimazu Tosho clan (Miyanojô Shimazu) being added to the group later.[5]

Other prominent Shimazu retainer families included the Ijûin, Kabayama, Tanegashima, and Niiro clans.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gallery labels, permanent exhibits, Reimeikan Museum, Kagoshima.
  2. ↑ Kaiyô kokka Satsuma 海洋国家薩摩, Kagoshima: Shôkoshûseikan (2010), 58-59.
  3. ↑ The Sôshû family (総州家) was considered one of the chief branch families of the Shimazu lords of Satsuma
  4. ↑ 相州家, not to be confused with the Shimazu Sôshû family (総州家) mentioned above.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Miyakonojô to Ryûkyû ôkoku 都城と琉球王国, Miyakonojô Shimazu Residence (2012), 28.
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