The Ashina claimed descent to the Taira through the Miura. Sawara (Muira) Yoshitsuru governed the Aizu area of Mutsu in the early 12th Century and his grandson took the name Ashina. Ashina Naonori built a mansion at Wakamatsu in 1333 that would form the basis for the later Kurokawa castle (1384), which served as the Ashina's home until their defeat at the hands of Date Masamune in 1589.