Matsura clan

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A 16th century banner featuring the Matsura mitsuboshi kamon. Matsura Historical Museum.
  • Japanese: 松浦家 (Matsura ke)

The Matsura of Hizen province had somewhat obscure origins, and may have originally been a collection of land-owners who united under the name 'Matsura'. One theory holds that the Matsura line that persisted into the Edo period was established by Minamoto no Hisashi, a descendant of Watanabe no Tsuna and Minamoto no Tôru, and through them, of Emperor Saga.

The Matsura, known for their naval power (and involvement in piracy), survived the Sengoku period and in the Edo period became lords of Hirado han. Their territory included not only Hirado Island, but also the Iki Islands to the north and a number of islands between Hirado and the Gotô Islands to the west.

The clan's crest (kamon), a simple arrangement of three circles, is known as mitsuboshi kamon (lit. "three stars house crest"), and is meant to represent the light of the sun, moon, and stars. According to some sources, its use by the family stretches back to Minamoto no Tôru himself.[1]

Prominent Members of the Matsura House

Premodern

Edo Period

Modern

References

  1. ↑ Gallery labels, "The Story of Hirado: Exploring the Passions of Matsura Seizan and Hiromu," Kyushu National Museum. Feb 2026.
  2. ↑ The counting for the medieval Matsura house counts Minamoto no Tôru as the 1st head of the house and Watanabe no Tsuna as the 5th.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Meiji period counting of the heads of the house counts back to Matsura Shigenobu (Hôin), first Edo period lord of Hirado han as "first" head of the house.
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