Ouchi family

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Ouchi family

The was one of the most powerful and important families in Japan during the reign of the Ashikaga shogunate

Ashikaga shogunate

The was a feudal military dictatorship ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga family.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from the Muromachi street of Kyoto where the third shogun Yoshimitsu established his residence....
in the 12th to 14th centuries descended from the Korean Baekje

Baekje

Baekje , or Paekche , was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....
Dynasty's Royal family. Their domains, ruled from the castle town of Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi

is the capital cities of Japan of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is the smallest prefectural capital in Japan.In 2004 the city had an estimated population of 191,195 and a population density of 261.82 persons per square kilometer....
, comprised six provinces at their height, and the Ouchi played a major role in supporting the Ashikaga in the Nanboku-cho

Nanboku-cho

The , spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Muromachi bakufu of Japan's history. During this period, there existed a Northern Court , established by Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto, and a Southern Imperial Court, established by Emperor Go-Daigo in Yoshino District, Nara....
Wars against the Imperial Court. The Ouchi remained powerful up until the 1560s, when they became eclipsed by their vassals, the Mori

Mori clan

The Mori clan was a Japanese clans of daimyo, descended from Oe no Hiromoto and established themselves in Aki Province. Their name was derived from a shoen in Mori, Aiko District, Sagami Province....
.

Based in Suo Province

Suo Province

was a Provinces of Japan of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. Suo bordered on Aki Province, Iwami Province, and Nagato Provinces....
, towards the western end of Honshu

Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
, the Ouchi were among the primary families to be involved in foreign trade and relations, particularly with China.

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Encyclopedia

The was one of the most powerful and important families in Japan during the reign of the Ashikaga shogunate

Ashikaga shogunate

Baekje

Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi

Nanboku-cho

Mori clan

Suo Province

Honshu

Onin War

The was a civil war from 1467 to 1477 during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sozen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....
(1467-1477), a strong rivalry developed between the Ouchi and the Hosokawa family, who were now in power. The two clashed at Ningpo

Ningbo

Ningbo is a seaport with sub-provincial city. The city has a population of 2,182,000 and is situated in northeastern Zhejiang province of China, People's Republic of China....
in 1523, and as a result the Chinese closed Ningpo to Japanese traders. By the time the Ouchi were again allowed to send a ship a few years later, the trade was dying out. The family's trade with China fully came to an end by 1548, their monopoly broken by merchants from the seaport of Sakai

Sakai, Osaka

is a cities of Japan in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.Following the February 2005 annexation of Mihara, Osaka in Minamikawachi District, Osaka, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in Japan, with 833,414 residents as of 2007-0...
. The Ouchi also housed the Portuguese Jesuit

Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Roman Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits, Soldiers of Jesus Christ, and Foot soldiers of the Pope, because the founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a knight before becoming a Holy Orders....
missionary Francis Xavier

Francis Xavier

Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jaso y Azpilicueta was a Kingdom of Navarre pioneering Roman Catholic missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus....
for a time in 1551.

As a result of their wealth and trading contacts, the Ouchi gained renown in the worlds of art and culture as well. They possessed countless items of cultural and artistic significance and beauty, from Japan and China, as well as from further abroad. Particularly famous was the invitation by Ouchi Masahiro

Ouchi Masahiro

was a general in the Onin War, serving Yamana Souzen. He battled numerous times with Yamana's rival, Hosokawa Katsumoto, at one point commanding 20,000 men and 2,000 boats, moving his troops by land as well as by sea....
of the famous painter Sesshu to Yamaguchi in 1486.

Significant members of the Ouchi family

Ouchi Yoshihiro
Ouchi Yoshihiro

Ouchi Yoshihiro , the second son of Ouchi Hiroyo, and a member of the Ouchi family which served under Ashikaga Takauji. The Ouchi became known as the shugo of Suo Province and Nagato Province in 1363 for assisting the Ashikaga clan against many other opponents....
(1356-1400) - Led a revolt against Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu

was the 3rd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimitsu was the son of the second shogun Ashikaga Yoshiakira....
.
Ouchi Masahiro
Ouchi Masahiro

was a general in the Onin War, serving Yamana Souzen. He battled numerous times with Yamana's rival, Hosokawa Katsumoto, at one point commanding 20,000 men and 2,000 boats, moving his troops by land as well as by sea....
- one of Yamana Souzen
Yamana Souzen

' , was originally ' before becoming a monk. Due to his red complexion, he was sometimes known as Aka-nyudo, 'the Red Monk'. He was one of the daimyo who fought against Hosokawa Katsumoto during the Onin War in Kyoto....
's chief generals in the Onin War
Onin War

The was a civil war from 1467 to 1477 during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sozen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....
.
Ouchi Yoshioki
Ouchi Yoshioki

was a samurai of the Ouchi family who lived during Japan's early Sengoku period. He is famous for his role in restoring the Ashikaga shogunate Ashikaga Yoshitane to power in 1508, and in building Saijo castle....
(1477-1528) - Restored the shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane
Ashikaga Yoshitane

, also known as Ashikaga Yoshimura, was the 10th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who headed the shogunate first from 1490 to 1493 and then again from 1508 to 1521 during the Muromachi period of Japan....
to power after a fifteen-year absence in 1508.
Ouchi Yoshitaka
Ouchi Yoshitaka

was a daimyo of Suo province and a son of Ouchi Yoshioki.In 1522, he fought the Amago clan along with his father, Yoshioki, to win the control of Aki province....
(1507-1551) - One of the first Ouchi lords to see (and perhaps cause) the decline of the family.
Ouchi Yoshinaga
Ouchi Yoshinaga

Ouchi Yoshinaga the last head of the Ouchi clan following the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Yoshinaga was the brother of Otomo Yoshishige....
(d. 1557) - The last Ouchi lord, Yoshinaga committed suicide shortly after the battle of Miyajima
Battle of Miyajima

The 1555 was the only battle to be fought on the sacred island of Itsukushima; the entire island is considered to be a Shinto shrine, and no birth or death is allowed on the island....
in which his family was defeated by the Mori
Mori clan

The Mori clan was a Japanese clans of daimyo, descended from Oe no Hiromoto and established themselves in Aki Province. Their name was derived from a shoen in Mori, Aiko District, Sagami Province....
.