Yamana clan

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Yamana clan

The was a Japanese samurai clan which was one of the most powerful of the Muromachi period

Muromachi period

The was a division of History of Japan running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1336 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji....
(1336-1467); at its peak, members of the family held the position of Constable (shugo
Shugo

was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan....
) over eleven provinces

Provinces of Japan

Before the modern Prefectures of Japan was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni , usually known in English language as provinces....
. Originally from Kozuke province

Kozuke Province

was an old provinces of Japan located in the Tosando of Japan, which today comprises Gunma prefecture. It is nicknamed as .The ancient provincial capital was near modern Maebashi, Gunma....
, and later centered in Inaba province

Inaba Province

Inaba was an old provinces of Japan of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture. Inaba bordered on Harima province, Hoki province, Mimasaka province, and Tajima provinces....
, the clan claimed descendance from the Seiwa Genji

Seiwa Genji

The were the most successful and powerful of the many branch families of the Japanese Minamoto clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto warriors, including Minamoto Yoshiie, also known as "Hachimantaro", or God of War, and Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, were descended from this line....
line, and from Minamoto Yoshishige in particular. They were valued retainers under Minamoto no Yoritomo

Minamoto no Yoritomo

was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199....
, and counted among his gokenin
Gokenin

A was initially a vassal of the shogunate of the Kamakura period and the Muromachi periods. In exchange for protection and the right to become shugo or jito , in times of peace a gokenin had the duty to protect the imperial court and Kamakura, Kanagawa, in case of war had to fight with his forces under the shogun?s flag....
.

The Yamana were among the chief clans in fighting for the establishment of the Ashikaga shogunate

Ashikaga shogunate

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The was a Japanese samurai clan which was one of the most powerful of the Muromachi period

Muromachi period

Provinces of Japan

Kozuke Province

Inaba Province

Seiwa Genji

Minamoto no Yoritomo

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....
, and thus remained valued and powerful under the new government. They were Constables of five provinces in 1363, and eleven a short time later. However, members of the Yamana clan rebelled against the shogunate in 1391 and lost most of their land. Yamana Sozen, likely the most famous member of the clan, would regain these lands in 1441. Through all of this the clan managed to somehow retain a great degree of reputation and power within the shogunate government; along with the Hosokawa

Hosokawa clan

The was a Japanese clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa and a branch of the Minamoto clan, by the Ashikaga clan. It produced many prominent officials in the Ashikaga shogunate's administration....
and Hatakeyama clan

Hatakeyama clan

The was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan and descended from Taira no Takamochi, they fell victim of political intrigue in 1205, when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, first, and his father Hatakeyama Shigetada later were killed in battle by Hojo clan forces in Kamakura....
s, they served as agents of the shogunate in resolving various disputes.

Sozen would then become embroiled in a conflict with Hosokawa Katsumoto

Hosokawa Katsumoto

was one of the Kanrei, the Deputies to the Ashikaga Shogunate, during Japan's Muromachi Period. He is famous for his involvement in the creation of Ryoan-ji, a temple famous for its rock garden, and for his involvement in the Onin War, which sparked the 130-year Sengoku period....
over naming the shogun's successor; this conflict grew into 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....
, which destroyed much of Kyoto, and led to the fall of the shogunate and beginning of the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict in Japan that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century....
. In the end this cost the Yamana much of their former influence and land. By the end of the 16th century, the Yamana had been reduced to holding the better part of Inaba Province

Inaba Province

Inaba was an old provinces of Japan of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture. Inaba bordered on Harima province, Hoki province, Mimasaka province, and Tajima provinces....
. That area would be retained by the Yamana even until the end of the Edo Period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
.

Notable clan members

Minamoto Yoshinori - first to take the name Yamana.
Yamana Tokiuji - (late 14th c.) - fought 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, first for the shogunate, and then against it.
Yamana Tsunehisa (early 15th c.)- shugo of Bingo province
Bingo Province

was a Provinces of Japan of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshu, comprising what is today the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. Bingo bordered Bitchu Province, Hoki Province, Izumo Province, Iwami Province, and Aki Provinces....
Yamana Sozen (1404-1473) - played a crucial role in sparking the outbreak of the Onin War.
Yamana Koretoyo - Sozen's son, fought against his father in the Onin War
Yamana Toyokuni (1548-1626) - defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Hideyoshi's castle....
in 1580.