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In every region of Japan, there are prominent families and noble households that are often whispered about as "local notables." Even those who say, "We're just an ordinary family," may, upon closer examination of their ancestry, actually come from a distinguished samurai family.
In this article, we look into the surnames of famous families in Fukushima Prefecture. If you have ever had a classmate with a surname like that, it's possible that they actually come from a good family.
30 surnames linked to prestigious families and prominent households in Fukushima Prefecture (in alphabeticalorder)
Fukushima Prefecture's noble families include the Ashina clan, the Date clan, and the Satake clan of Hitachi Province (present-day Ibaraki Prefecture), who were powerful feudal lords during the Sengoku period, as well as the Aizu clan and the lords of small domains scattered throughout Fukushima Prefecture during the Edo period.It seems that many of the families have their roots in the samurai.
Akita
Lord of the Miharu Domain. He was a descendant of the Ando clan, a Sengoku period daimyo family of Mutsu and Dewa provinces, and is alsono Sadato,, but the truth of this is unknown.
Originally a powerful clan in Tsugaru, they skillfully used sea routes to control the area around present-day Akita, Aomori, and Hakodate in Hokkaido, and also had a pirate-like side. At one point, they split into the Hiyama Ando and Minato Ando clans, but during the time of Ando Aiki, the two families were reunited, andthey changed their name to the Akita clan, with.
After the Battle of Sekigahara, he moved to Shishido in Hitachi Province (present-day Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture), and in 1645 he was transferred again to Miharu in Mutsu Province (present-day Miharu Town, Fukushima Prefecture)., the "Miharu Doll."He is also famous for creating
The Ashina clan originated in Ashina, Miura District, Sagami Province (present-day Ashina, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture), and were a branch of the Miura clan. Their origins trace back to their achievements in Minamoto no Yoritomo's Oshu War, when they were granted territory in Aizu. During the time of the 16th head of thefamily, Ashina Moriuji, theycame to control the entire Aizu region, establishing the largest territory of the Ashina clan.
During the time of the 20th head of the family, Ashina Yoshihiro, he was defeated by Date Masamune in the Battle of Suriagehara and took refuge with the Satake clan in Hitachi.He then briefly obtained territory in Hitachi and returned to being a daimyo, but after the Battle of Sekigahara his territory was confiscated and he followed Satake Yoshinobu to Dewa (present-day Akita Prefecture).
As a retainer of the Satake clan, he was given 16,000 koku of land in Kakunodate Castle in Dewa Province, but the family line became extinct when the last head of the family, Ashina Chizurumaru, died in an accident at the age of three.
Later, the Hariu clan, a branch of the Ashina family, served the Date clan and reverted to the Ashina surname.
The lord of Tanagura Domain (present-day Higashishirakawa District, Fukushima Prefecture). The family served the Tokugawa Shogunate for generations, and the 16th lord, Abe Masakiyo, was transferred from Mutsu Shirakawa (100,000 koku) to Tanagura (100,000 koku) in 1866.
During the Boshin War, the clan participated in the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance, but was defeated. It was temporarily abolished, but was re-established in Tanagura in 1868 (with its fief reduced to around 40,000-60,000 koku).
Ando
Lord of the Iwakidaira Domain. A member of the Ando clan, descended from the Tsushima no Kami clan, who were transferred from the Mino Kano Domain in 1758.
The most famous of the successive feudal lords was the 5th lord,Ando Nobumasa, who led the shogunate government as a senior councilor after the Sakuradamon Incident.
During the Boshin War, he joined the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance and fought against the new government forces. He was defeated in the battle for Iwakidaira Castle, which was burned down. After the Meiji Restoration, Nobumasa was forced to undergo house arrest, but was released from permanent house arrest in 1869 (Meiji 2) and became a viscount in 1884.
Ishikawa
He was a daimyo of Ishikawa County in Mutsu Province (present-day Ishikawa County, Fukushima Prefecture) for many years, but was dispossessed of his domain in 1590 during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's pacification of Oshu. He became a senior retainer of the Date clan andthe position of chief member of the clan within the Sendai Domainheld
After the Meiji Restoration, he attempted to develop Hokkaido but failed. He later served as the mayor of Kakuda Town (present-day Kakuda City, Miyagi Prefecture).
Since the Sengoku period, generations of the Itakura clan have served the Matsudaira clan, and during the Edo period, the four Itakura families served as fudai daimyo, becoming lords of the Bitchu Matsuyama (Takahashi) domain, the Kozuke Annaka domain, the Mutsu Fukushima domain, and the Bitchu Niwase domain, respectively.
In 1702, the Itakura clan of Shigemasa lineage became the lord of Fukushima Domain with 30,000 koku of land. During the time of the 14th head, Katsumi Itakura, the clan joined the Oshu League of Feudal Domains, but was defeated by the new government forces and was transferred to Shigehara in Mikawa. Later, in 1884, the clan was made a viscount.
Ibuka
one of the nine AizuA prestigious family of the Aizu domain, known as
Ibuka Shigemitsu, a senior retainer of the Hoshina family since the Sengoku period and a chief retainer of the Hoshina family, was one of the seven people allowed to attend the burial ceremony at the funeral of Hoshina Masayuki.Ibuka Takuemon Shigeyoshi,, is also well-known.
one of the founders of Sony,Masaru Ibuka,is also said to be descended from the Aizu Ibuka family.
Inawashiro
The family was a branch of the Aizu clan and a branch of the Ashina clan. It began when Tsunetsugu, the eldest son of Moritsune Sahara of the Sahara clan, a branch of the Miura clan, lived in Inawashiro and called himself the Inawashiro clan. In the Battle of Suriagehara, in which the Ashina clan was defeated by the Date clan, Morikuni, the father, sided with the Date clan, while Moritane, the son, sided with the Ashina clan, and the two fought against each other.
After being defeated, Moritane fled to Hitachi with the Ashina clan, and his father, Morikuni, served the Date clan as a samurai of the Sendai domain until the end of the Edo period.
, a famous physician and bacteriologist,Hideyo Noguchiwere descendants of the Inawashiro family.
Iwaki
A Sengoku period daimyo from Iwaki County, Mutsu Province (present-day Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture).
During the reign of the 11th head of the Iwaki clan, Tsunetaka, the clan became subordinate to the Satake clan, and during the reign of the 15th head, Shigetaka, conflicts with the neighboring Soma and Tamura clans intensified. Shigetaka married his daughter, Princess Kubo, to Date Harumune, and adopted Date's eldest son, Chikataka, as his heir.
The 17th head of the family, Tsunetaka, participated in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Odawara Campaign and survived the Oshu Shioki, but later died of illness. His son, Masataka, was still a child, so Satake Yoshishige's third son, Sadataka, succeeded the Iwaki clan.
Afterward, Masataka, the legitimate heir, served the Date family and became a member of thefamily, adopting the name Iwayado Date. Sadataka, who succeeded to the Iwaki family, was dispossessed of his domain for not participating in the Battle of Sekigahara. After being reinstated as a minor daimyo with a 10,000 koku domain in Nakamura, Shinano Province, he became the lord of the Kameda Domain in Dewa Province (present-day Iwaki Kameda, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture) with a 20,000 koku domain.
A wealthy merchant who called himself Omiya in Segamijuku, Shinobu County (present-day Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture). The eighth head of the family, Nagatoshi, handed over the family headship at an early age of 40 and went to study in Wakayama. After returning to Japan, he founded the Michinoku Shachu and became active as a scholar of Japanese classics.
Ouchi
A local lord from the eastern part of Adachi District in Mutsu Province (present-day Adachi District, Fukushima Prefecture).Ouchi Sadatsuna,.
After gaining independence from the Tamura clan, he repeatedly submitted to and betrayed the neighboring powerful forces due to his small power, but eventually returned to the Date clan. When Date Masamune was transferred to Iwadeyama Castle, he became the lord of Maesawa Castle in Isawa County (present-day Iwate Prefecture) and was given a fief of approximately 10,000 koku.
During the Battle of Sekigahara, he served as the caretaker of the Date residence in Kyoto, andthe status of a member of the Date familywas later granted
Kaketa
They were local lords from Date County, Mutsu Province (present-day Date City, Fukushima Prefecture). They were based in Kakenda Castle in Ryozen, Date County, and were subordinate to the Date clan during the Sengoku period, but they sided with Tanemune in the Tenbun Rebellion, a conflict between father and son Date Tanemune and Harumune, and were defeated, leading to the abandonment of Kakenda Castle.
He later rebelled against Harumune, but was defeated and was beheaded along with his eldest son, and the Kenda clan was wiped out.
Katoda
A local lord from Shirakawa County, Mutsu Province (present-day Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture).
The family was a branch of the main Shirakawa Yuki clan, and four generations after Toshishige, the second son of Yuki Akitomo, the third head of the Shirakawa Yuki clan, Shigetsugu ruled Kawatoda-go, built Kawatoda Castle (Tennokan), and is said to have taken the name Kawatoda.
He fought against the Satake clan but was defeated and had his castle taken away from him. He later served the Date clan and became a samurai of the Sendai domain during the Edo period.
Kanagami
A branch of the Ashina clan, a feudal lord during the Sengoku period whose base was in the upper reaches of the Agano River in Kawanuma County, Mutsu Province and Kambara County, Echigo Province.
the 15th head of the family during the Sengoku periodKanagami Moriharu.The most famous figure of the Ashina clan wasthe "Regent of Ashina", but he was defeated and killed by Date Masamune at the Battle of Suriagehara. The family served the Date clan and became samurai of the Sendai Domain during the Edo period.
Kayano
The Aizu domain was a prominent family that traditionally used the name Gonbei. KayanoNagaharu, a senior retainer, is particularly famous for this name; he was executed as the person responsible for the Aizu domain's defeat in the Boshin War.
Nagao was a successor of the Itto-ryu Mizoguchi school, and it is said that before his own execution, he used fire tongs to, "Secret Sword Technique of Left and Right Transformation."teach
A wealthy merchant in Wakamatsu Castle (present-day Aizu-Wakamatsu City). When Gamo Ujisato was transferred to Aizu, he contributed to the development of the castle town and became a town elder. During the Edo period, the family split into two branches: the main family in Omachi and the branch family in Babamachi.
Saigo
The Saigo family originally began with Hoshina Masakatsu, and is a branch of the Hoshina family that continued from Masakatsu's older brother, Hoshina Masanao, the lord of Takato Domain in Shinshu, to Hoshina Masayuki, the first lord of the Aizu Domain.
For generations, they served as chief retainers of the Aizu domain, and Chikafusa, the fourth generation from Masakatsu, reverted to his family's surname of Saigo, becoming the first head of the Aizu Saigo family.
a senior retainer of the Aizu Domain during the late Edo period,Saigo Tanomo,is well-known. Furthermore, his adopted sonShiro, was a judoka who was counted among the four great masters of the Kodokan"Sugata Sanshiro."and is famous for being the model for
Shimanuki
in Segami-juku, Shinobu-gun (present-day Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture), under thea ricename Kokuya. Later,his name to Okuniyaand shifted to the financial and sake brewing industries.
The family home, built in the 1890s, was designated a nationally registered tangible cultural property in 2013.
Officially known as the Shirakawa Yuki clan, it is a branch of the Shimousa Yuki clan, and is also called the Shirakawa clan or the Mutsu Yuki clan to distinguish it from the main family.
, a retainer of the Kamakura period,Yuki Sukehiromoved to Shirakawa Manor. During the time of Akimasa, the third head of the Shirakawa Yuki family, the territory was divided between brothers, and his younger brother, Tomotsune, was given Komine Castle and adopted the name Komine.
During the Sengoku period, the Shirakawa clan was constantly in conflict with the clans of the Yuki and Komine clans. Furthermore, the clan gradually declined under the influence of the Satake clan and was eventually abolished by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Oshu Shioki.
His descendants include the Akita Shirakawa clan, which is a lineage of Tomotsuna, the son of the 11th head of the Shirakawa Yuki clan and who served the Akita Satake clan, and the Sendai Shirakawa clan, which is a lineage of Komine Yoshichika, the 12th head of the Shirakawa Yuki clan.
Soma
A Sengoku period daimyo from Soma County, Mutsu Province (present-day Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture).
It is said that the founder of the family was Chiba Tsunetane, the second son of Chiba Tsunetane, a vassal of the Kamakura period, who ruled Soma County in Shimousa Province (present-day Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture to the area around Toride City, Ibaraki Prefecture) and named the area Soma.
In 1189, he distinguished himself in the Oshu War and was granted the Namekata District of Mutsu Province (present-day Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture) by Minamoto noYoritomo. However, it is believed that the actual relocation took place during the time of the 6th head of the family, Soma Shigetane, in 1323.
Shigetane built Odaka Castle in Odaka, Namegata County (Odaka Ward, Minamisoma City) and made it his base, becoming the ancestor of the Oshu Soma clan.
He repeatedly competed for power with the Date clan, and was stripped of his domain after the Battle of Sekigahara for not participating, but in 1602, following the celebration of the birth of Tokugawa Iemitsu, Yoshitane's son Toshitane was granted his original domain.
He served as the governor of the domain until the abolition of the feudal system in 1871, andwas a rare warrior who ruled a single province for nearly 550 years since his arrival in 1323 without ever changing his territory.
The lord of Shimotedowata Domain (present-day Date City, Fukushima Prefecture).
The Tachibana family of the Miike Domain (present-day Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture) lost a political battle and was demoted to Shimotedowashi in Date County, Mutsu Province in 1806, establishing the domain with a fief of 10,000 koku.
After the Meiji Restoration, the family returned to the Miike domain, became a viscount family, and produced members of the House of Peers.
Date
A Sengoku daimyo from Mutsu.
The name Date was first used when Date Tomomune, a vassal of the shogunate during the Kamakura period, was awarded Date County in Mutsu Province (present-day Date City, Fukushima Prefecture) in recognition of his achievements in conquering Sato Motoharu of Shinobu County (present-day Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture) during the Oshu War, and was given the name Date; before that, he is said to have called himself Nakamura.
During the time of the 15th head of the family, Date Harumune, the base of operations was moved to Yonezawa Castle (present-day Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. During the time of the 17th head of the family, Date Masamune, the clan defeated Nihonmatsu City and the Ashina clan, and brought under the control of various daimyo in the Tohoku region, such as Osaki, Tamura, Ishikawa, and Shirakawa, building the largest territory the Date clan had ever possessed.
Later, following Toyotomi Hideyoshi's pacification of Oshu, he moved his base to Iwadeyama (present-day Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), and then to Sendai in 1601 after the Battle of Sekigahara. During the Edo period, hethe lord of the Sendai Domainbecame
, famous as a general who acted as a sincere representative,a descendant of Sakanoue no Tamuramarobut there are various theories. He used the name Tamura and expanded his power by attacking the Ito, Nikaido, and Ishikawa clans. He is also famous as the family of Ai-hime, the principal wife of Date Masamune.
The Tamura clan was stripped of its territory due to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Oshu Punishment, but later Muneyoshi, the third son of Date Tadamune, the second lord of the Sendai domain, restored the Tamura clan and became the future lord of Ichinoseki domain.
A Sengoku period daimyo from Sukagawa, Mutsu Province (present-day Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture).
Around 1444, Nikaido Tameuji came down from Kamakura to Sukagawa, killed the Sukagawa magistrate Nikaido Jibu-no-taifu who had stopped following orders, and entered Sukagawa Castle, which is said to be the first head of the Sukagawa Nikaido clan.
He became a Sengoku daimyo with Sukagawa Castle as his base, but was attacked and captured by Date Masamune in 1589. At the time, the head of the Nikaido clan had died young, and Masamune's aunt, Anami, acted as acting head of the clan. However, after the castle fell, Anami came to dislike Masamune and turned to his nephew, Iwaki Tsunetaka, and after Tsunetaka's death, she took refuge with Satake Yoshinobu.
The Sengoku period feudal lords based in Nihonmatsu Castle in Adachi County, Mutsu Province (present-day Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture). They are also known as the Nihonmatsu Hatakeyama clan or the Oshu Hatakeyama clan. Their ancestor is said to be Kuniaki, the son of Hatakeyama Kuniuji, who was the shogunate's Oshu kanrei (deputy governor of Oshu) during the Muromachi shogunate.
The city was named after Nihonmatsu, the place where the clan was based. During the Sengoku period, the clan struggled between powerful feudal lords such as the Date and Ashina clans, and attempted to kidnap Masamune's father, Date Terumune, but failed. The head of the clan, Nihonmatsu Yoshitsugu, was killed in battle, and the following year Nihonmatsu Castle fell, leading to the clan's downfall.
Niwa
Lord of the Nihonmatsu domain.
the grandson of Niwa Nagahide, a famous retainer of the Sengoku period warlord, Niwa Mitsushige,Nobunaga, entered Nihonmatsu and ruled the area for over 200 years until the Nihonmatsu Domain was abolished in 1871 with the abolition of the feudal system.
Because the family supported the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance at the end of the Edo period, their fief was reduced to 50,000 koku after the Meiji Restoration, but in 1884 (Meiji 17), they were made a viscount family.
Horikiri
A wealthy farmer and merchant from Iizaka Village, Shinobu County (present-day Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture).
The family engaged in diversified businesses including pawnbroking, sake brewing, and mining, and also served as a village headman. After the Meiji Restoration, the head of the family,Zenjiro Horikiri, served as Mayor of Tokyo and Minister of Home Affairs, among other positions.
The family's mansion, built during the Meiji period in Iizaka Onsen, Fukushima, is preserved and open to the public as a tourist facility.
The lord of the Mutsu Izumi Domain (present-day Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture). His ancestor is said to be Tadani, the third son of Tadayoshi Honda, the lord of Shirakawa Domain, who was granted 10,000 koku of land in Ishikawa County, Mutsu Province, from his father's territory.
The family was subsequently transferred to Mikawa, Totomi, and Yamato provinces, but was once again transferred to the Mutsu Izumi Domain during the reign of Honda Tadayori. At the end of the Edo period, the family fought on the side of the shogunate against the new government forces, but the family survived until the forced retirement of the head of the family, Honda Tadanori, and a succession of successors took over, ruling the area until 1871 (Meiji 4), when the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established.
Matsudaira
, the third son of Tokugawa HidetadaHoshina Masayuki.
In 1643, he was transferred from 200,000 koku in Dewa to 230,000 koku in Aizu, where he continued to rule until the end of the Edo period.
, the feudal lord during the late Edo periodShugoshoku (Kyoto Guardian).After the Meiji Restoration, he formed the Ouetsu Reppan Alliance and fought against the new government forces, but was defeated. In 1868, he was transferred to the Mutsu Tonami Domain with a reduced stipend of 30,000 koku, and in 1884 he became a viscount.
He served the Hoshina family from the Sengoku period onwards, and became the lord of the Aizu domain during the Edo period.
, who was appointed as a senior retainer of the Aizu Domain during the Aizu War and fought as the overall commander in the siege of Tsuruga Castle,Yamakawa Hiroshi (Yamakawa Okura)is well-known. Yamakawa Hiroshi later served as a senior official of the Tonami Domain, to which the Aizu Domain was transferred, and in 1886 he was promoted to Major General in the Army and granted the title of Baron.
Incidentally, his younger brother,Kenjiro Yamakawa, also served as president of Tokyo Imperial University and was later granted the title of baron.
Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs
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