The Seiwa Genji (清和源氏) were the most successful and powerful line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that were descended from Emperor Seiwa. Many of the most famous Minamoto warriors, including Minamoto Yoshiie, also known as "Hachiman-taro", or God of War; Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate; and Ashikaga Takauji, the founder of the Ashikaga shogunate belong to this line. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, also claimed descent from this lineage. The family is named after Emperor Seiwa, grandfather of Minamoto no Tsunemoto, patriarch of the Seiwa Genji.
Emperor Seiwa was father of Imperial Prince Sadazumi (貞純親王 Sadazumi Shinnō) (873-916) - father of Minamoto no Tsunemoto (源経基) (894-961), founder of the Seiwa Genji, from whom the Seiwa Genji is descended. Many samurai families belong to this line and had used "Minamoto" clan name in official records, including the Ashikaga clan, Hatakeyama clan, Hosokawa clan, Imagawa clan, Mori, Nanbu clan, Nitta clan, Ogasawara clan, Satake clan, Satomi clan, Shiba clan, Takeda clan, Toki clan, among others. The Shimazu and Tokugawa clans also claimed to belong to this line.
A group of Shinto shrines connected closely with the clan is known as the Three Genji Shrines (源氏三神社 Genji San Jinja).
Family tree
The following family trees are a non-exhaustive listing of the Seiwa Genji and the clans that branched from the family.
Legend: Solid lines represent blood relationship; dashed lines represent adoptions. An asterisk indicates a monk (who would not have been allowed to retain the Minamoto name).
Emperor Seiwa's first five princes
Prince Sadazumi's descendants
Emperor Seiwa's other princes
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| (Prince Sadatoki) | | (Prince Sadakazu) | | (Prince Sadazane) | | (Prince Sadayori) | | Nagafuchi | | Nagamichi | | Nagami | | Nagayori |
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| | | | Tameyoshi(?) | | Shigemoto | | Shigehira | | Shigekata | | Motosuke |
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Settsu Genji
| Minamoto no Yorimitsu |
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| Yorikuni | | Yoriie | | Yorimoto |
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| Yorinori | | Yorisuke | | Yorizane | | Sanekuni | | Yoritsuna | | | | | | Rokujōsai-in no Senji | | | | | | Kunifusa | | Moromitsu |
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| Akikuni | | | | | | Nakamasa | | Raishi | | Seishi | | | | | | Kuninao | | | | | | Mitsukuni | | Sanetoshi | | Mitsutaka |
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| Yukikuni | | Tsunemitsu | | Yorimasa | | Yoriyuki | | Mitsushige | | Yasumasa | | Kunimasa | | Kunimoto | | Toki clan | | | | | | Mitsuyasu |
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| Tada Genji | | | | | | Nakatsuna | | Kanetsuna | | Masatsuna | | Nakaie | | Yorikane | | | Hirotsuna | | Sanuki | | Gishūmon-in no Tango | | Jūshi |
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| | | | | | | | Munetsuna | | Aritsuna | | | | | | Nakamitsu | | Yorishige |
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Yamato Genji
| Yorichika |
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| Yorinari | | Yorifusa | | | | | | Yoritō | | Yorimoto |
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| | | | Yoritoshi | | | | | | Mutsu Ishikawa clan |
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| Yori(kaze?) | | Yoriharu | | Yori(kage?) |
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| Yoriyasu | | (several clans) | | (several clans) |
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| Shinjitsu* |
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| Genjitsu* |
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| Jitsuben* |
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| Jūren* |
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Kawachi Genji
Yoshimitsu's descendants
Mitsumasa's descendants
| Mitsumasa |
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| Tadashige | | | | | | | | | | Tadataka | | Tadakuni |
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| Sadamune | | Sadashige | | Yūshinai-shinnō-ke no Kii(?) | | Masayori | | Shigetaka | | Yoshitsune |
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| Shigemune | | | | | | | | | | Yoshizumi clan |
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| Shigezane | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Shigenaga | | Shigetoki |
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| Shigenari | | Shigesada | | Shigetō | | Tokinari | | | | | | Shigekuni | | Suetō |
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| Shigenao | | | | | | | | | | Shigeyori | | Shigefusa | | Shigeto | | Mitsusue | | Suesada |
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| Shigemitsu | | Shigemune | | Shigenaga | | Shigetaka | | Shigekiyo | | | | | | Mitsuyuki |
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| Shigetada | | Shigetomo | | Shigehide | | Shigeyuki | | | | | | | | | | Chikayuki |
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Mitsuyoshi's descendants
| Mitsuyoshi |
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| Mitsukuni | | Yukiyori | | Yorisue |
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| Tamemitsu |
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| Tametomo |
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| Tamehira | | Tameyoshi | | Tamekuni | | Tamezane | | Tamemoto | | Tameuji |
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| Chiku and Sengoku clans | | (several clans) | | Niyanagi and Natsume clans | | (several clans) | | Katagiri clan | | (several clans) |
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See also
References
- Sansom, George (1958). 'A History of Japan to 1334'. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
- Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.