Kawachi Genji

Kawachi Genji; 河内源氏
Parent house	Seiwa Genji
Titles	Shōgun ; Various others;
Founder	Minamoto no Yorinobu
Final ruler	Minamoto no Sanetomo
Founding year	10th century
Dissolution	1219
Ruled until	1219, Minamoto no Sanetomo assassinated
Cadet branches	Satake clan ; Hiraga clan ; Takeda clan ;

Last updated April 14, 2019

The Kawachi Genji (河内源氏) were members of a family line within that of the Seiwa Genji, which in turn was one of several branches of the Minamoto clan, one of the most famous noble clans in Japanese history. Descended from Minamoto no Yorinobu (968–1048), the Kawachi Genji included Minamoto no Yoshiie (1041–1108), who fought in the Zenkunen War and Gosannen War, and common ancestor of nearly all the major Minamoto generals of the Genpei War from which the Minamoto are famous.

The Seiwa Genji (清和源氏) is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto warriors, including Minamoto no Yoshiie, Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate; and Ashikaga Takauji, the founder of the Ashikaga shogunate, belonged 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, who was the grandfather of Minamoto no Tsunemoto who founded the Seiwa Genji. Emperor Seiwa was father of Imperial Prince Sadazumi (873–916), who was in turn the father of Minamoto no Tsunemoto (源経基) (894–961), founder of the Seiwa Genji, from whom the Seiwa Genji descended. Many samurai families belong to this line and used "Minamoto" clan name in official records, including the Ashikaga clan, Hatakeyama clan, Hosokawa clan, Imagawa clan, Mori, Nanbu clan, Nitta clan, Ogasawara clan, Ōta clan, Satake clan, Satomi clan, Shiba clan, Takeda clan, Toki clan, Tsuchiya clan, among others. The Shimazu clan served the Tsuchiya clan loyally for many years. The Shimazu and Tokugawa clans also claimed to belong to this line.

Minamoto (源) was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the Heian period, although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku period. The Taira were another such offshoot of the imperial dynasty, making both clans distant relatives. The Minamoto clan is also called the Genji (源氏), using the on'yomi reading for Minamoto.

Minamoto no Yorinobu was a samurai commander and member of the powerful Minamoto clan. He was the son of Minamoto no Mitsunaka (912–997). Along with his brother Yorimitsu, Yorinobu served the regents of the Fujiwara clan, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He held the title, passed down from his father, of Chinjufu-shōgun, Commander-in-chief of the Defense of the North. He served as Governor of the Japanese Ise and Kai Provinces, and was the progenitor of the Kawachi Genji family line and his son, Minamoto no Yorisue, was ancestor of the Takanashi clan of Shinano Province.

Lineage

Note: Each degree of indentation indicates a father-son relationship.

Yorinobu (968–1048) – son of Minamoto no Mitsunaka
- Yoriyoshi (998–1082) – son of Yorinobu; hero of the Zenkunen War
  - Yoshitsuna (died 1134) – son of Yoriyoshi
  - Yoshimitsu (died 1127) – son of Yoriyoshi, ancestor of the Satake, Hiraga, and Takeda families
  - Yoshiie (1041–1108) – son of Yoriyoshi, fought alongside his father in the Zenkunen War, led imperial forces in the Gosannen War
    - Yoshichika
      - Tameyoshi (1096–1156) – grandson of Yoshiie
        Yoshitomo (1123–1160), son of Tameyoshi
        Yoshihira (1140–1160), son of Yoshitomo
        Yoritomo (1147–1199), son of Yoshitomo, and first Kamakura shōgun
        Yoriie (1182–1204), son of Yoritomo, and 2nd shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate
        Sanetomo(*) (1192–1219), son of Yoritomo, and 3rd shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate
        Noriyori (1156–1193), son of Yoshitomo
        Yoshitsune (1159–1189), son of Yoshitomo, and one of the most famous samurai of all time
        Tametomo (1139–1170), son of Tameyoshi
        Yoshikata (？–1155), son of Tameyoshi
        Yoshinaka (1154–1184), son of Yoshikata
        Yukiie (d. 1186), son of Tameyoshi
      Minamoto no Sanetomo was the third shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate. He was the second son of the Kamakura shogunate founder, Minamoto no Yoritomo. His mother was Hōjō Masako and his older brother was second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie.
      Minamoto no Noriyori was a late Heian period general, who fought alongside his brothers Minamoto no Yoritomo and Minamoto no Yoshitsune at a number of battles of the Genpei War. He was the sixth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo.
      Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo consolidate power. He is considered one of the greatest and the most popular warriors of his era, and one of the most famous samurai fighters in the history of Japan. Yoshitsune perished after being betrayed by the son of a trusted ally.
    Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199. His Buddhist name was Bukōshōgendaizenmon (武皇嘯原大禅門).
    The Kamakura shogunate was a Japanese feudal military government of imperial-aristocratic rule that ruled from 1185 to 1333. The heads of the government were the shōguns. The first three were members of the Minamoto clan. The next two were members of the Fujiwara clan. The last six were minor Imperial princes.
    Minamoto no Yoriie was the second shōgun (1202–1203) of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shōgun Yoritomo. His buddhist name was Hokke-in-dono Kingo Da'i Zengo (法華院殿金吾大禅閤).
  Minamoto no Tameyoshi was head of the Minamoto samurai clan during his lifetime, and grandson of Minamoto no Yoshiie; he led the Minamoto in the Hōgen Rebellion. Tameyoshi is also known as Mutsu Shirō.
  Minamoto no Yoshitomo was the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period of Japanese history. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo became shōgun and founded the Kamakura shogunate, the first shogunate in the history of Japan.
  Minamoto no Yoshihira (1140–1160) was a Minamoto clan warrior who fought alongside his father, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, in the Heiji Rebellion.
Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, son of Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, was a Minamoto clan samurai during Japan's Heian Period. His brother was the famous Minamoto no Yoshiie. Minamoto no Yoshimitsu is credited as the ancient progenitor of the Japanese martial art, Daitō-ryū aiki-jūjutsu. Yoshimitsu is also known as Shiragi Saburō.
Minamoto No Yoshiie, also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and Chinjufu-shōgun.
The Gosannen War, also known as the Later Three-Year War, was fought in the late 1080s in Japan's Mutsu Province on the island of Honshū.

Minamoto no Mitsunaka Samurai and Court official of Japans Heian period

Minamoto no Mitsunaka, was born as Myoomaru (明王丸) son of Minamoto no Tsunemoto, was a samurai and Court official of Japan's Heian period. Mitsunaka belonged to the Seiwa Genji branch of the Minamoto clan, which traced its ancestry to Emperor Seiwa. He loyally served several successive Fujiwara regents beginning with Fujiwara no Morotada. Mitsunaka allied himself with Morotada in 969, by implicating Minamoto no Takaakira—Morotada's major political rival—in a plot against the throne. It is not clear whether these accusations were true, but Takaakira was sent into exile, placing Mitsunaka firmly in Morotada's good graces. Later, Mitsunaka would assist Fujiwara no Kaneie in his plot to coerce Emperor Kazan into taking Buddhist vows and abdicating in favor of Fujiwara's seven-year-old grandson.

Minamoto no Yoriyoshi was a head of Japan's Minamoto clan. Along with his son Minamoto no Yoshiie, he led the Imperial forces against rebellious forces in the north. This campaign would be called the Zenkunen War, and would be followed some years later by the Gosannen War. His childhood name was Odaimaru (王代丸).

Minamoto no Yoshitsuna, also called Kamo Jirō, was a samurai of the Minamoto clan, and brother of Minamoto no Yoshiie.

(*)= During 1219 as Shogunate Minamoto Sanetomo was last head of Minamoto clan of Japan after his nephew Minamoto Kugyo – son of Yoriie – killed his uncle Sanemoto then will commit suicide himself. Also other nephew Ichiman – who was Yoriie's son. In 1203? he was executed on Hōjō's orders.

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References

Sansom, George (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & Co.

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