Imagawa clan
Imagawa clan (Japanese: 今川氏, Hepburn: Imagawa-uji) was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji by way of the Kawachi Genji. It was a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Ashikaga clan.
| Imagawa 今川 | |
|---|---|
 The emblem (mon) of the Imagawa clan | |
| Home province | Mikawa Suruga Tōtōmi |
| Parent house |  Ashikaga clan |
| Titles | Various |
| Founder | Imagawa Kuniji (Ashikaga Kuniuji) |
| Founding year | 13th century |
| Cadet branches | Horikoshi clan Sena clan |
Origins
Ashikaga Kuniuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji, established himself in the 13th century at Imagawa (Mikawa Province) and took its name.
Imagawa Norikuni (1295–1384) received from his cousin the shōgun Ashikaga Takauji the province of Tōtōmi, and later that of Suruga.
Located at
Ounami no Kori, Mikawa (modern day Nishio, Aichi) mainly Suruga Province and Tōtōmi Province during the Warring States period
Crests
- Two hikiryou
- Yoshimoto's version of the akaitori (pictured)
- Two hikiryou and a paulownia planted in white soil
Major figures
Muromachi era
- Imagawa Sadayo, was a renowned Japanese poet and military commander who served as tandai ("constable") of Kyūshū under the Ashikaga bakufu from 1371 to 1395.
Sengoku era
After the death of Yoshimoto at the Battle of Okehazama in 1560, during the Sengoku period, many Imagawa officers defected to other clans. Within a decade, the clan had lost all of its land holdings to the Tokugawa and Takeda clans. The Imagawa subsequently became masters of ceremonies in the service of the Tokugawa clan.[1]
Clan castles
Separated by province name.
- Suruga Province: Imagawa Kan (later known as Sunpu Castle), Shizuhatayama Castle, Mochifune Castle, Tanaka Castle
- Tōtōmi Province: Kakegawa Castle, Takatenjin Castle (ja), Futamada Castle, Inui Castle, Hamamatsu Castle, Utsuyama Castle.
- Mikawa Province: Yoshida Castle, Tahara Castle, Okazaki Castle, Anshō Castle
- Owari Province: Katsukake Castle, Ōtaka Castle, Narumi Castle
Edo period
- Shinagawa Takahisa, the son of Imagawa Ujizane. He was a hatamoto and served the Tokugawa clan.
- Imagawa Norinobu, an Imagawa of the late Edo period, was a wakadoshiyori in the Tokugawa administration.
Key genealogies
| Emperor Seiwa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minamoto no Yoriyoshi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Hachimantaro" Yoshiie | "Shinra Saburō" Yoshimitsu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Takeda clan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minamoto no Yoshichika | Minamoto no Yoshikuni | Minamoto no Yoshinari | Takeda Yoshikiyo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ashikaga clan | Nitta clan | Satake clan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minamoto no Tameyoshi | Ashikaga Yoshiyasu | Nitta Yoshishige | Satake Masayoshi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minamoto no Yoshitomo | Ashikaga Yoshikane | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kamakura Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo | Ashikaga Yoshiuji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kira clan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ashikaga Yasuuji | Kira Osauji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Imagawa clan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ashikaga Yoriuji | Kira Mitsuji | Imagawa Kuniuji | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ashikaga Ietoki | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ashikaga Sadauji | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Muromachi Shogun Ashikaga Takauji | Nitta Yoshisada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Suruga
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Tōtōmi
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Tōtōmi (Horikoshi branch)
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Tōtōmi (Sena branch)
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Notable members
Notable retainers
- Matsudaira Motoyasu
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi
- Okabe Motonobu
- Matsui Munenobu
- Udono Nagateru
- Asahina Yasutomo
- Ii Naomori
- Abe Motozane
- Ichinomiya Munekore
- Ii Naochika
- Ii Naotora
- Iio Tsuratatsu
- Otazu no kata
- Katsurayama Ujimoto
- Taigen Sessai
- Iio Noritsura
- Itami Yasunao
- Yamaguchi Noritsugu
- Yamaguchi Noriyoshi
- Yokoe Magohachi
- Fuji Nobutada
Popular culture
Imagawa is a playable nation in Europa Universalis IV.
Notes
- (in Japanese) "Suruga Imagawa-shi" on Harimaya.com (12 July 2008)
References
- (in Japanese) "Suruga Imagawa-shi" on Harimaya.com (12 July 2008)