This is a list of Japanese clans. The old clans (gōzoku) mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki lost their political power before the Heian period, during which new aristocracies and families, kuge, emerged in their place. After the Heian period, the samurai warrior clans gradually increased in importance and power until they came to dominate the country after the founding of the first shogunate.
Ancient clan names
There are ancient-era clan names called Uji-na (氏名) or Honsei (本姓).
Imperial Clan
The Imperial clan – descended from Amaterasu. Its emperors and clan members have no clan name but had been called "the imperial house" (皇室) if necessary.
Ochi clan [ja] (越智氏) – descended from Mononobe clan.
Ōe clan [ja] (大江氏) – descended from Hashiji clan.
Ōtomo clan (大伴氏) – descended from Michi-omi no Mikoto companion in arms of Emperor Jimmu; no direct relation to the immigrant Ōtomo clan (大友氏) or feudal Ōtomo clan (大友氏); famous for Ōtomo no Yakamochi.
From the late ancient era onward, the family name (Myōji/苗字 or 名字) had been commonly used by samurai to denote their family line instead of the name of the ancient clan that the family line belongs to (uji-na/氏名 or honsei/本姓), which was used only in the official records in the Imperial court. Kuge families also had used their family name (Kamei/家名) for the same purpose. Each of samurai families is called "[family name] clan (氏)" as follows and they must not be confused with ancient clan names. The list below is a list of various aristocratic families whose families served as Shugo, Shugodai, Jitō, and Daimyo
Hatakeyama clan (畠山氏) – descended from Kanmu Heishi before 1205. After 1205 the Hatakeyama are a cadet branch of Ashikaga clan who descended from Seiwa Genji.
Later Hōjō clan (後北条氏) – also known as Hōjō clan or Go-Hōjō clan; descended from Kanmu Heishi; no direct relation to the regent Hōjō clan (北条氏) or Kitajō clan (北条氏).
Honma clan (本間氏) – also known as Homma clan or Honma clan of Sado; cadet branch of Yokoyama clan who descended from Ono no Takamura (disputed).
Kikkawa clan (吉川氏) – cadet branch of Kudō clan who descended from Fujiwara Nanke. After the mid 16th century they are a cadet branch of the Mōri clan who descended from the Ōe clan, famous for Kikkawa Motoharu.
Kitajō clan (北条氏) – also known as Kitajō clan of Echigo or Mōri Kitajō clan; cadet branch of Mōri clan; no direct relation to the Hōjō clan (北条氏) or Late Hōjō clan (北条氏).
Mōri clan (毛利氏) – descended from Ōe clan; no direct relation to the Genji-descent Mōri clan (毛利氏) or Fujiwara-descent Mōri clan (毛利氏); famous for Mōri Motonari and his sons.
Mōri clan of Inaba (因幡毛利氏) – cadet branch.
Mōri clan (毛利氏) – descended from Uda Genji; no direct relation to Ōe-descent Mōri clan (毛利氏) or Fujiwara-descent Mōri clan (毛利氏);
Mōri clan (毛利氏) – descended from Fujiwara clan (disputed); no direct relation to Ōe-descent Mōri clan (毛利氏) or Genji-descent Mōri clan (毛利氏);
Sōma clan (相馬氏) – cadet branch of Chiba clan who descended from Kanmu Heishi.
Sōma clan of Ōshū (奥州相馬氏) – head family.
Sōma clan of Shimōsa (下総相馬氏) – cadet branch.
Suda clan (ja:須田) – famous for being a clan of samurai, and martial art practitioners. While the northeastern and west-central family branches state that they are descended from the Minamoto clan through the Inoue family, the family branch in Okinawa has the legend that they are descendants of the Japanese dragon (Nihon ryū).
Sue clan (陶氏) – cadet branch of Ōuchi clan who descended from Tatara clan. famous for Sue Harukata.
Toraijin is used to describe migrants in many contexts, from the original migration of a Yamato peoples to more recent migrants. According to the book Shinsen Shōjiroku compiled in 815, a total 326 out of 1,182 families in the Kinai area on Honshū were regarded as people with foreign genealogy. The book specifically mentions mentions 163 were from China, such families from Baekje, 41 from Goguryeo, 9 from Silla, and 9 from Gaya. These families are considered notable, although not inherently noble.[4][5]
Sena clan (背奈氏) – descended from Sena no Fukutoku (背奈福徳), son of King Yeongnyu of Goguryeo.
Toyohara clan (豊原氏)
Yasaka clan (八坂氏)
Yahamara clan (八坂氏豊原氏)
Silla
Hata clan (秦氏) – claims to be descended from Yuzuki no Kimi. The clan claimed descent from Qin Shi Huang, but recent Japanese research points this to be aggrandization and their true origin to be from Silla.
Matsushita clan (松下氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Mikami clan (三上氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Minami clan (南氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Mokusei clan (木星) – cadet branch of the Hata Clan.
Nishiōji clan (西大路氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Obata clan (小畑氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Ōkura clan (大蔵氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Ōnishi clan (大西氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Seo clan (瀬尾氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Tōgi clan (東儀氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Tsuchiyama clan (土山氏) – cadet branch of Hata clan.
Koremune clan (惟宗氏) – lateral branch of the Hata clan.
Fushimaru clan (伏丸氏)
Hine clan (日根氏)
Itoi clan (糸井氏) – descended from Amenohiboko, a prince of Silla who came to Japan in the 3rd or 4th century.
Maki clan (真城氏)
Tachibanamori clan (橘守氏) – descended from Amenohiboko, a prince of Silla who came to Japan in the 3rd or 4th century.
Tajima clan (但馬氏) – descended from Amenohiboko, a prince of Silla who came to Japan in the 3rd or 4th century.
Unabara clan (海原氏)
Gaya
Arara clan (荒荒氏)
Hirata clan (辟田氏) – descended from Tsunugaarashito (都怒我阿羅斯等), a prince of Gaya.
Karabito clan (韓人氏)
Michita clan (道田氏)
Ōchi clan (大市氏) – descended from Tsunugaarashito (都怒我阿羅斯等), a prince of Gaya.
Tatara clan (多多良氏) – descended from Tsunugaarashito (都怒我阿羅斯等), a prince of Gaya.
Toyotsu clan (豊津氏)
China
Ōtomo clan (大友氏) – descended from Tei (称), a descendant of Emperor Xian of Han; no direct relation to the native Ōtomo clan (大伴氏) or feudal Ōtomo clan (大友氏).