Minamoto (源, みなもと、ミナモト) is an ancient and noble Japanese family name[1] that is mostly known for its history as a powerful clan during the Heian period.
 | |
| Pronunciation | Mì-ná-mó-tó |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male, Female |
| Language(s) | Japanese |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Kanji: 源 Hiragana: みなもと Katakana: ミナモト |
| Meaning | Source; Origin; Root |
| Region of origin | Kyoto, Japan |
The name itself is not common today as most of the descendant families have taken other surnames usually from their places of residence.[2]
People edit
Historical figures edit
- Minamoto no Makoto (源 信, 810 – 868), seventh son of the Japanese Emperor Saga
- Minamoto no Tōru (源 融, 822 – 895), Japanese poet and statesman, son of Emperor Saga of Japan
- Minamoto no Yoshiari (源 能有, 845 – 897), Japanese court official during the Heian period and son of Emperor Montoku of Japan
- Minamoto no Muneyuki (源 宗于, ? – 939), early Heian waka poet and Japanese nobleman, also known as Minamoto no Muneyuki Ason (源宗于朝臣)
- Minamoto no Hitoshi (源 等, 880 – 951), Japanese waka poet of the mid-Heian period
- Minamoto no Kintada (源 公忠, 889 – 948), middle Heian waka poet and Japanese nobleman, also known as Miyamoto no Kintada Ason (源公忠朝臣)
- Minamoto no Korezane (源 維城, 884 – 930), birth name of Emperor Daigo of Japan until 887
- Minamoto no Chikako (源 周子, ? – 935), court attendant (Koui) of Emperor Daigo of Japan
- Minamoto no Saneakira (源 信明, 910 – 970), middle Heian waka poet and Japanese nobleman
- Minamoto no Kanemasa (源 兼昌, dates unknown), waka poet and Japanese nobleman active in the Heian period
- Minamoto no Shitagō (源 順, 911 – 983), Japanese mid Heian waka poet, scholar and nobleman, descendant of Emperor Saga of Japan
- Minamoto no Hiromasa (源 博雅, 918 – 980), Japanese nobleman and gagaku musician in the Heian period
- Minamoto no Shigeyuki (源 重之, ? – 1000), early Heian waka poet and Japanese nobleman
- Minamoto no Takakuni (源 隆国, 1004 – 1077), Japanese noble and a scholar of ancient Japan, also known as Uji Dainagon (宇治大納言)
- Minamoto no Tsunemoto (源 経基, 894 – 961), Japanese samurai and Imperial Prince during Heian period
- Minamoto no Mitsunaka (源 満仲, 912 – 997), Japanese samurai and court official of the Heian period
- Minamoto no Yorimitsu (源 頼光, 948 – 1021), Japanese samurai served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu
- Minamoto no Yorinobu (源 頼信, 968 – 1048), Japanese samurai commander and member of the powerful Minamoto clan
- Minamoto no Tsuna (源 綱, 953 – 1025), Japanese samurai, companion of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, also known as Watanabe no Tsuna
- Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (源 頼義, 988 – 1075), Japanese samurai lord and the Chinjufu-shōgun head of the Minamoto clan
- Minamoto no Yorimasa (源 頼政, 1106 – 1180), prominent Japanese poet whose works appeared in various anthologies
- Minamoto no Shunrai (源 俊頼, 1055 – 1129), important and innovative Japanese poet, who compiled the Gosen Wakashū
- Minamoto no Tsunenobu (源 経信, 1016 – 1097), Japanese nobleman and waka poet in the Heian period
- Minamoto no Nakatsuna (源 仲綱, 1126 – 1180), Japanese samurai in the Battle of Uji in 1180 during that part of Genpei War
- Minamoto no Kanetsuna (源 兼綱, died 1180), Japanese samurai in the Battle of Uji in 1180 during that part of Genpei War
- Minamoto no Yoshiie (源 義家, 1039 – 1106), Japanese samurai and the Chinjufu-shōgun head of the Minamoto clan
- Minamoto no Yoshitsuna (源 義綱, 1042 – 1134), Japanese samurai of the Minamoto clan
- Minamoto no Tameyoshi (源 為義, 1096 – 1156), Japanese samurai and head of the Minamoto clan during his lifetime
- Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (源 義光, 1045 – 1127), Japanese samurai lord during the Heian period
- Minamoto no Yoshikiyo (源 義清, 1075 – 1149), Japanese samurai warlord of the late Heian period, founder of the Takeda Clan (武田氏) of Japan
- Minamoto no Yoshikuni (源 義国, 1082 – 1155), Japanese samurai who first implored the spirit of the Iwashimizu Shrine
- Minamoto no Yoshishige (源 義重, 1135 – 1202), Japanese progenitor of the Nitta branch family of the Minamoto clan
- Minamoto no Yoshiyasu (源 義康, 1127 – 1157), Japanese samurai, founder of the Ashikaga clan of Japan (also known as Ashikaga Yoshiyasu (足利 義康))
- Minamoto no Yoshitomo (源 義朝, 1123 – 1160), Japanese general of the late Heian period and head of the Minamoto clan
- Minamoto no Tametomo (源 為朝, 1139 – 1170), Japanese samurai who fought in the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156
- Minamoto no Yukiie (源 行家, c. 1141~1143 – 1186), brother of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and commanders in the Genpei War
- Minamoto no Yoshinaka (源 義仲, 1154 – 1184), Japanese samurai lord in the late Heian period
- Minamoto no Yoshihira (源 義平, 1140 – 1160), Japanese samurai of the Minamoto clan
- Minamoto no Tomonaga (源 朝長, 1144 – 1160), Japanese samurai of the Minamoto clan of the late Heian period
- Minamoto no Yoritomo (源 頼朝, 1147 – 1199), Japanese samurai, founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan
- Minamoto no Noriyori (源 範頼, 1150 – 1193), Japanese general during late Heian period of the Minamoto clan
- Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源 義経, c. 1159 – 1189), Japanese commander of the Minamoto clan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods
- Minamoto no Mochimitsu (源 以光, 1151 – 1180), son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan, also known as Prince Mochihito
- Minamoto no Mitsuyuki (源 光行, 1163 – 1244), Japanese governor in Kawachi province
- Minamoto no Ienaga (源 家長, c. 1170 – 1234), waka poet and Japanese nobleman active in the early Kamakura period
- Minamoto no Michitomo (源 通具, 1171 – 1227), waka poet and Japanese nobleman active in the early Kamakura period
- Minamoto no Sanetomo (源 実朝, 1192 – 1219), third shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan
- Minamoto no Ichiman (源 一幡, 1198 – 1203), eldest son of the 2nd Kamakura shōgun Minamoto no Yoriie
- Minamoto no Yoshinari (源 頼暁, 1200 – 1219), second son of 2nd Kamakura shōgun Minamoto no Yoriie, also known as the priest Kugyō (公暁)
- Minamoto no Chikako (源 親子), daughter of Kitabatake Morochika, and Imperial consort to Emperor Go-Daigo of Japan
Modern era edit
- Minamoto Yoko (源 洋子, born in 1967), Japanese sport shooter
- Minamoto Sumika (源 純夏, born in 1979), Japanese freestyle swimmer
Fictional characters edit
- Minamoto Kō (源 光), in Japanese manga Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
- Minamoto Kouji (源 輝二), in anime television series Digimon Frontier
- Minamoto Raikou (源 頼光), in Japanese manga Tactics
- Minamoto Tadakatsu (源 忠勝), in the visual novel Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!
- Minamoto Sakura (源 さくら), in anime television series Zombie Land Saga
- Minamoto Shizuka (源 静香), in Japanese manga and anime Doraemon
Others edit
- Minamoto clan, the most powerful and most important clan of all four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi and Edo periods in Japanese history.[3][4]
References edit
- ^ Cabinet of Japan (2010-11-30). "常用漢字表" (PDF). 常用漢字表（平成22年11月30日内閣告示）: 49 – via Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Lenarčič, Simon (2022). Dictionary of American family names. Peter McClure (Second ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-024511-5.
- ^ Gibney, Frank (1984). Britannica International Encyclopedia. TBS-Britannica. Shisei: "Genji". OCLC 47462068.
- ^ Frédéric, Louis (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 439–452. ISBN 9780674017535.
This page lists people with the surname Minamoto.
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If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.