Seiwa Genji

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 members, including Minamoto no Yoshitsune, 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, whose four sons and twelve grandsons founded the Seiwa Genji. Emperor Seiwa was father of Imperial Prince Sadazumi (貞純親王 Sadazumi Shinnō) (873–916), who was in turn the father of Minamoto no Tsunemoto (源経基) (894–961), one of the founders of the Seiwa Genji, from whom most Seiwa Genji members are descended. Many samurai families belong to this line and used "Minamoto" clan name in official records, such as the Ashikaga, Hatakeyama, Hosokawa, Imagawa, Mori, Nanbu, Nitta, Ogasawara, Ōta, Satake, Satomi, Shiba, Takeda, Toki and the Tsuchiya, among others. The Shimazu and Tokugawa clans also claimed to belong to this line.

Seiwa Genji 源
The emblem (mon) of the Minamoto clan, of which the Seiwa Genji were a branch
Parent house	Minamoto clan
Founder	Sons/grandsons of Emperor Seiwa, e.g. Minamoto no Tsunemoto (源 経基)
Final ruler	Minamoto no Sanetomo
Founding year	10th century
Cadet branches	Ashikaga clan Hatakeyama clan Hosokawa clan Imagawa clan Mori Nanbu clan Nitta clan Matsudaira clan Tokugawa clan Ogasawara clan Ōta clan Satake clan Satomi clan Shiba clan Takeda clan Toki clan Ishikawa Clan others

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

Descendants of Emperor Seiwa's first five sons
(Emperor Seiwa) (Prince Sadaakira) (Prince Sadakata) (Prince Sadamoto) (Prince Sadahira) (Prince Sadayasu) Kunifuchi Kanetada Kanenobu Kunitada Kuniuzu Shigeyuki

Prince Sadazumi's descendants

Family of Seiwa Genji
(Emperor Seiwa) (Prince Sadazumi) Tsunemoto Tsuneo Mitsunaka Mitsumasa Mitsusue Mitsuzane Mitsuyoshi Mitsuo Mitsu(shige?) Mitsuyori Kimifushi Yorimitsu Yorichika Yorinobu Yorihira Yoriaki Yorisada Yorizane Takamichi Yori(hiro?) Genken* Tadasue Settsu Genji Yamato Genji Kawachi Genji

Emperor Seiwa's other princes

Family of Seiwa Genji
(Emperor Seiwa) (Prince Sadatoki) (Prince Sadakazu) (Prince Sadazane) (Prince Sadayori) Nagafuchi Nagamichi Nagami Nagayori Tameyoshi(?) Shigemoto Shigehira Shigekata Motosuke

Settsu Genji

Family of Seiwa Genji

Minamoto no Yorimitsu Yorikuni Yoriie Yorimoto Yorinori Yorisuke Yorizane Sanekuni Yoritsuna Rokujōsai-in no Senji Kunifusa Moromitsu Akikuni Nakamasa Raishi Seishi Kuninao Mitsukuni Sanetoshi Mitsutaka Yukikuni Tsunemitsu Yorimasa Yoriyuki Mitsushige Yasumasa Kunimasa Kunimoto Toki clan Mitsuyasu Tada Genji Nakatsuna Kanetsuna Masatsuna Nakaie Yorikane Hirotsuna Sanuki Gishūmon-in no Tango Jūshi Munetsuna Aritsuna Nakamitsu Yorishige

Yamato Genji

Family of Seiwa Genji
Yorichika Yorinari Yorifusa Yoritō Yorimoto Yoritoshi Mutsu Ishikawa clan Yori(kaze?) Yoriharu Yori(kage?) Yoriyasu (several clans) (several clans) Shinjitsu* Genjitsu* Jitsuben* Jūren*

Kawachi Genji

Family of Seiwa Genji

Yorinobu Yoriyoshi Yorikiyo Yorisue Yoritō Yoshimasa Yoshiie Yoshitsuna Yoshimitsu Kaiyo* Murakami clan Inoue clan Yoshimune Yoshichika Yoshikuni Yoshitada Yoshinobu Yoshitoshi Yoshiyasu Yoshiyuki Munekiyo Nitta, Ashikaga clans Tameyoshi Tsunekuni Yoshitaka Tadamune Yoshikiyo Yoshikatsu Yoshitomo Yoshikata Yoshihiro Yorikata Yorinaka Tamemune Tamenari Tametomo Tamenaka Yukiie Nakaie Yoshinaka Yoshihira Tomonaga Yoritomo Yoshikado Mareyoshi Noriyori Zenjō Gien* Yoshitsune Yoriie Sanetomo Jōgyō* Ichiman Kugyō* Eijitsu* Zengyō*

Yoshimitsu's descendants

Family of Seiwa Genji
Yoshimitsu Yoshinari Sanemitsu Yoshikiyo Moriyoshi Chikayoshi Masayoshi Yoshisada Kiyomitsu Hiraga and Ōuchi clans Satake clan Yoshitsune Yoshikane Mitsunaga Nobuyoshi Tōmitsu Yoshisada Yoshitō Tadayori Kanenobu Takeda clan Mitsutomo Nagakiyo Mitsuyuki

Mitsumasa's descendants

Family of Seiwa Genji
Mitsumasa Tadashige Tadataka Tadakuni Sadamune Sadashige Yūshinai-shinnō-ke no Kii(?) Masayori Shigetaka Yoshitsune Shigemune Yoshizumi clan Shigezane Shigenaga Shigetoki Shigenari Shigesada Shigetō Tokinari Shigekuni Suetō Shigenao Shigeyori Shigefusa Shigeto Mitsusue Suesada Shigemitsu Shigemune Shigenaga Shigetaka Shigekiyo Mitsuyuki Shigetada Shigetomo Shigehide Shigeyuki Chikayuki

Mitsuyoshi's descendants

Family of Seiwa Genji
Mitsuyoshi Mitsukuni Yukiyori Yorisue Tamemitsu Tametomo Tamehira Tameyoshi Tamekuni Tamezane Tamemoto Tameuji Chiku and Sengoku clans (several clans) Niyanagi and Natsume clans (several clans) Katagiri clan (several clans)

See also

• Sakai clan

References

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