Home Province: Heian-kyō (Modern Kyōto)
Parent House: Imperial House of Japan (Emperor Saga)
Titles: Shogun, Daimyō, Kuge, Daijō-daijin, Sadaijin, Udaijin, Kazoku, Many Others
Founder: Minamoto no Makoto (first recorded)
Founding Year: May 814
Ruled Unti: Still Extant
Cadet Branches: Saga Genji, Ninmyō Genji, Montoku Genji, Seiwa Genji, Yōzei Genji, Toba Genji, Ichijō Genji, Kōkō Genji, Uda Genji, En'yū Genji, Daigo Genji, Murakami Genji, Reizei Genji, Sutoku Genji, Kazan Genji, Sanjō Genji, Takakura Genji, Antoku Genji, Go-Toba Genji, Go-Sanjō Genji, Go-Shirakawa Genji, Juntoku Genji, Go-Saga Genji, Hanazono Genji, Go-Fusakusa Genji, Ōgimachi Genji, Go-Hanazono Genji
Key Points
- Noble clan that claims direct lineage from Ame-no-Koyane
Brief Bio
Minamoto was a noble surname 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 since 814. In May 814, the first emperor to grant the surname "Minamoto" was Emperor Saga, to his seventh son—Minamoto no Makoto, in Heian-Kyō (modern Kyōto).
The practice was most prevalent during the Heian period (794–1185 AD), although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku period. The Taira were another such offshoot of the imperial dynasty, making both clans distant relatives.
Several noble lines were bestowed the surname, the most notable of which was the Seiwa Genji, whose descendants established the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates following the Heian era. The Minamoto was one of the four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period in Japanese history—the other three were the Fujiwara, the Taira, and the Tachibana.
In the late Heian period, Minamoto rivalry with the Taira culminated in the Genpei War (1180–1185 AD). The Minamoto emerged victorious and established Japan's first shogunate in Kamakura under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself as shōgun in 1192, ushering in the Kamakura period (1192–1333 AD) of Japanese history.
The Kamakura Shogunate was overthrown by Emperor Go-Daigo in the Kenmu Restoration of 1333. Three years later the Kenmu government would then itself be overthrown by the Ashikaga clan, descendants of the Seiwa Genji who established the Ashikaga shogunate (1333 to 1573).
Minamoto Clan 源
