Taira clan

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"Taira" redirects here. For other uses, see Taira (disambiguation).
In this Japanese name, the surname is Taira.
Taira
平氏
Mon: Agehachō, the Swallowtail butterfly
Home provinceHitachi Province, Ise Province
Parent houseImperial House of Japan
(Emperor Kanmu)
TitlesVarious
FounderTaira no Takamochi
Final rulerTaira no Munemori
Founding yearc. 825
Cadet branchesHōjō
Chiba
Miura
Nagao
Uchima
Tajiri
Hatakeyama
Oda
Tanegashima
others

The Taira (平) was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period of Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto, the Fujiwara, and the Tachibana.[1] The clan is divided into four major groups, named after the emperors they descended from: Kanmu Heishi, Ninmyō Heishi, Montoku Heishi, and Kōkō Heishi,[2] the most influential of which was the Kanmu Heishi line.

In the twilight of the Heian period, the Taira controlled the boy emperor Antoku (himself the grandson of former daijō-daijin Taira no Kiyomori) and had effectively dominated the Imperial capital of Heian. However, they were opposed by their rivals the Minamoto clan, which culminated in the Genpei War (1180-1185 AD). The Taira were decisively defeated, their leaders would perish alongside Antoku. Following the war, the victorious Minamoto established Japan's first shogunate in Kamakura. The name "Genpei" comes from alternate readings of the kanji "Minamoto" (源 Gen) and "Taira" (平 Hei).

The clan is commonly referred to as Heishi (平氏, "Taira clan") or Heike (平家, "House of Taira"), using the character's On'yomi hei (平) for Taira, while shi (氏) means "clan", and ke (家) is used as a suffix for "extended family".[3] The clan is the namesake of The Tale of the Heike, an epic account of the Genpei War.

History

The domain of the Taira clan in Japan (1183)
Warriors of the Taira clan by Utagawa Yoshitora

Along with the Minamoto, Taira was one of the honorary surnames given by the emperors of the Heian period (794–1185) to their children and grandchildren who were not considered eligible for the throne.[4]

The clan was founded when the Imperial Court grew too large, and the emperor ordered that the descendants of previous emperors from several generations ago would no longer be princes but would instead be given noble surnames and ranks. The decision became applicable during the reign of Emperor Kanmu (782–805) and thus, together with the Minamoto clan, the Taira clan was born.[5]

Some grandchildren of

Emperor Koko also received the surname. The specific hereditary lines of these emperors are referred to by the posthumous name of the emperor followed by Heishi, for example Kanmu Heishi.[4]

The Kanmu Heishi line has two major branches. One was founded in 889 by Taira no Takamochi (great-grandson of the 50th Emperor Kanmu, who reigned from 781 to 806) proved to be the strongest and most dominant line during the Heian period.[6] A great-grandson of Takamochi, Taira no Korehira, moved to Ise Province (currently part of Mie Prefecture) and established an important Daimyo dynasty.[7] Masamori, his grandson; and Tadamori, his great-grandson, became loyal supporters of Emperor Shirakawa and Emperor Toba, respectively. Later, Tadamori's son, Taira no Kiyomori, created what was considered the first samurai government in the history of Japan.[8]

Taira no Kiyomori, son and heir of Tadamori, rose to the position of

Heike Monogatari.[9]

This branch of the Kanmu Heishi had many collateral branches, including

Hōjō, Chiba, Miura and Hatakeyama.[10][7]

The other major branch of Kanmu Heishi was founded by Takamune-ō (804–867), the eldest son of Prince Imperial Kazurahara and grandson of Emperor Kanmu, who received the title of Taira no Ason in the year 825.[11][7] Members of this branch served as middle-class kuge in the Imperial Court of Kyoto.

The Oda clan at the time of Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) also claimed Taira descent, they were descendants of Taira no Chikazane, grandson of Taira no Shigemori (1138–1179).[12]

Genpei War

During the

bakufu based in Kamakura (Kanagawa Prefecture).[14]

Branches

The Taira clan had four main branches:[15]

Clan members

These were important members of the Taira clan.

Mon of the Taira

The

mon (crest, emblem) of the Taira clan is an Agehanochō (揚羽蝶, Swallowtail butterfly
) with raised wings.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. OCLC 47462068
    .
  2. OCLC 38097358
    .
  3. ISBN 9780520076020
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 9781873410424
    .
  5. ^ Samurai Archives
  6. ISBN 9780824816018
    .
  7. ^
    ISBN 9788891113221
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 9780231510837
    .
  9. ISBN 9780804766463
    .
  10. ISBN 9784916079046
    .
  11. ^ Transactions and Proceedings of the Japan Society, London. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Company, p. 105. 1932.
  12. ISBN 9781873410424
    .
  13. ISBN 0804705232
    .
  14. ^ "shogun | Japanese title". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
  15. ^ a b c d e The Samurai Crab
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