| Mōri clan 毛利氏 | |
|---|---|
.svg) Mōri clan (mon) | |
| Home province | Sagami Aki |
| Parent house |  Imperial House of Japan Ōe clan (大江氏) |
| Titles | various |
| Founder | Mōri Suemitsu (毛利季光) |
| Final ruler | Mōri Takachika (毛利敬親) |
| Current head | Mōri Motohide (毛利元栄) |
| Founding year | 13th century (first half) |
| Dissolution | still extant |
| Ruled until | 1868, after theBoshin War and during the (Meiji Restoration),Mōri Takachika is the first daimyō to hand over his lands to Emperor Meiji. |
TheMōri clan (毛利氏,Mōri-shi;Japanese pronunciation:[moꜜː.ɾʲi,moː.ɾʲiꜜ.ɕi][1]) was aJapanese samurai clan descended fromŌe no Hiromoto.Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from theFujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member,Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power inAki Province. During theEdo period his descendants becamedaimyō of theChōshū Domain under theTokugawa shogunate. After theMeiji Restoration with theabolition of thehan system anddaimyō, the Mōri clan became part of thenew nobility.[2]
The founder of the clan,Mōri Suemitsu, was the fourth son ofŌe no Hiromoto. He founded the clan when he took the name from hisshōen named "Mōri" inAikō District,Sagami Province.[3] After theJōkyū War, Suemitsu was appointed to thejitō office of ashōen inAki Province. He was defeated byHōjō Tokiyori in 1247 and committed suicide (seppuku) atMinamoto no Yoritomo's shrine (hokkedō) along with hisMiura clan allies.[4] The lineage of the Mori clan is well verified because it matches up from several different sources such as the Mōri Family Tree (毛利系図),Sonpi Bunmyaku and Ōe Family Tree (大江氏系図).[5]
According to theSonpi Bunmyaku (尊卑分脈) from the late 14th century:[6]
Ōe no Hiromoto (大江広元, 1148–1225) ┃Mōri Suemitsu (毛利季光, 1202–1247) ┃Mōri Tsunemitsu (毛利経光, ? – ? ) ┃Mōri Tokichika (毛利時親, ? –1341) ┃Mōri Sadachika (毛利貞親, ? –1351) ┃Mōri Chikahira (毛利親衡, ? –1375), moved the family toAki Province. ┃Mōri Motoharu (毛利元春, 1323– ? )
During theKamakura shogunate the Mōri were agokenin family due to the fame of their ancestorŌe no Hiromoto.Mōri Suemitsu, the fourth son ofŌe no Hiromoto inherited Mōri-shōen from his father and that is why he began to use the name. It is reasonable to say he is the first head of the Mōri clan but in the Mōri family tradition he is the 39th head of the family as he is the 39th linear descendant of Amenohohi-no-mikoto (天穂日命), an ancient god ofJapan.[7] After the third head of the clan,Mōri Tokichika, his sonMōri Sadachika (毛利貞親) was supposed to succeed him but he and his son were both killed by theHōjō clan and the great-grandson of Tsunemitsu became the next head of the clan.[8]
At the end of the Kamakura shogunate, they became distant from the shogunate and showed a favorable attitude toAshikaga Takauji.[9]
In theSengoku period,Mōri Motonari expanded their power to the whole of Aki province and then to other neighboring provinces. In his generation, Mōri became thedaimyō from a localjizamurai.[citation needed]
During the war with theOda clan and theIkkō-ikki, the Mōri helped the Ikkō-ikki clans by establishing a naval trade route between each other's provincial docks and harbours, the Oda eventually nullified this by laying siege to the trade ships between the two clans and went to further disrupt trade by attempting to destroy the Mōri fleet, failing on their first attempt in 1571. The second battle took place in 1579 with the Oda sending eightAtakebune (heavily armoured ships with iron-clad plating) warships to finally destroy the Mōri naval threat.
After a struggle betweenToyotomi Hideyoshi, who led his army as a general ofOda Nobunaga, the two sides made peace and Mōri remained as adaimyō who kept six provinces inChūgoku.
In 1600,Mōri Terumoto nominally led the Western Army in theBattle of Sekigahara. The Western Army lost the battle and the Mōri clan lost four eastern provinces and moved their capital fromHiroshima to present-dayHagi, Yamaguchi. The newer fief, Mōrihan, consisted of two provinces:Nagato Province andSuō Province. Derived from the former, Mōri han was referred to often asChōshū han.
After theMeiji Restoration with theabolition of thehan system anddaimyō, the Mōri clan became part of thenew nobility. They became aducal family.[10]
The clan's war with Hideyoshi appears inEiji Yoshikawa's novelTaiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan.
The Mōri are a playable faction inShogun: Total War andTotal War: Shogun 2.
This article incorporates text from OpenHistory.