The samurai were an elite class of warriors who enjoyed a good deal of power in Japan from the 12th to 19th centuries. Samurai generally worked for a lord their entire life or until their lord died. Other samurai traveled Japan seeking work independently.
Samurai groups, or clans, often fought for supremacy in various regions of Japan. Some clans existed for centuries and other dissolved after losing battles or territory.
The samurai class ultimately lost its influence in Japan after the 1868 Meiji Restoration. Former samurai sought jobs in law enforcement, government, the arts, and other sectors.
The following is a list of some of the most famous and powerful samurai clans in Japanese history.
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The Fujiwara clan of samurai formed during the Asuka Period (592-710). The Fujiwara clan gained influence through politics and advantageous marriages. Members of the clan maintained influential positions in court and married their daughters to key political leaders.
The Fujiwara clan enjoyed power until declining in influence during the Kamakura shogunate.
Descendants of the clan included many famous samurai such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Date Masamune.
The Tachibana clan was the smallest of the four major Heian era clans was founded by a court lady named Agata Inukai no Michiyo.
The Empress Genmai gave the clan its name in 684.
Tachibana is best known for its many conflicts with the Fujiwara clan.
One of the most famous Japanese samurai clans is the Minamoto clan. The clan was formed in the 12th century by the seventh son of the emperor.
Over time, this son amassed enough wealth and warriors in eastern Japan to form his own shogunate. The Minamoto clan fought against the Taira clan in the Genpei War for supremacy of Japan. It defeated the Taira and ruled over Japan for over a century.
The Taira clan is another group that formed during the Heian period. It was created by the emperor's children and is one of the most famous clans in Japanese history.
The Taira clan is most well known for fighting against the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War of 1180-1185. The Minamoto won the war and after their defeat, many of the Taira samurai committed seppuku. This is considered one of the largest mass suicides in Japanese history.
The Oda clan was created out of the Taira clan in the 13th century. Originally a vassal to larger and more powerful clans, the Oda gained its independence through trading and agriculture.
The clan built large castles and acquired land, which it farmed to make money. After acquiring a good deal of wealth, the Oda clan took the Azai and Asakura clans as their own vassals.
The Ashikaga clan arose in the 13th century from a branch of the Minamoto clan. The Ashikaga gained its power by assisting the emperor in overthrowing the shogunate.
The crafty Ashikaga then betrayed the emperor and took the power for themselves, creating their own shogunate and reducing the emperor to a mere figurehead.
The clan ruled Japan with absolute power until 1573.
The Abe clan is famous for producing Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe. The clan also has a reputation for being very politically savvy.
The clan enjoyed its height of power during the Sengoku and Tokugawa shogunate eras.
The Hōjō clan ruled over central Japan. Its members acted as regent of the shogunate, which effectively gave the clan the power of the shogun. With the shogun reduced to a figurehead, the Hōjõ were able to gain authority through skillful administrative practices and lawmaking.
The clan maintained its power until it was dissolved in 1591.
The Mori clan started out as a lesser vassal to more powerful groups. It gained dominance over provinces in eastern Japan after becoming wealthy. The Mori accumulated their wealth through naval trade and navigation and by building a large military presence in their territory.
The clan is remembered for having both a strong samurai army and a naval fleet.
The Mori clan maintained its influence until the Tokugawa shogunate.
The Azai clan members were feudal lords of southern Japan. The clan's power waxed and waned over time, but the Azai did find stability after allying with the Asakura clan.
After being defeated in battle, the Azai clan leader committed seppuku and the clan was disbanded.
The Tokugawa clan was the last samurai clan in Japanese history. It was founded by the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu in the early 17th century.
The Tokugawa effectively isolated Japan from the rest of the world and banned all foreigners from entering the country.
The clan ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867. In 1868, the Meiji Restoration ended a centuries-long tradition of samurai in Japan.
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