The , also rendered as Asai, was a

Japanese clan This is a list of Japanese clans. The old clans (''gōzoku'') mentioned in the ''Nihon Shoki'' and ''Kojiki'' lost their political power before the Heian period, during which new aristocracies and families, ''kuge'', emerged in their place. After ...

during the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

History

The Azai clan was a line of ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

s'' (feudal military lords) seated at

Odani Castle 280px, Map of Odani Castle was a Sengoku period mountain-top Japanese castle located in the former town of Kohoku, now part of Nagahama city, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Only the ruins remain today. It was the home castle of the Azai clan and t ...

in northeastern

Ōmi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...

, located within present day Nagahama,

Shiga Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to th ...

. The Azai originated in the early 1500s and claimed descent from the Hokke branch of the

Fujiwara Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamatari ...

, a powerful clan in Japan from the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

to the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

. Initially, the clan were

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

s of the Kyōgoku, but gradually emerged as independent ''daimyōs'' in northern Ōmi. However, Azai domains were soon conquered by the Rokkaku and the clan was forced into becoming their vassals.

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering ...

became head of the clan in 1560 and successfully fought against the Rokkaku for independence by 1564. The Azai were long-time allies with the Asakura clan of

Echizen Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga Province, Kaga, Wakasa Province, Wakasa, Hida Province, Hida, and Ōmi Provin ...

who had assisted the clan in securing their independence. In 1570, Nagamasa joined the Asakura in their opposition to lord

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

, his brother-in-law and ally, to honour their alliance. The Azai were defeated by Nobunaga at the

Battle of Anegawa The Sengoku period (30 July 1570) occurred near Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province, Japan, between the allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, against the combined forces of the Azai and Asakura clans. It is notable as the first battle t ...

in 1570, and all but eliminated when Nobunaga conquered Odani Castle and Nagamasa committed ''

seppuku , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...

'' (honorable suicide) in 1573.

Order of succession

Azai Sukemasa was the Sengoku era head of the Azai clan. Sukemasa was a retainer of the Kyōgoku clan but when the Kyōgoku clan declined for conflicts over the succession, the Azai clan came to power with Sukemasa as its daimyō. After Sukemasa died, his ...

– son of

Azai Naotane The , also rendered as Asai, was a Japanese clan during the Sengoku period. History The Azai clan was a line of ''daimyōs'' (feudal military lords) seated at Odani Castle in northeastern Ōmi Province, located within present day Nagahama, S ...

, established Odani Castle in 1516 *

Azai Hisamasa was a son of Azai Sukemasa and the second head of the Azai clan. Hisamasa became the head of the clan in 1542 after his father died, but unlike his father, he was never a strong leader. Losing domains against Rokkaku clan, he instead became a R ...

– son of Sukemasa, was defeated by the

Sasaki clan are a historical Japanese clan. History They are descended directly from Emperor Uda (868–897) by his grandson Minamoto no Masazane (920–993) (Uda Genji), but were adopted by the Seiwa Genji. Minamoto no Nariyori, great-grandson of Masaz ...

– son of Hisamasa, came into conflict with Oda Nobunaga and opposed him, entering an alliance with the Asakura clan and the

monks A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

Mount Hiei is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by ...

; he was defeated and forced to suicide by Nobunaga in 1573. He was married to Nobunaga's sister

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu

. His daughters included

Yodo-dono or (1569 – June 4, 1615), also known as Lady Chacha (茶々), was a Japanese historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She was the concubine and the second wife of Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. As the mother of his son and successor ...

(second wife of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

and mother of

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who united all of Japan toward the end of the Sengoku period. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's sec ...

, heir of Hideyoshi). Also

Oeyo , , or : 1573 – September 15, 1626) was a noblewoman in Japan's Azuchi–Momoyama period and early Edo period. She was a daughter of Oichi and the sister of Yodo-dono and Ohatsu. When she rose to higher political status during the Tokugawa s ...

(wife of second shōgun

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was born to Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Lady Saigō on May ...

and mother of the third

Tokugawa shōgun The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

Iemitsu was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the forefront of shogu ...

) "The silk coloured portrait of wife of Takatsugu Kyogoku,"
Digital Cultural Properties of Wakasa Obama;

Gifu prefecture website. * Ubuyashiki Miyoshi - son of ???, was killed by his son Ubuyashiki Saito * Ubuyashiki Saito - son of Miyoshi, became Shogun and passed the post of Daimyo to his general Tzu Kyohei. * Tzu Kyohei - son of ???, Mitsunari's pupil and the old former leader of the Yamazakura Squad.

Prominent vassals

* Kyōgoku Takayoshi *

Akao Kiyotsuna or Akao Mimisaka no Kami Kiyotsuna In 1573, Kiyotsuna was imprisoned after the fall of Odani Castle 280px, Map of Odani Castle was a Sengoku period mountain-top Japanese castle located in the former town of Kohoku, now part of Nagahama ci ...

Isono Kazumasa was a senior retainer of the Azai clan, later Oda clan and the castle lord in command of Sawayama castle. In 1570, at the Battle of Anegawa, he fought against Oda forces who led by Sakai Masahisa and kill Masahisa son, Sakai Kyuzo. In 1573, ...

* Kaihō Tsunachika * Amenomori Kiyosada *

Tōdō Takatora was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Tōdō clan from the Azuchi–Momoyama to Edo periods. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru (a light foot soldier) to become a ''daimyō''. During his lifetime he changed his feudal master ...

History

Order of succession

Prominent vassals

References

Further reading