The Hiki clan (比企氏, ''Hiki-shi'') was a Japanese

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

family descending from the

Fujiwara clan The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

. As close

retainers Retainer may refer to: * Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth * RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship * Retainers in early China, a social group in early China Employment * Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for ...

shogun , officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...

, they served the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...

during the early

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 ...

, wielding considerable power. However, after they came into conflict with the

Hōjō clan The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of '' shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this perio ...

, the clan was ultimately destroyed.

Origins

The Hiki clan was a branch of the

, a powerful family of Japanese

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

s and court nobility, founded by

Fujiwara no Kamatari , also known as , was a Japanese politician and aristocrat who, together with Prince Naka no Ōe (later Emperor Tenji), carried out the Taika Reform. He was the founder of the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful aristocratic family in Japan durin ...

in the 7th century. They descended through

Fujiwara no Hidesato was a Japanese aristocrat, courtier, folk hero and samurai lord of the tenth century in the Heian period. He is famous for his military exploits and courage, and is regarded as the common ancestor of numerous clans, including the Ōshū branch ...

's lineage of the Fujiwara Hokke. The clan originated in Hiki,

Musashi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

(present-day Hiki District and

Higashimatsuyama is a Cities of Japan, city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 90,456 in 41,124 households and a population density of 1400 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Higashimatsuyama ...

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

), and was founded by Hiki Yoshitaka.

History

The Hiki clan is considered to have been in close service of the

Minamoto clan was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobili ...

since the Minamoto clan had been in the capital city of

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

. When the Minamoto clan was exiled to

Izu Province was a province of Japan in the area now part of Shizuoka Prefecture and Tokyo. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Izu''" in . Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . The mainland portion of Izu Prov ...

from Kyoto in 1160, Hiki Kamon-no-jō established himself as acting governor ('' ukesho'') in Hiki, Musashi Province and moved there from Kyoto with his wife Hiki no Ama. Hiki no Ama became the

wet nurse A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeding, breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, if she is unable to nurse the child herself sufficiently or chooses not to do so. Wet-nursed children may be known a ...

of the future

, and devoted herself to servicing the Minamoto clan. Hiki no Ama's adopted son,

Hiki Yoshikazu Hiki Yoshikazu was a Japanese samurai lord and a powerful ''gokenin'' of the Kamakura Shogunate during the Kamakura period. He was related to the ruling Minamoto clan through his daughter's marriage. He, and much of the Hiki clan, were killed for ...

, rose to arms during the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...

, and fought for the Minamoto clan. Yoshikazu distinguished himself during the war under Yoritomo. Hiki clan is seen serving as Governor (''

shugo , commonly translated as ' ilitarygovernor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to th ...

'') of

Hokurikudō is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through the old Japanese geographical region.Nussbaum, "''Hokurikudō''" in Both were situated along the northwestern edge of Honshū. ...

before 1191, but their service was temporarily halted. However, shortly after this, a member of the Hiki clan, Ōta Tomosue, is seen succeeding as Governor of

Etchū Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today Toyama Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Etchū bordered on Noto and Kaga Provinces to the west, Shinano and Hida Provinces to the south, Echigo Province to the east and the Sea o ...

. Yoshikazu's daughter Wakasa no Tsubone became the wife of the 2nd shogun

Minamoto no Yoriie was the second ''shōgun'' (1202–1203) of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shōgun Yoritomo. His Dharma name was Hokke-in-dono Kingo Da'i Zengo (法華院殿金吾大禅閤). Life Minamoto no Yoriie was born to Hōj ...

. In 1184, Wakasa no Tsubone gave birth to Yoriie's first son,

Minamoto no Ichiman {{nihongo, Minamoto no Ichiman, 源一幡, , 1198 – October 8, 1203 was the eldest son of the 2nd Kamakura shogunate, Kamakura shōgun Minamoto no Yoriie.Kamakura Citizen's Net His mother, Wakasa no Tsubone, was Hiki Yoshikazu's daughter, and t ...

. Following this, the Hiki clan rose to true power, and wielded considerable political power through their relation to the ruling Minamoto clan. However, the Hiki clan's growing power was faced with opposition, and the clan ultimately came into conflict with the

. When Yoriie fell ill in 1203, a battle of succession began between Yoriie's younger brother

Minamoto no Sanetomo was the third ''shōgun'' of the Kamakura shogunate. He was the second son of the Kamakura shogunate founder, Minamoto no Yoritomo. His mother was Hōjō Masako and his older brother was the second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie. His child ...

, and Yoriie's son Ichiman, who should have been the legitimate successor to the shogunate. Caused by the conflict, Yoshikazu planned the punitive expedition of the Hōjō clan and to have Ichiman succeed as the next shogun. However, before the Hiki clan could act out on the plan,

Hōjō Tokimasa was a Japanese samurai lord who was the first ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was ''shikken'' from 1203 until his abdication in 1205, and Protector of Kyoto from 1185 to 1186. Background The Hō ...

invited Yoshikazu over for peace talks, but had him assassinated and his house burned to the ground in 1203. After this, Yoshikazu's son Hiki Munekazu and Ichiman were also killed, and the Hiki clan was completely destroyed. After hearing about this, Yoriie ordered the assassination of Tokimasa to

Wada Yoshimori was a Japanese samurai lord and ''gokenin'' of the early Kamakura period. He was the first director ('' bettō'') of the Board of Retainers in the Kamakura shogunate. Life Wada Yoshimori was born as the son of Miura Yoshiaki and grandson o ...

and Nitta Tadatsune. However, Yoriie was forced to become a Buddhist monk and was confined at Shuzen-ji temple, and many of Yoriie's close associates were either imprisoned or exiled. Following this incident known as the Hiki Rebellion, the Hōjō clan is seen taking over the post of Governor of Etchū Province. As a result of this succession, Hōjō Tomotoki became ''Hokurikudō Dai-shogun'' during the

Jōkyū War , also known as the Jōkyū Disturbance or the Jōkyū Rebellion, was fought in Japan between the forces of Retired Emperor Go-Toba and those of the Hōjō clan, regents of the Kamakura shogunate, whom the retired emperor was trying to overthro ...

in 1221, and his descendants, the Nagoe lineage of the Hōjō clan, served as Governor of Etchū Province for generations through the Kamakura period. Hiki Yoshimoto was the sole survivor of the purge of the Hiki clan. He fled to Kyoto where he met

Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. His teachings form the basis of Nichiren Buddhism, a unique branch of Japanese Mahayana Buddhism based on the '' Lotus Sutra''. Nichiren declared that the '' Lotus Sutra ...

and became his disciple. Yoshimoto returned to

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

when he was much older. Upon his return, Yoshimoto built

Myōhon-ji is one of the oldest Nichiren sect temples in Kamakura, Kanagawa. Its official name is . "Chōkō" comes from the posthumous name of Nichiren's father and "Myōhon" from his mother's. History In 1202 Minamoto no Yoriie became ''shōgun'' at th ...

temple on his residential land in Kamakura to console the souls of his ancestors.

Notable clan members

* Hiki no Ama * Wakasa no Tsubone, wife of

References

{{Reflist Japanese clans

Origins

History

Notable clan members

See also

References