The 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 ...

clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)
"Rokkaku" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 49 [PDF 53 of 80
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History

Founded by Sasaki Yasutsuna of Ōmi Province in the 13th century, the name Rokkaku was taken from their residence within Kyoto; however, many members of this family continued to be called Sasaki clan, Sasaki. Over the course of the Muromachi period, members of the clan held the high post of Constable ('' shugo'') of various

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

. During the Ōnin War (1467–77), which marked the beginning of the Sengoku period, the clan's Kannonji Castle came under assault. As a consequence of defeat in the field, the clan entered a period of decline. Like other hard-pressed ''

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'', the Rokakku tried to enhance their military position by giving closer attention to improved civil administration within their domain. For instance, in 1549, the Rokkaku eliminated a paper merchant's guild in Mino under penalty of confiscation. Then they declared a free market in its place.Sansom, George. (1961). 'A History of Japan: 1334–1615'', p. 300. The Rokakku were defeated by

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 ...

in 1568 on his march to Kyoto and in 1570 they were absolutely defeated by Shibata Katsuie. During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, Rokkaku Yoshisuke's descendants were considered a

kōke A during the Edo period in Japan generally referred to the position of the "Master of Ceremonies", held by certain -less samurai ranking below a daimyō. Historically, or in a more general context, the term may refer to a family of old lineage a ...

clan.

Sengoku period house codes

During the Sengoku period, Japan's social and legal culture evolved in ways unrelated to the well-known history of serial battles and armed skirmishes. A number of forward-looking daimyos independently promulgated codes of conduct to be applied within a specific han or domain. Few examples of these daimyo-made law codes have survived, but the legal framework contrived by the Rokkaku clan remains amongst the small number of documents which can still be studied: * 1567: Rokkaku Yoshikata issues ''Rokkaku-shi shikimoku''.Katsumata Shizuo ''et al.'' (1981). "The Development of Sengoku Law" in ''Japan Before Tokugawa: Political Consolidation and Economic Growth, 1500 to 1650'', p. 102. * 1567: Rokkaku Yoshiharu re-issues ''Rokkaku-shi shikimoku''.

Select list of notable Rokkaku

* Sasaki Nobutsuna, mid-13th century * Rokkaku Yasutsuna, 13th century—son of Nobutsuna and the first to take the name ''Rokkaku''. * Rokkaku Jakusai, 1348–1424— Yamato-e painter * Rokkaku Masayori, 15th-16th Centuries—Founder of Daisen-in in Kyoto. * Rokkaku Takayori, d. 1520—fought in Ōnin War. * Rokkaku Sadayori, 1495–1552 * Rokkaku Yoshikata, 1521–1598—son of Sadayori; founder of Sasaki-ryū of martial arts. * Rokkaku Yoshiharu, 1545–1612—eldest son of Yoshikata. In 1562, he took on responsibilities in the administration of his father's domain. Later, he entered Ieyasu's service, and his descendants were ranked amongst the

. These included the Mitsukuri (箕作) family, notable doctors (who held the position of personal physician to the Matsudaira ''daimyōs'' of Tsuyama, Mimasaka Province (modern-day

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...

) who took their name from Mitsukuri castle, held by the Rokkaku family, and of whom a notable member was the statesman and scholar Mitsukuri Rinsho. Another descendant was the mathematician Kikuchi Dairoku. * Rokkaku Yoshisada, 16th Century—son of Yoshikata, younger brother of Yoshiharu.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rokkaku clan Japanese clans