Minamoto clan

Minamoto (源) was a noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility since 814. The Minamoto was the most powerful and most important clan of all four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi and Edo periods in Japanese history—the other three were the Fujiwara, the Taira, and the Tachibana.

Minamoto
源
The emblem (mon) of the Minamoto clan
(three Japanese gentian flowers on five bamboo leaves)
Home provinceHeian-kyō (Modern Kyōto)
Parent houseImperial House of Japan
(Emperor Saga)
TitlesShogun, Daimyō, Kuge, Daijō-daijin, Sadaijin, Udaijin, Kazoku, and others
FounderMinamoto no Makoto (first recorded)
Founding yearMay 814 (1209 years ago)
Ruled untilstill extant
Cadet branches
  • Saga Genji
  • Ninmyō Genji
  • Montoku Genji
  • Seiwa Genji
  • Yōzei Genji
  • Kōkō Genji
  • Uda Genji
  • Daigo Genji
  • Murakami Genji
  • Reizei Genji
  • Kazan Genji
  • Sanjō Genji
  • Go-Sanjō Genji
  • Go-Shirakawa Genji
  • Juntoku Genji
  • Go-Saga Genji
  • Go-Fusakusa Genji
  • Ōgimachi Genji

The Minamoto clan is also called the Genji (源氏, "Minamoto clan"), or less frequently, the Genke (源家, "House of Minamoto"), using the On'yomi readings of gen (源) for "Minamoto", while shi or ji (氏) means "clan", and ke (家) is used as a suffix for "extended family".

The practice was most prevalent during the Heian period (794–1185 AD), although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku period. The Taira were another such offshoot of the imperial dynasty, making both clans distant relatives.

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