Kira Clan

A group of warriors established during the Kamakura period. Nagauji, the eldest son of Ashikaga Yoshiuji of the Seiwa Genji clan, established his own clan with the land stewardship of Kiranosho in Mikawa Province (Kiramachi area, Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture) as his family name. Due to his origins, successive heads of the family held prestigious positions within the Ashikaga clan, and were also appointed as the governors of Echizen (Fukui Prefecture) and Mikawa. After the establishment of the Muromachi Shogunate, the head of the family, Mitsuyoshi, and his illegitimate son, Sadaie, both held important positions as Hikitsuke Tounin, and Sadaie was also selected to be the Kanrei of Oshu. However, they sided with Ashikaga Tadayoshi and fell into decline after the Kanno Disturbance (1351). In the mid-Muromachi period, Sadaie's descendants served the Kanto government from Setagaya, Musashi Province (now Tokyo). The Mikawa Kira clan, which was the head of the family and split into the Saijo and Tojo clans in their main domain, Kira-sho, maintained their foothold as companions to the shogun. At the end of the Warring States period, the Saijo Kira clan was extinguished for participating in the Mikawa Ikko Ikki uprising. The Tojo Kira clan became vassals of the Tokugawa and later became high-ranking officials of the shogunate. Kira Kozukenosuke Yoshinaka (Yoshihisa Kozukenosuke) was one of their descendants.

[Iwao Endo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉時代に成立した武士団。清和源氏(せいわげんじ)足利義氏(あしかがよしうじ)の長子長氏(ながうじ)が、三河国(みかわのくに)吉良庄(きらのしょう)（愛知県西尾市吉良町地区）地頭職(じとうしき)を名字(みょうじ)の地として独立。その出自から、代々の惣領(そうりょう)は足利一族中の名門の地位を占め、越前(えちぜん)（福井県）、三河守護職にも就任。室町幕府成立後、惣領の満義(みつよし)、庶子の貞家(さだいえ)はともに引付頭人(ひきつけとうにん)の要職につき、貞家は奥州管領(かんれい)にも抜擢(ばってき)された。しかし足利直義(ただよし)派に属して観応(かんのう)の擾乱(じょうらん)（1351）以後に衰退。室町中期には、貞家の子孫は武蔵国(むさしのくに)世田谷(せたがや)（東京都）に拠(よ)って関東府に仕えた。また本領吉良庄で西条・東条両家に分かれた惣領系の三河吉良氏も、将軍家相伴衆(しょうばんしゅう)として地歩を保った。戦国末期に西条吉良氏は三河一向一揆(いっこういっき)に加担して断絶。東条吉良氏は徳川家臣となり、のち幕府の高家(こうけ)となった。吉良上野介義央(こうずけのすけよしなか／よしひさ)はその子孫である。

［遠藤　巌］

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