Sagara clan

A samurai family from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. A vassal of Totomi Province, a land steward of Hitoyoshi Manor in Higo Province (Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture), and the lord of Hitoyoshi Domain in the early modern period. It is said that Kaneyori, a member of the Otomaro lineage of the Nanke branch of the Fujiwara clan, lived in Sagara Manor in Totomi Province (Makinohara City, Shizuoka Prefecture) in the late Heian period and called himself the Sagara clan. His grandson Yorikage, the fourth generation, and his son Nagayori served Minamoto no Yoritomo and became vassals. It is said that Yorikage moved to Taragi, Kuma District, Higo Province (Taragi Town, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture) in the early Kamakura period. In 1205 (Genkyu 2), Nagayori became the land steward of Hitoyoshi Manor in the same county for his achievements in the battle to subjugate Hatakeyama Shigetada, and his descendants settled in the same county. The Taragi line is called Kamisagara, and the Hitoyoshi line is called Shimosagara. In 1448 (Bun'an 5), Nagatomi (Nagatomi) Nagatsugu, a branch of the family, unified Kuma County and also conquered the neighboring Ashikita County. In 1484 (Bunmei 16), his son Tametsugu drove out Nawa Akitada of Yatsushiro and advanced into Yatsushiro. Since then, he became a Sengoku daimyo, and during the era of Haruhiro and Yoshihi, he was active in overseas trade and reached his peak.

During this time, the Sagara Clan Code, created by the reigns of Tametsugu, Nagatsune, and Haruhiro, is well known as an early form of provincial law. In 1581 (Tensho 9), Yoshiharu surrendered to Shimazu Yoshihisa, and fought as a vanguard against the Aso clan, where he was killed in battle. Shortly after, the Shimazu clan surrendered to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Sagara Nagatsune was granted the former territory of Kuma County with a fief of 22,000 koku, which continued until the Meiji Restoration.

[Keiichi Kudo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中世～近世の武家。遠江国(とおとうみのくに)御家人(ごけにん)、肥後国(ひごのくに)人吉荘(ひとよしのしょう)（熊本県人吉市）地頭(じとう)、近世人吉藩主。藤原氏南家(なんけ)乙麻呂流(おとまろりゅう)平安後期周頼(かねより)が遠江国相良荘（静岡県牧之原(まきのはら)市）に住み相良氏を称したという。4代の孫頼景(よりかげ)と子の長頼(ながより)は、源頼朝(みなもとのよりとも)に仕え御家人となった。頼景は鎌倉初期、肥後国球磨(くま)郡良木(たらぎ)（熊本県球磨郡多良木町）に下向したといわれる。長頼は1205年（元久2）畠山重忠(はたけやましげただ)討伐戦の功により同郡人吉荘の地頭となり、その子孫は同郡に土着した。多良木系を上相良(かみさがら)、人吉系を下相良(しもさがら)という。1448年（文安5）庶流の永富（永留）長続(ながとみながつぐ)が球磨郡を統一し隣接する葦北(あしきた)郡も制圧、その子為続(ためつぐ)は1484年（文明16）八代(やつしろ)の名和顕忠(なわあきただ)を逐(お)い八代に進出、以来戦国大名化し、晴広(はるひろ)・義陽(よしひ)の時代は海外貿易でも活躍し最盛期となった。

　この間、為続、長毎(ながつね)、晴広の各代につくられた相良氏法度(はっと)は、初期分国法として著名である。1581年（天正9）義陽は島津義久(よしひさ)に下り、その先鋒(せんぽう)として阿蘇(あそ)氏と戦って討ち死に、まもなく島津氏も豊臣秀吉(とよとみひでよし)に下り、相良長毎は旧領の球磨郡2万2000石に封ぜられ、以来相承して明治維新に至った。

［工藤敬一］

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