Mr. Soma

They are said to be descended from the Kanmu Heishi clan and descendants of Taira no Masakado, but their direct ancestor was Morotsune, the second son of Chiba no Suke Tsunetane. Morotsune ruled Soma County, Shimousa Province, and called himself the Soma clan. In 1189 (Bun'ei 5), he distinguished himself in the subjugation of Hiraizumi in Oshu, and was given Namekata County, Mutsu Province (Soma County, Fukushima Prefecture). In 1323 (Genko 3), Shigetane led his clan and moved to Namekata County, and became the ancestor of the Oshu Soma clan, with Odaka (Odaka Ward, Minamisoma City) as his base. After that, together with the Okada, Daihisan and other clans, he exerted his influence in the Iwaki region (eastern Fukushima Prefecture), and played an active role on the side of the Northern Court during the Nanboku-cho Civil War. After 1540 (Tenbun 9), he mainly engaged in conflict with the Date clan. In 1611 (Keicho 16), he moved his castle town to Nakamura, Uda County (Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture), and thereafter served as the lord of the Sōma-Nakamura Domain with a fief of 60,000 koku until the end of the Edo period, and became a viscount after the Meiji Restoration. The line of Shigetane's uncle Taneuji inherited the Shimousa Sōma clan, and became a hatamoto (samurai retainer) with a fief of 5,000 koku during the Edo period.

[Osamu Tashiro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

桓武平氏(かんむへいし)の流れをくみ、平将門(たいらのまさかど)の後裔(こうえい)と伝えるが、直接の祖は千葉介(ちばのすけ)常胤(つねたね)の二男師常(もろつね)に始まる。師常は下総国(しもうさのくに)相馬郡を領して相馬氏を称し、1189年（文治5）の奥州平泉(ひらいずみ)討伐に功をあげ、陸奥国(むつのくに)行方(なめかた)郡（福島県相馬郡）を与えられた。1323年（元亨3）重胤(しげたね)が一族を率いて行方郡に移住し、小高(おだか)（南相馬市小高区）を本拠として奥州相馬氏の祖となった。以後、岡田、大悲山(だいひさん)氏などの一族とともに磐城(いわき)地方（福島県東部）に勢力を振るい、南北朝内乱では北朝に属して活躍した。1540年（天文9）以降はおもに伊達(だて)氏と抗争を展開した。1611年（慶長16）宇多(うだ)郡中村（福島県相馬市）に城下を移し、以後相馬中村藩6万石の藩主として幕末に至り、明治維新後、子爵となった。なお、重胤の伯父胤氏(たねうじ)の系統は下総相馬氏を継承し、江戸時代には5000石を領する旗本となった。

［田代　脩］

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