Utsunomiya clan

A powerful clan in Shimotsuke in the Middle Ages. There are various theories about their origins, including the Shimotsukenu clan, the Nakahara clan, and the Fujiwara clan, and there is no definitive proof, but it is said that they began when Soen Soson, the great-grandson of the regent Fujiwara Michikane, descended on Shimotsuke during the Former Nine Years' War (1051-1062) to subdue Abe no Yoritoki, prayed at Kamagafuchi in Ujiie Katsuyama (Sakura City, Tochigi Prefecture), and settled there. Soen's grandson, Tomotsuna, distinguished himself in Yoritomo's conquest of Oshu, receiving the position of land steward of Toda County (Miyagi Prefecture), and in 1194 (Kenkyu 5), erected the statue of Kannon that stands beside the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple, making him a powerful vassal. The Utsunomiya clan passed down the duties of shrine affairs at Utsunomiya Futarayama Shrine for generations, and was also appointed as a councilor and a member of the Hikitsukeshu, playing an active role in the central government of the shogunate. They were good at waka poetry, and formed the Utsunomiya poetry circle. The Utsunomiya Family Code, established by Kagetsuna in 1283 (Kōan 6), is the oldest samurai family law. During the Muromachi period, they belonged to the Kanto kubo Ashikaga clan and wielded power as one of the Eight Kanto Families. At one time, Ujitsuna was the governor of Echigo (Niigata Prefecture) and Kozuke (Gunma Prefecture), Mochitsuna was the governor of Kazusa (Chiba Prefecture), and Hitotsuna was the governor of Shimotsuke. However, during the Sengoku period, they repeatedly fought internal and external battles with each other, and in 1597 (Keicho 2), Kunitsuna was confiscated from his territory by Toyotomi Hideyoshi for the crime of concealing rice yields, and was entrusted to Ukita Hideie in Bizen (Okayama Prefecture). However, he was allowed to take part in the Keicho War, and hoped to recover his territory. However, this did not come to fruition with Hideyoshi's death, and the Utsunomiya clan was destroyed.

[Takashi Shinkawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中世の下野(しもつけ)の豪族。その出自については、下毛野(しもつけぬ)氏、中原氏、藤原氏などの諸説があり、確証はないが、関白藤原道兼(みちかね)の曽孫(そうそん)宗円(そうえん)が前九年の役（1051～1062）に、安倍頼時(あべよりとき)調伏のため下野に下り、氏家勝山(うじいえかつやま)（栃木県さくら市）の釜ヶ淵(かまがふち)で祈祷(きとう)し土着したのに始まるという。宗円の孫朝綱(ともつな)は、頼朝の奥州征伐に功をたて、遠田(とおだ)郡（宮城県）の地頭職を拝領し、また1194年（建久5）東大寺大仏の脇侍観音像(わきじかんのんぞう)を造立するなど、有力御家人(ごけにん)として重きをなした。宇都宮氏は代々宇都宮二荒山神社(ふたらやまじんじゃ)の社務職を相伝し、評定衆(ひょうじょうしゅう)、引付衆(ひきつけしゅう)などにも任ぜられ、幕政の中枢にも参画した。和歌をよくし、宇都宮歌壇を形成した。1283年（弘安6）景綱(かげつな)の制定した『宇都宮家式条』は、武家家法として最古のもの。室町時代、関東公方(くぼう)足利(あしかが)氏に属し、関東八家の一つとして勢力を振るい、一時期氏綱(うじつな)は越後(えちご)（新潟県）・上野(こうずけ)（群馬県）の、持綱(もちつな)は上総(かずさ)（千葉県）の、等綱(ひとつな)は下野の守護に任じたが、戦国時代には互いに内訌(ないこう)外戦を繰り返し、1597年（慶長2）国綱は石高隠匿の罪により、豊臣秀吉(とよとみひでよし)によって所領を没収され、備前(びぜん)（岡山県）の宇喜多秀家(うきたひでいえ)に預けられたが、慶長の役に参陣を許され、所領回復の望みをつないだ。しかしそれも秀吉の死により実現せず、宇都宮氏は滅亡した。

［新川武紀］

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