Sasaki Clan - Brief History

Brief History

They are descended directly from Emperor Uda (868-897) by his grandson Minamoto no Masazane (920-993) (Uda Genji), but were adopted by the Seiwa Genji. Minamoto no Nariyori, great-grandson of Masazane, is the first who took the name of Sasaki from his domain in Ōmi province (now Shiga).

Hideyoshi (1112–1184), descendant of Nariyori, was adopted by Minamoto no Tameyoshi (then head of the Seiwa Genji). He participated to the Hōgen war (1156) and the Heiji war (1159) with his (adoptive) uncles, brothers, nephews, cousins and clansmen. At the defeat of his brother Minamoto no Yoshitomo, he went North to ask Fujiwara no Hidehira of Mutsu province to give him shelter, but stopped at Shibuya (Sagami province) and remained at that place for 20 years. When his nephew Minamoto no Yoritomo rose in revolt against the Taira, he with his four sons sided with him (1180); and he was killed at the battle of Ōhara in Ōmi province fighting against the Taira clan. He is the ancestor of the Sasaki, the Rokkaku, the Amago, the Kyōgoku and the Kuroda clans. The Sasaki received from their Seiwa Genji cousins the title of shugo (governor) of Ōmi and other provinces, which they kept until the Sengoku Period.

In 1868, at the end of the Tokugawa period :

• The Kyōgoku were daimyō enfeoffed at Marugame and Tadotsu in Sanuki, Toyooka in Tajima, and Mineyama Domain in Tango Province. A branch of the Kyōgoku was ranked among the 26 families which were permitted to fill the office of kōke.
• The Kuroda were daimyō of Fukuoka, and of Akizuki (Chikuzen province).
• The Rokkaku had the rank of Kōke.

There existed a certain Sasaki Shrine where Sasaki Yamagimi, a warlord, worshiped the god of ancestor's spirit. Following the middle of the Heian period (794 - 858), the shrine was used to worship the tutelary god of the Sasaki clan. It is said that through this, the "Omi-Genji Festival" is held every year on October 10 in respect of the Sasaki clan. One member of note amongst the Sasaki clan is none other than Sasaki Kojiro, the famous swordsman and rival of Miyamoto Musashi. The favorite technique of Kojiro was his "Tsubame Gaeshi" (Turning Swallow Cut), in which he attempted to use on Musashi throughout their duel. It is also known that the Sasaki clan apparently was a political obstacle to that of the Hosokawa, and the defeat of Kojiro would be a political setback to his religious and political foes.