Akizuki clan
The Akizuki clan is a Japanese noble family. In the Sengoku period, the Akizuki clan was led by a samurai lord in the Akizuki domain on the island of Kyūshū. From the Meiji period to the end of World War II, the Akizuki family was a contemporary noble . After World War II, the land controlled by the Akizuki family became Akizuki prefecture. Later, Akizuki prefecture was re-organized as Fukuoka Prefecture.
At present, the former Akizuki area is still referred to as "Akizuki", and is now Asakura, Fukuoka prefecture. The Akizuki clan's main descendants live in Ōita Prefecture and Tokyo.Cultural references
Two ships have been named after the Akizuki clan: the of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The movie director Akira Kurosawa directed a movie about the Akizuki clan, called The Hidden Fortress, in 1958. In the film, the clan crest is depicted as a crescent. The Hidden Fortress was remade in 2008 by director Shinji Higuchi.
