Ikoma clan


The Ikoma clan was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from Fujiwara no Fusasaki of the "Northern House" of the Fujiwara clan. During the Sengoku period they supported the Unification of Japan as retainers of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. In the Edo period the clan were daimyō and a hatamoto family for the Tokugawa shogunate.
The main line was the Owari-Ikoma clan and the supporting branch was the Sanuki-Ikoma clan. Even though the two lines were divided in opinion during the Azuchi–Momoyama period they had close and frequent exchange during the Edo period.
There is a story about the family crest of the Ikoma clan. It is said that the crest was once a full circle but during Hideyoshi's Invasion of Korea, the crest painted on the side of the ship was submerged in the waves and only the top half showed above water. They won the subsequent battle and decided to change the crest to a half circle.

Origins

During the Heian period, descendants of Fujiwara no Fusasaki moved to Ikoma District, Yamato Province from which the clan took its name.
The founder of the clan, Ikoma Iehiro, who lived during the Muromachi period moved to Niwa District, Owari Province to escape the Ōnin War. He was a samurai merchant who lived at Ko-ori Castle and accumulated wealth by storing ashes and oils for dyes and used bashaku to transport his goods.
The Ikoma clan genealogy records Ikoma Iehiro as a descendant of Fujiwara no Tameyoshi but the names of the generations in between are missing. Fujiwara no Tameyoshi was a great-grandson of Fujiwara no Tokihira and a ninth generation descendant of Fujiwara no Fusasaki who founded the "Northern House" of the Fujiwara clan.
Another theory is that the brother of Tameyoshi, Fujiwara no Nobuyoshi, became Ikoma Shōji and began using the name Ikoma. In any case, the ancestors are the same.

Sengoku period

During the time of Ikoma Iemune, the third head of the clan, Inuyama Castle in Owari Province belonged in to Oda Nobuyasu. Nobuyasu's nephew Oda Nobunaga began visiting the Ikoma family mansion and approached them for their financial strength and knowledge of the surrounding area. Due to the Battle of Okehazama in 1560 the Ikoma had a brief respite from Nobunaga and were able to conduct business freely in the territory.
The clan became relatives of Oda Nobunaga when Ikoma Iemune's daughter, Ikoma Kitsuno became a concubine of Nobunaga. She had previously been married to Yaheji Dota who died in the Battle of Akechi. After the loss of her husband, Kitsuno returned to her family's home, Ikoma mansion and it was there that she met Nobunaga. It was believed that Oda Nobunaga was charmed by Kitsuno's beauty at first sight, and immediately took her as his concubine. Nobunaga was officially married to Lady Nō, the daughter of Saitō Dōsan, but it was believed that theirs was not a happy marriage, especially since Nōhime could not conceive. It is often thought that Kitsuno was Nobunaga's most beloved concubine and that she probably had a higher position than Nōhime. In 1557 Kitsuno gave birth to Nobutada and later Nobukatsu and Tokuhime. In 1564, Kitsuno moved to Kori Castle. She suffered due to the difficulty of her childbirths, and in 1566 she died at the age of 29. Even though Nobunaga is often regarded as a callous and bellicose figure, it is said that Nobunaga mourned her throughout the night and had her buried within view of his castle. Her body was cremated and buried in the cemetery at Kyusho temple, in Tashiro town. Nobunaga gave his son Nobukatsu the area in which Kyusho temple lies in order to protect it and Kitsuno's tomb, out of respect for his treasured concubine. Her brother, Ikoma Ienaga became Nobunaga's stable master.
At Ikoma mansion there was a well known episode when Nobunaga's sandle-bearer, Kinoshita Tōkichirō, who was later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked Kitsuno to mediate to help him become an officer. He also heated up straw sandles on his bossom and gave them to Nobunaga. There was a strong geographical and blood relation with the Hachisuka clan of Kawanami-shū.
Both Ikoma Ienaga, the fourth clan head and his son Ikoma Toshitoyo, the fifth clan head, served Oda Nobunaga with 1900 koku annual stipend. After the Honnō-ji incident when Nobunaga was assassinated, they served his second son Oda Nobukatsu. After Nobukatsu was forced to become a monk the Ikoma clan became rōnin and so became retainers of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
At the Battle of Sekigahara they joined the forces of Fukushima Masanori. Ikoma Chikamasa was part of Ishida Mitsunari's force while his son, Ikoma Kazumasa was part of Tokugawa Ieyasu's force. Chikamasa remained at Sanuki and sent his retainers in his stead to attack Tanabe castle in Tango Province. He chose this strategy to preserve the Ikoma clan regardless of which side prevailed. Because Kazumasa fought in Ieyasu's force, Ieyasu allowed Chikamasa to rule his existing domain after the battle, but Chikamasa took responsibility for fighting on the losing side by transferring the headship of the family to Kazumasa. He became a priest and withdrew to Mount Kōya. He was soon permitted to return to Sanuki Province. In 1603, he died in Takamatsu castle.

Edo period

After the war the main line of the Ikoma clan were asked by Tokugawa Ieyasu to be the bannermen for Matsudaira Tadayoshi when he entered Owari Province but after the death of Tadayoshi they became retainers of Tokugawa Yoshinao as samurai of the Owari Domain.
The fifth clan head was Ikoma Toshitoyo. His older brother, Ikoma Yoshinaga, created a new branch of the family known as the Awa-Ikoma family. His sister Jikouin became wife of the lords of the Tokushima Domain
After the sixth clan head, Ikoma Toshikatsu, the clan received an annual stipend of 4,000 koku in the Owari Domain and in the aftermath of the Meiji Restoration they became consultants for the Owari-Tokugawa family.

Family Heads

Owari-Ikoma clan
  1. Ikoma Iehiro - lord of Ko-ori Castle.
  2. Ikoma Toyomasa - lord of Ko-ori Castle.
  3. Ikoma Iemune - father of Ikoma Kitsuno, concubine of Oda Nobunaga, mother of Nobutada, Nobukatsu and Tokuhime.
  4. Ikoma Ienaga - retainer of Oda clan, lord of Ko-ori Castle.
  5. Ikoma Toshitoyo - retainer of Oda clan, lord of Ko-ori Castle.
  6. Ikoma Toshikatsu - son of Toshitoyo's daughter and Hida Tadashige.
  7. Ikoma Munekatsu
  8. Ikoma Munenaga
  9. Ikoma Muneshige
  10. Ikoma Chikafusa
  11. Ikoma Chikakuni
  12. Ikoma Chikajun
  13. Ikoma Chikatake
  14. Ikoma Chikaakira
  15. Ikoma Chikayuki
  16. Ikoma Shō
  17. Ikoma Akihiko
  18. Ikoma Mutsuhiko

    Branches

Tsuchida-Ikoma clan
Awa-Ikoma family
Yagari-Ikoma clan
Mihara-Ikoma clan