The Kyōgoku clan were a Japanese daimyō clan which rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. The clan descend from the Uda Genji through the Sasaki clan. The name derives from the Kyōgoku quarter of Kyoto during the Heian period. The Kyōgoku acted as shugo of Ōmi, Hida, Izumo and Oki Provinces in the period before the Ōnin War. A period of decline in clan fortunes was mitigated with the rise of the Tokugawa clan. Members of the clan were daimyōs of territories on the islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku during the Edo period. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Kyōgoku were identified as tozama or outsiders, in contrast with the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa. At the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Kyōgoku had been 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 kōke.
Genealogy
The tozama Kyōgoku are descended directly from Emperor Uda through his grandson Minamoto no Masanobu. They represent a branch of the Sasaki clan who were adopted by the Seiwa Genji. The branches of the tozama Kyōgoku clan include the following:
An offshoot of the senior branch was established in 1694 at Tadotsu in Sanuki Province, where they remained through the Meiji Restoration. The head of this clan line was given the title of viscount in the Meiji period.
An offshoot of the cadet branch was created in 1604 when Kyōgoku Takatomo transferred his seat of authority to Miyasu Castle. This clan sub-branching comprised those descendants of the Kyōgoku who continued to hold Tanabe Castle in Tango Province. In 1668, this clan branch was transferred to Toyooka Domain in Tajima Province. The head of this clan line was created a viscount in the Meiji period.
Another offshoot of the cadet branch was established in 1620 when Kyōgoku Takamichi was enfeoffed at Mineyama Domain in Tango Province. Takamichi, who was the son of Kuchiki Tanetsuna, had been adopted by Takatomo. The descendants of Takamichi were daimyōs in this han until 1871. The head of this clan line was recognized as a viscount in the Meiji period.
Modern times
The fall of the Tokugawa shogunate created ripple of unanticipated consequences amongst the daimyo closely associated with the bafuku. One results of these economic changes was that the residence in Edo belonging to the Kyōgoku daimyo of Tadotsu was sold. The clan's house and garden fell into the hands of Inoue Kaoru, the first foreign minister in the Meiji government. The home became a venue for entertaining foreign dignitaries and introducing them to the esthetics of Japanese gardens. After World War II, the former Kyōgoku property was acquired by the International House of Japan. A new residence hall and cultural center was built on the site, but the garden was preserved as the unanticipated yet enduring legacy of the Kyōgoku clan. The garden survives and the clan continues, albeit with less public visibly.
Ōishi Riku, wife of Ōishi Kuranosuke, leader of the Forty-seven rōnin, was a daughter of Ishizuka Tsuneyoshi, principal house elder of Toyooka domain. She later returned to Toyooka, and lived with her father at the time of the revenge of the ronin. In 1925, the first election of the members of the House of Peers representing the Meiji-created nobility was held. As a result, Viscount Takanori Kyōgoku of Sanuki was amongst those who were seated in the upper house of the Imperial Diet. In 2009, Takaharu Kyōgoku became the chief priest of the Yasukuni Shrine. He is the 15th head of the Kyogoku family that held power in Toyooka until the Meiji Restoration.
Clan heads
1. Kyōgoku Takatsugu
2. Kyōgoku Tadataka
3. Kyōgoku Takakazu 24 April 1619 – 24 October 1662
