Miyoshi Clan

The Miyoshi clan (三好氏) was an ancient Japanese family from the Awa province of Shikoku Island.

This family was descended from Emperor Seiwa (850-880) and the Minamoto Clan; it was also a younger branch of the Ogasawara and Takeda clans.

At the beginning of the 14th century, Nagafusa Ogasawara settled on the island of Shikoku. His 8th generation descendants settled in Miyoshi (Awa province) and took the family name of this city.

They were important vassals of the Hosokawa clan which was at that time very powerful on the island.

During the Sengoku, they controlled several provinces such as Settsu and Awa. In 1565, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu and three members of the Miyoshi council (Miyoshi triumvir composed of Iwanari Tomomichi,

Miyoshi Masayasu and Miyoshi Nagayuki) and Matsunaga Hisahide laid siege to the complex of buildings which later became Nijo castle and overthrew the shogun Yoshiteru Ashikaga and replaced him with his younger brother Yoshiaki Ashikaga three years later.

The shogun's mother also died in the battle. Although afterwards their influence was slightly overshadowed by that of the Ogasawara, a clan to which they remained closely related, they remained a significant political force during the Edo period.

Their vassals were the Hatano and Matsunaga clans (including Matsunaga Hisahide and his son Hisamichi Matsunaga).

Miyoshi Clan Members of the clan

• Miyoshi Nagayuki
• Miyoshi Yukunaga, son of Miyoshi Nagayuki, died in 1520.
• Miyoshi Masanaga, son of Miyoshi Nagayuki.
• Miyoshi Motonaga, son of Miyoshi Yukunaga, died in 1532.
• Miyoshi Yasunaga, son of Miyoshi Yukunaga.
• Miyoshi Nagayoshi, son of Miyoshi Motonaga, born in 1523 and died in 1564.
• Miyoshi Yoshikata, son of Miyoshi Motonaga, born in 1527 and died in 1562.
• Atagi Fuyuyasu, son of Miyoshi Motonaga.
• Miyoshi Yoshioki, son of Miyoshi Nagayoshi.
• Miyoshi Nagaharu, son of Miyoshi Yoshikata.
• Atagi Nobuyasu, son of Fuyuyasu Atagi.
• Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, son of Sogō Kazunari, born in 1551 and died in 1573.
• Miyoshi Nagahide
• Sogō Kazumasa, son of Miyoshi Miyoshi, died in 1561.
• Sogō Masayasu
• Sogō Nagahide
• Miyoshi Nagayasu
• Miyoshi Masayasu
• Iwanari Tomomichi
• Miyoshi Hideyuki, Japanese politician of the Shōwa era.