Hirai clan

Hirai
平井
Mon: Yorikake-meyui
Home provinceChikuzen Province
Parent houseShōni clan
TitlesShugo
FounderHirai Tsuneuji
Founding year15th century
Ruins of Suko Castle in Shiroishi, Saga Prefecture

Hirai clan (Japanese: 平井氏, Hirai-shi) was a Japanese samurai family descending from the Fujiwara clan. They were a branch of the Shōni clan, the prominent family (meizoku) that ruled the Dazaifu government in northern Kyushu. They were one of the three most powerful families of governors (shugo) in Kyushu alongside the Ōtomo clan and Shimazu clan.