| Ogasawara 小笠原 | |
|---|---|
 The emblem (mon) of the Ogasawara clan | |
| Home province | Shinano |
| Parent house |  Takeda clan |
| Titles | |
| Founder | Ogasawara Nagakiyo |
| Founding year | 13th century |
| Dissolution | still extant |
| Cadet branches | |
The Ogasawara clan (Japanese: 小笠原氏, Hepburn: Ogasawara-shi) was a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Seiwa Genji.[1] The Ogasawara acted as shugo (governors) of Shinano Province during the Sengoku period (c. 1185–1600), and as daimyō (feudal lords) of territories on Kyūshū during the Edo period (1600–1867).
During the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the clan controlled Shinano province, while related clans controlled the provinces of Awa, Bizen, Bitchū, Iwami, Mikawa, Tōtōmi and Mutsu. According to some theories, the Miyoshi clan and the Mizukami clan were descendants of the Ogasawara clan.
The clan developed a number of schools of martial arts during this period, known as Ogasawara-ryū, and contributed to the codification of bushido etiquette.[2]
Towards the end of the Sengoku period (late 16th century), the clan opposed both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
During the Edo period, the Ogasawara were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa,[3] in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans.
- ^ Papinot, Jacques. (2003). Nobiliare du Japon – Ogasawara, pp. 44–45; Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon. (in French/German).
- ^ Ogasawara karaetendo (CA); Ogasawara karaetendo (GA). Archived 11 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Alpert, Georges. (1888). Ancien Japon, p.75.