Mori clan (Genji)

The Mori clan (森氏, Mori-shi) was a family of Japanese people descended from the Seiwa Genji. Their line descended from Minamoto no Yoshiie (also known as Hachimantaro) through his seventh son, Minamoto no Yoshitaka, proprietor of Mori-no-shō in Sagami Province. His son, Minamoto no Yoritaka, took Mori as his surname when he retired, and Yoritaka's son Yorisada continued to use the surname.

During the Sengoku period, the Mori served under Oda Nobunaga. Mori Yoshinari fought with Nobunaga for Kiyosu Castle, and with his son Mori Yoshitaka joined the campaigns against the Saitō, Azai, and Asakura. Father and son died in the battle against the Azai-Asakura armies, and Mori Nagayoshi, second son of Yoshinari, became head of the house.

Yoshinari's son Nagasada, known as Mori Ranmaru, died with Nobunaga in the Incident at Honnō-ji.

The family became daimyo under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and for five generations headed the Tsuyama Domain in Mimasaka Province as tozama daimyo. Nagayoshi had lost his life in the battle of Komaki Nagakute. Their descendants became viscounts in the Meiji peerage.

Source

This article is based on 森氏 (Mori-shi) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on November 28, 2007.