Torii clan

This article is about a samurai clan; for the school of ukiyo-e art, see Torii school.

The Torii family (鳥居氏, -shi) was a samurai family of the late Sengoku and Edo periods of Japanese history. Loyal retainers of the Tokugawa clan since the late 16th century, the Torii are perhaps most famous for the bravery and valor of Torii Sune'emon, who was crucified by Oda Nobunaga at the 1575 siege of Nagashino castle.

The family was originally granted the fief of Yahagi in Shimousa province in 1590. It was worth 40,000 koku. Following the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, in 1606 the Torii were given Iwakidaira Domain in Mutsu Province, worth 100,000 koku. Then, in 1622 they moved once more to Yamagata in Dewa Province, with an annual income of 260,000 koku. Torii Tadatsune died without an heir in 1636, and his fief thus reverted to the shogunate; his brother Torii Tadaharu was given Takatō in Shinano province (30,000 koku).

Members of note

• Torii Tadayoshi (d. 1571)
• Torii Sune'emon (d. 1575)
• Torii Mototada (1539-1600)
• Torii Tadamasa (1567-1628)
• Torii Naritsugu
• Torii Tadatsune (d. 1636)
• Torii Tadaharu (1608-1651)
• Torii Yōzō (1804-1874)

References

• Sansom, George (1963). "A History of Japan: 1615-1867." Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
• Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.