The clans survey shows you more information about the clans, such as: their personality, where they start, their crest, and a short history of the clan.
The Abe clan was one of the oldest of the major clans of Japan. They experienced a resurgence in power at the end of the Sengoku period. The Abe served the Tokugawa clan and were rewarded for their service with a fief in Musashi province.
The Akagawa clan were descendants of the Kobayakawa clan. The Akagawa were affiliated with the Mori clan and served the Mori as advisors. Akagawa Motoyasu was a notable retainer of the Mori and served as one of Mori's famous 18 generals. The Akagawa came under suspicion with the sudden death of Mori Takamoto and afterwards lost their standing as close retainers of the Mori.
The Akai were retainers of the Hatano clan. They bitterly resisted the Akechi clan who attempted to gain a foothold in Tamba province.
The Akamatsu were initially a very powerful clan at the start of the Sengoku period. They were gradually weakened by severe rebellions in their territory and by the encroachment of the Yamana upon their territory and ultimately the Akamatsu became vassals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The Akechi clan initially served the Toki clan whom they were related to, but when the Toki fell to the Saito clan, they came to serve the Saito. The Akechi later served the Oda clan, when the Saito lost their lands to the Oda clan. Mitsuhide became notorious as a traitor who destroyed the famous Oda Nobunaga. After Akechi Mitsuhide was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Akechi disappeared from history.
The Akita were a locally powerful clan in the north of Japan. The Akita clashed with the neighbouring Nambu clan on numerous occasions. The Akita sided with Tokugawa in the late Sengoku period, but were unable to help the Tokugawa at the battle of Sekigahara and ultimately the Akita were transferred to Hitachi province by the Tokugawa.
The Akiyama clan were related to the Takeda clan and served the Takeda till the eventual downfall of the Takeda in 1582. The Akiyama held Takato castle for the Takeda and Akiyama Nobutomo even managed to capture Iwamura castle for the Takeda.
The Akizuki clan from Chikuzen province fought the Otomo clan on numerous occasions. The Akizuki had diplomatic relations with the Mori clan, who offered the Akizuki some support against the Otomo clan. The Akizuki at one time submitted to the Otomo clan, but when the Otomo suffered a crushing defeat in a battle against the Shimazu, they rebelled and with the support of the Mori clan managed to take back their holdings. The Akizuki briefly resisted Toyotomi Hideyoshi when he invaded Kyushu island in 1587, but ultimately were forced to go to Hyuga province.
The Amako were a clan from Izumo province and were powerful throughout much of the Sengoku period until their eventual demise at the hands of the Mori. They were destroyed as Daimyo by Mori Motonari in 1566 and disappeared as a notable force with the death of Amako Katsuhisa.
The Amakusa were retainers of the Nagao clan and later became retainers of the Uesugi clan when Nagao Kagetora later known as Uesugi Kenshin was adopted into the Uesugi clan and became the head of that clan. The Amakusa gained fame after the 4th battle of Kanawakajima in 1561 when they supported the Uesugi in their fight against the Takeda clan.
Amano Takashige was a notable retainer of the Mori clan and served as one of Mori's famous 18 generals. The Amano fought against the Amako clan.
The Anegakoji clan ruled Hida province troughout much of the Sengoku period. The Anegakoji by the mid-Sengoku period were in fact led by Mitsugi blood. They suffered from Takeda incursions into their domain and were finally destroyed by the armies of a vengeful Toyotomi Hideyoshi due to their support for Sasa Narimasa.
The Araki were a minor Daimyo clan in Settsu province. They were hard pressed by their neighbours and clashed with the Kuroda clan, that eventually supplanted the Araki. They then offered their military support to the Oda clan. Araki Murashige was a noted teamaster in the employ of Oda Nobunaga.
The Arima were a minor Daimyo clan established on Kyushu island. The Arima were notable for their cavalry. They were hard pressed by their neighbours and clashed with many of the neighbouring clans, including the Goto clan, the Matsuura and the Saigo clan. They offered military support to Otomo and were allied with the Shimazu clan, the latter aided the Arima in Hizen province. Arima Harunobu converted to christianity and got supplies of weapons from Portuguese Jesuits.
The Asahina were related to the Wada clan. The Asahina were initially retainers of the Imagawa clan. The Asahina supported the Takeda clan after the collapse of the Imagawa clan in 1569 and ultimately came to serve the Tokugawa, when the Takeda were destroyed in 1582.
The Asai struggled to expand their domain in Omi province. They held close diplomatic ties with the Asakura clan of Echizen province. They broke an alliance with the Oda clan and were eliminated by the Oda as a result.
The Asakura clan settled in Tajima province and held close diplomatic ties with the Asai clan. They served the Shiba clan, but usurped them early in the Sengoku period. The Asakura remained powerful in the Hokuriku region until they were defeated by Oda Nobunaga and afterwards became vassals of the Oda clan.
The Asano settled in Mino province and were related to the Toki clan. They came to serve the Oda and gained a lot of prestige during the Sengoku period.
The Ashikaga held the position of Shogun in the 14th century and became very wealthy under the Hojo regency, but the Ashikaga were seriously weakened after the Onin war and the last Ashikaga Shogun was eventually banished from Kyoto.
The Ashina were related to the Miura clan. They were very powerful in Mutsu province and allied with Date and the Ishikawa clan, they managed to attack the Kasai. The Ashina were defeated by their former ally Date Masamune in 1589.