Hirohata Family (広幡家)
The Hirohata family was a court noble with the social standing of the Seiga family (Shinke or a newly established family, Uchiuchi or a family with close relations with Emperor). A branch family of the Katsuranomiya family. It originated from the Minamoto clan. The family belonged to the Ogimachi-Genji line, which was descended from the Hachijonomiya family founded by Imperial Prince Hachijonomiya Toshihito, an adopted child of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI. The family was given the title of marquis on August 27, 1884 by the Peerage Law enacted in 1884. The hereditary stipend of the family was 500 koku.
(However, it was 1,000 koku at first. The family nearly became extinct due to a lack of male heirs after the death of Tadayuki; however, in 1669, it was allowed to welcome an adopted child from the Koga family, which was also descended from the Minamoto clan with the social standing of the Seiga family. In that occasion, the hereditary stipend was reduced in half to 500 koku.)
The Kamon (family crest): Juroku Hauragiku (sixteen leaves of reversed chrysanthemum). The top official court rank the family could attain was Juichii Naidaijin (Junior First Rank, Minister of the Center).
Summary
Tadayuki HIROHATA, the third son of Imperial Prince Hachijonomiya Toshihito who was the sixth son of Imperial Prince Sanehito (the Retired Emperor Yoko), and also an imperial descendant of Emperor Ogimachi in the early Edo period, was given the hereditary title of Minamoto and established the family in 1664 by using the surname of Hirohata. Originating from the Imperial family, Tadayuki went to the Owari Domain and lived in the Nagoya-jo Castle; after returning to Kyoto, he became a court noble and was promoted to Dainagon (Chief Councilor of State). The heads of the Hirohata family were successively adopted into the Konoe family and granted to use a character from the name of a person in the Konoe family.
After the Meiji Restoration, Tadaaya HIROHATA was given the title of marquis in July 1884. Tadatomo HIROHATA served as Jiju (Chamberlain). Tadataka HIROHATA entered Teishinsho (Ministry of Communication) and became Todai Kyokucho (Chief of Lighthouse Bureau) and Kansen Kyokucho (Chief of Ship Bureau); he then served at Court as Kogogu daibu (Master of the Empress's Household) and concurrently Jiju jicho (Deputy Grand Chamberlain of the Imperial Household Agency).
Ancestral Temple
The family's ancestral temple was Jishoin, a subtemple of Shokoku-ji Temple, which was the same as that of its head family, the Katsuranomiya family.