Ueno Kiyonobu (上野清信)
Kiyonobu UENO (year of birth and death unknown) was a Busho (Japanese military commander) in the Sengoku period (period of warring states). His real family name was the Minamoto clan. His family line was the Ueno clan, a branch of the Ashikaga clan following Kawachi-Genji (Minamoto clan), one of the Seiwa-Genji (Minamoto clan). His father was Nobutaka UENO, a Shogun's retainer and the lord of the Kimurayama-jo Castle in old Bitchu Province. His brother included Yorihisa UENO and Uemon no jo (the third ranked official of the Right Division of Outer Palace Guards) UENO. His official rank was Nakatsukasa no Shoyu (Junior Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Central Affairs), Jugoi (Junior Fifth Rank).
His father, Nobutaka UENO was a Busho, who, as a trusted vassal of Yoshitane ASHIKAGA, went down to Saigoku (western part of Japan [especially Kyushu, but ranging as far east as Kinki]) with Yoshitane being driven out of his position of Seii taishogun (literally, "great general who subdues the barbarians") in the Coup of Meio and was appointed the lord of the Kimurayama-jo Castle in Bitchu Province. His father made Takanao UENO of his family the lord of the Kimurayama-jo Castle in Bitchu Province, made his second son, Yorihisa UENO the lord of the Matsuyama-jo Castle (Bitchu Province) and went back to Kyoto with his eldest legitimate son, Kiyonobu. Afterward, Kiyonobu worked with his father at Muromachi bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) serving the Ashikaga Shogun Family.
When the 13th Shogun, Yoshiteru ASHIKAGA was killed by the army of Yoshitsugu MIYOSHI, Miyoshi sanninshu (three chief retainers of the Miyoshi clan) and Hisahide MATSUNAGA having Yoshihide ASHIKAGA, Yoshiteru's younger cousin, at their head and then Yoshiaki ASHIKAGA, Yoshiteru's real younger brother was pursued, Kiyonobu followed Yoshiaki to escape to Echizen Province for help of Yoshikage ASAKURA. After staying at Ichijodani-jo Castle, the headquarters of Asakura clan, Kiyonobu asked Yoshikage ASAKURA to raise an army with Yoshiaki as its head to attack Shogun Yoshihide, but Yoshikage did not act at all. Yoshiaki came to be protected by Nobunaga ODA of Owari Province, received reinforcements by the Oda army, recaptured Shogunate and when he entered Kyoto, Kiyonobu followed him.
Afterward, due to the confrontation between Nobunaga and Yoshiaki intensifying, anti-Nobunaga network was formed by the order of the bakufu, but it was destroyed by Nobunaga. While the Oda army was closing in on the bakufu, Kiyonobu insisted on all-out resistance and reportedly got into a quarrel in spite of the presence of Yoshiaki with Yusai HOSOKAWA who advocated surrender.
However, when Muromachi bakufu was overthrown in 1573 and Yoshiaki came under the protection of the Mori clan, Kiyonobu left him and started to serve Nobunaga. After Nobunaga was killed in the Honnoji Incident, Kiyonobu came to serve Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI, the virtual successor of Nobunaga and became Umamawari (horse guards). He is said to have followed Hideyoshi and stayed at Nagoya-jo Castle in Hizen Province during the Bunroku-Keicho War. His whereabouts after that was unknown.