Oe no Sadaoku (大江貞奥)
Sadaoku OE (year of birth unknown - 1334) was believed to be a distant descendant of OE no Hiromoto, who was an Inaba no kami (Governor of Inaba Province). His official rank was Shosanmi (Senior Third Rank).
Summary
When Emperor Godaigo was deported to Oki Province in 1332, 16 accompanying kugyo (court nobles) were deported to various districts from Izumo-Taisha Shrine. Three of them were deported to Mino Province. Chunagon (Vice Councilor of State) OE no Sadaoku was deported to Kire-Sho in Mino Province (present day Ibigawa-Cho in Gifu Prefecture). He lived in Shiratani in Kire-Sho, and died in the first year of the Kenmu era.
In the same year, the Shirakura-jinja Shrine was established to enshrine Sadaoku. The Mino Meisaiki (a document concerning the topography of Mino) says "大野郡岐礼村白倉神社山本中納言藤原貞奥霊神後醍醐天皇奉移隠岐国時岐礼配流建武元年薨山本判官貞元称桜待中納言子孫美濃有称山本云々." Later, Emperor Godaigo escaped from Oki no Shima Island, and called the 16 exiled kugyo back into service; Sadamoto, Sadaoku's heir who was a hangan (judge), joined in place of his father. Under orders from Sadatoki YATSUSHIROEMON and Yoshimitsu ASHIKAGA, Sadamoto showed valor in many battlefields. In 1403, he renovated Shirakura Myojin into Shirakura Taisha (great shrine).
Kansuke YAMAMOTO, a strategist who served Shingen TAKEDA, was the younger brother of Sadamasa YAMAMOTOKAZUMA, the 11th generation descendant of Sadaoku and was an attendant of Mino no kami (Governor of Mino Province),Yorinari TOKI. He is also said to be the son of Sadamitsu YAMAMOTOKOJIRO, who was temporarily adopted by Kawachinokami FUWA, the lord of Kawaushi-jo Castle.
The photographer Kanusuke YAMAMOTO is the 25th head of the family descended directly from Sadaoku.
(Sources: 'Nagase shi' (Record of Nagase), 'Yamamoto Ujimoto Kakei Zu' (Family Tree of the Head Family of the Yamamoto Clan), and records kept by the Shrine Agency)