Utsunomiya Yasumune (宇都宮泰宗)

Yasumune UTSUNOMIYA was a busho (Japanese military commander) who lived during the Kamakura Period. His real name was Yasumune MUMO. He served as Hitachi no Kami (provisional governor of Hitachi Province). He was the father of Tokitsuna UTSUNOMIYA (Tokitsuna MUMO) and Sadayasu UTSUNOMIYA.

Chikugo Province and Oki-jo Castle

Yasumune UTSUNOMIYA had a older brother, Sadatsuna UTSUNOMIYA who was the sixth family head of the UTSUNOMIYA clan (the eighth from FUJIWARA no Soen) and held the title of Shimotsuke no kami (the provisional governor of Shimotsuke Province). Yasumune accompanied Sadatsuna when Sadatsuna was ordered by Tokimune HOJO (the regent of the Kamakura bakufu) to go down to Kyushu as a supreme commander of the Menggu Punitive Force when Mongol attempted to invade Japan (Genko), and Yasumune made his base in Oki-jo Castle located in Setaka, Yamato-gun, Chikugo Province. In Setaka, there was a shoen (a manor in medieval Japan) of the TOKUDAIJI family, a branch of SANJO Family (the Hose of Fujiwara North, Kan'in Line), and Yasumune was in charge of managing the shoen as a shokan (an officer entrusted with local management by the lord of the private estate).

The MUMO clan

Tokikage UTSUNOMIYA (Tokitsuna MUMO), a legitimate child of Yasumune, succeeded to the estate of the MUMO clan of Hitachi Province, while Mochitsuna MUMO, a great grandson of Tokikage, took over the head family of the UTSUNOMIYA clan which ruled Shimotsuke Province, and the MUMO clan was inherited by Masatsuna HAGA, a grandchild from a daughter married into another family. However, after Akitsuna UTSUNOMIYA died, not only Mochitsuna but also Masatuna decided to inherit the head family of the UTSUNOMIYA clan, and therefore, the MUMO clan was taken over by the third son of Masatsuna.

The Iyo-UTSUNOMIYA Clan

Sadayasu UTSUNOMIYA, the second son of Yasumune UTSUNOMIYA, held the office of jito (a manager and lord of manor) in Iyo Province and built a foundation of the Iyo-UTSUNOMIYA clan with placing its governance center on Negoroyama-jo Castle. He then moved to Nakatsu of Bungo Province ruled by the Buzen-UTSUNOMIYA clan, and later became the founder of the Chikugo-UTSUNOMIYA clan.

The Chikugo-UTSUNOMIYA Clan

Hisanori UTSUNOMIYA, a grandson of Sadahisa UTSUNOMIYA (a grandson of Yasumune UTSUNOMIYA) of the Chikugo-UTSUNOMIYA clan, inherited the family name of the KAMACHI clan (a branch of Saga Genji) to become the founder of the Kamachi-UTSUNOMIYA clan, while Masanaga OKI, a son of Tomotsuna UTSUNOMIYA (the younger brother of Hisanori) became the founder of the OKI clan with placing its ruling base on Oki-jo Castle and Masanaga was the direct ancestor to Munemitsu OKI.

[Original Japanese]