Asano clan

The nihongo|Asano family|浅野氏|Asano-shi was a noble "samurai" family in feudal Japan which controlled the "han" (fief) of Hiroshima centered around Hiroshima Castle for much of the Edo period.

The Asano are descendants of the Emperor Seiwa (850-880), of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (944-1021), and are a branch of the Toki family. Minamoto no Mitsunobu, descended from Yorimitsu in the 4th generation, settled at Toki (Mino) and took the name of that place. The Toki were hereditary "shugo" (Governors) of Mino province until the 16th century.

The Asano name is perhaps most well-known as a result of the story of the Forty-seven Ronin, whose lord was Asano Naganori, the head of a branch of the family enfeoffed at Ako (Harima Province, 53,000 "koku").

The Asano were "tozama daimyō", or "outside lords", meaning that they held no hereditary ties to the Tokugawa shogunate. They were thus burdened with various responsibilities and obligations to the shoguns to a greater extent than many other lords. Nevertheless, their home castle city of Hiroshima was a major port, and they ruled over Aki and Bingo Provinces, their holdings totaling 426,500 "koku".

ignificant Members of the Asano family

*Asano Nagamasa (1546-1610), brother-in-law of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, fought for him in Japan and Korea.
*Asano Yoshinaga (1576-1613), also known as Yoshinaga; son of Nagamasa. Also served under Hideyoshi, in both Japanese campaigns, and the Korean invasions.
*Asano Nagaakira (1586-1632), brother of Yukinaga, first Asano lord of Hiroshima.
*Asano Naganori (1667-1701), lord of the Forty-Seven Ronin.

"For a list of the other Asano family lords of Hiroshima, see Hiroshima Castle."

References

*Hiroshima Castle Visitors Guide (flier received at the castle)
*Sansom, George (1961). "A History of Japan: 1334-1615." Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
*Sansom, George (1963). "A History of Japan: 1615-1867." Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.