Taira

Information about Taira

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The butterfly mon of the Taira is called Ageha-cho (揚羽蝶) in Japanese.
For other uses of the word Taira see Taira (disambiguation)


Taira (平) is a Japanese clan name.

In reference to Japanese history, along with Minamoto, Taira was a hereditary clan name bestowed by the emperors of the Heian Period to certain ex-members of the imperial family when they became subjects. Kabane: This Taira clan is often referred to as Heishi (平氏) or Heike (), using the character's Chinese reading hei. (Clan is "Shi".Family is "ke".)

Offshoots of the imperial dynasty, some grandsons of Emperor Kammu were first given the name Taira in 825 or later. Afterwards, descendants of Emperor Nimmyō, Emperor Montoku, and Emperor Kōkō were also given the surname. The specific hereditary lines from these emperors are referred to by the emperor's posthumous name followed by Heishi. i.e. Kammu Heishi.

The Taira were one of the four important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period (794-1185) - the others were the Fujiwara, the Tachibana and the Minamoto.

The Kammu Heishi line, founded in 889 by Taira no Takamochi (a great-grandson of the 50th Kammu tenno, reigned 781-806), proved to be the most strong and dominant line during the late Heian period with Taira no Kiyomori eventually forming the first samurai dominated government in the history of Japan. A great-grandson of Heishi Takamochi, Taira no Korihira, moved to Ise Province (now part of Mie Prefecture) and established a major daimyo dynasty. Masamori, his grandson; and Tadamori, great-grandson, became loyal supporters of the cloistered tennos Shirakawa and Toba, respectively. Taira no Kiyomori, son and heir of Tadamori, rose to the position of daijō daijin (great minister of state) following his victories in the Hōgen Disturbance (1156) and the Heiji Disturbance (1160). Kiyomori managed to enthrone his infant grandson as Emperor Antoku in 1180, an act which led to the Genpei War(1180-85), the Taira-Minamoto War. Kiyomori's sons, the last of the head family of the Kanmu Heishi line was eventually destroyed by the armies of Minamoto no Yoritomo at the Battle of Dan-no-ura, the last battle of the Genpei War. This story is told in the Heike Monogatari.

This Kammu Heishi had many branch families including the Hōjō, Chiba, Miura and Hatakeyama.

Another Kammu Heishi: Takamune-ō (804-867), the eldest son of Kazurahara-Shinnō (786-853) and a grandson of Emperor Kammu, received the kabane of Taira no Ason in 825. Thus there were two Kammu Heishi families, one descended from Takamune and the other from his nephew, Takamochi (son of Prince Takami).

See also

The word Taira (平) in Japanese can mean a variety of things:
  • Taira clan.
  • Taira, Toyama : a village in Toyama prefecture, Japan.
  • Taira (Iwaki, Fukushima) : the center of Iwaki City, Eastern Fukushima prefecture.

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history of Japan began with brief appearances in Chinese history texts from the first century AD. However, archaeological research indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the upper paleolithic period.
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Minamoto (源
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Kabane (姓) were hereditary titles used in ancient Japan to denote rank and political standing. There were over 30; some of the more common kabane were omi (臣), muraji (連), miyatsuko (造), kimi (君),
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Emperor Kanmu (桓武天皇 Kanmu-tennō
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Emperor Montoku (文徳天皇 Montoku-tennō) (827-858) was the 55th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. The years of his reign spanned the years from 850 through 858.
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The Fujiwara clan (藤原氏 Fujiwara-uji), descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of regents in Japan that monopolized the regent positions, Sesshō and Kampaku.
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Tachibana clan was one of the four most powerful kuge (court nobility) families in Japan's Nara and early Heian periods. Members of the Tachibana family often held high court posts within the Daijō-kan (Ministry of State), most frequently Sadaijin
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Minamoto (源
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Taira no Kiyomori (平 清盛 1118 - 1181) was a general of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan.
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Ise (伊勢国; -no kuni) or Seishu (勢州 seishū) was a province of Japan including most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered Iga, Kii, Mino, Omi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces.
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Mie Prefecture (三重県 Mie-ken)

Capital Tsu
Region Kinki
Island Honshū
Governor Akihiko Noro
Area 5,776.44 km (25th)
 - % water 0.
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Emperor Antoku (安徳天皇 Antoku-tennō) (December 22, 1178 – April 24, 1185) was the 81st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1180 through 1185.
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Genpei Wars (源平合戦 Genpei kassen, Genpei gassen
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battle of Dan-no-ura (壇の浦の戦い Dan-no-ura no tatakai
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The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari, 平家物語) is an epic account of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Gempei War (1180-1185).
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The Chiba clan (千葉氏 Chiba-shi
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The Miura family (三浦氏 Miura-shi
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Japanese names (人名 jinmei)
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