Inoue clan

The Inoue clan (井上氏, Inoue-shi) was a samurai clan which came to prominence from the late Kamakura through Edo periods in Japanese history, descending from the Seiwa Genji. Mention of an Inoue surname is found in Nara period records; however, the Inoue clan which later became prominent in the Edo period traces its antecedents to the Seiwa Genji line founded by Minamoto no Yorisue, grandson of Minamoto no Mitsunaka in the late Heian period. Minamoto no Yorisue settled in Inoue in Takai District, Shinano Province, and this was the main branch, but there were other branches in Harima, Aki and Mikawa Provinces. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Inoue, as hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa clan, were classified as one of the fudai daimyō clans. Following the Meiji Restoration, the clan was appointed Viscount.