The Kobayakawa clan was a samurai clan of the Heian Empire to the Sengoku Period, at one point controlling all of the southern coastal provinces of Chugoku. In 1591 they controlled Tsukushi and Hizen provinces in northern Kyushu.
History[]
The Kobayakawa originated in the Heian Empire era of Japan from the powerful Taira clan, whom they were aligned with. Holding most of the southern coastal provinces of Chugoku, the Kobayakawa were allies with the Yashima Taira during the Genpei War and Kenkyu War and fought against the Kamakura Minamoto in the 1180s and 1190s. The Sengoku Period (1545-1615) brought further instability as the Shimazu began to encroach on their lands. Allying with the Kikkawa, Mori, Otomo, and Toyotomi, they were able to conquer parts of northern Kyushu.
In 1591, the Kobayakawa were led by Hideaki Kobayakawa, previously known as Hidetoshi Hashiba. As the name may suggest, he was once the adopted son of Hideyoshi Hashiba, until he was adopted by Takakage Kobayakawa, and eventually succeeded him as the head of the clan. His ties to Hideyoshi encouraged him support the Toyotomi, however the perceived insult of being rejected by Hideyoshi may not have gone astray, either. At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the Kobayakawa clan defected to Ieyasu Tokugawa to avoid being defeated as well as to avenge the insult, and they helped the Tokugawa to win the battle. When Hideaki died in 1602 without an heir, the clan ended.
