Abe clan

Abe clan 安倍氏
Home province	Iga Mutsu Dewa
Titles	Various

Abe clan (安倍氏, Abe-shi^?) was one of the oldest of the major Japanese clans (uji); and the clan retained its prominence during the Sengoku period and the Edo period. The clan's origin is said to be one of the original clans of the Yamato people; they truly gained prominence during the Heian period (794-1185), and experienced a resurgence in the 18th century. Abe is also a very common Japanese surname in modern times, though not everyone with this name necessarily is descended from this clan.

According to the Nihon Shoki, the Abe were descended from a son of Emperor Kōgen. They originated in Iga province (today Mie prefecture); a number of families originally from this region, and bearing the Abe name, also claim descent from a legendary figure named Abi. Abi is said to have opposed Emperor Jimmu, the first legendary emperor of Japan, in his plans to conquer the Yamato plain. The various Abe families thus settled in the far north of Honshū, where they would become quite influential many centuries later in the Heian period. Though the clan name was originally written as 阿倍, it changed to 安倍 around the 8th century. Though this origin is not positive, it is likely.

This northern region, which would come to be known as the provinces of Mutsu and Dewa, was conquered by the Japanese sometime in the 9th century, and the native Emishi people there subjugated or displaced. While many provinces at this time were overseen primarily by a governor, Mutsu saw to the rise of independent families called gōzoku who administered local affairs. The Abe were appointed as "Superintendent of the Aborigines" ostensibly to control the local people who by now were a mix of Japanese immigrants and former Emishi tribesmen on behalf of the central government, but in reality the government in Kyoto simply did not have control over the region, and was recognizing this fact by appointing the Abe. The Abe for their part used their position to take control over the so-called six districts roku-oku-gun located in what is now central Iwate prefecture surrounding the Kitakami river. In time, they began to have disputes with the governor of Mutsu, an office held by a branch of the Fujiwara family, which erupted into violence in 1051.

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