Gosanke

The Tokugawa Gosanke (徳川御三家, "the Three Houses of the Tokugawa"^?), also called simply Gosanke (御三家, "the Three Houses"^?), or even Sanke (三家, "the three houses"^?), were the most noble three branches of the Tokugawa clan of Japan: Owari House of Tokugawa, Kii House of Tokugawa, and Mito House of Tokugawa, all of which were descended from clan founder Tokugawa Ieyasu's three youngest sons, Yoshinao, Yorinobu, and Yorifusa, and were allowed to provide a shogun in case of need. In the Edo period the term gosanke could also refer to various other combinations of Tokugawa houses, including (1) the shogunal, Owari and Kii houses and (2) the Owari, Kii, and Suruga houses (all with the court position of dainagon).

Later, Gosanke were deprived of their role to provide a shogun by three other branches that are closer to the shogunal house: the Gosankyō.

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