Matsumae clan
| Matsumae clan 松前 | |
|---|---|
Banner with the crest (mon) of the Matsumae clan, from the collection of Heinrich von Siebold (Weltmuseum Wien) | |
| Home province | Matsumae, Hokkaido |
| Parent house | |
| Titles | |
| Founding year | 1590 |
The Matsumae clan (松前氏, Matsumae-shi) was a Japanese aristocratic family who were daimyo of the Matsumae Domain, now in Matsumae, Hokkaido, from the Azuchi–Momoyama period until the Meiji Restoration. They were given the march as their fiefdom in 1590 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and charged with defending it, and by extension the whole of Japan, from the Ainu "barbarians" of the north.
The Late Middle Japanese and Early Modern Japanese term for Hokkaido was Yezo, now pronounced Ezo; it was renamed only during the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
The Matsumae were the first Yamato people to negotiate with the Russian Empire. Following the Meiji Restoration, the family was bestowed the title of Viscount.