The Otomo Clan and their Smuggling (1)

     The founder of the Otomo Clan was Yoshinao (1172-1223).  He was born to the Kondo family, and later was adopted to the Nakahara family.  As he was based at Otomo County (a part of today’s Odawara City in Kanagawa Prefecture) in Sagami Province, he started calling his family Otomo.

     Yoshinao performed great military services for the establishment of Kamakura Shogunate, and became one of the most powerful vassals of Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199), the founder of the shogunate.  Yoshinao was appointed to be the guardian samurai in Buzen, Bungo, and Chikuzen Provinces in Kyushu, but it is not clear if he actually visited those provinces.  He mainly stayed either in Kamakura or Kyoto.

     The Otomo Clan might have been too close to the Minamoto Clan.  As the power shifted to the Hojo Clan in the shogunate, Otomos lost their chances to play important parts in the shogunate government.  In the meanwhile, Khubilai Khan (1215-1294), the first Mongol emperor of China, sent his naval expeditions to Kyushu in 1274 and 1281.  Otomo Yoriyasu (1222-1309), the third head of the clan, went to Bungo Province.  He was appointed a wartime commissioner, and did his jobs to ask for warriors despatched, to verify their services in battle fields, and report their contributions to the shogunate government.

     Later, the Otomo Clan came to be based in Funai, Bungo Province.