Japanese pirate and samurai clan
The Murakami clan (村上氏, Murakami-shi) was a pirate and samurai clan active in the waters around the Geiyo Islands in Hiroshima Prefecture during medieval Japan period. It consisted of three sub clans based on the islands of the Geiyo Islands: the Innoshima Murakami clan (因島村上氏), the Kurushima Murakami clan (来島村上氏), and the Noshima Murakami clan (能島村上氏). These three clans were known collectively as the Mishima Murakami clan (三島村上氏; lit. “Murakami of the Three Islands”).
They were known for their activity as pirates and a naval force, hence they were nicknamed the Murakami navy (村上水軍, Murakami suigun).
The Murakami clan trace their lineage to Minamoto no Yorikiyo, a samurai and official of mid-Heian Period who also the second son of Minamoto no Yorinobu.[1]
The Murakami clan was known for their activities were transport, disrupting alliances between rival lords by plundering ships and destroying diplomatic letters. On the other side, they also guarding passage to those who paid their service tolls through the straits of the Geiyo Islands, which they treated as checkpoints (札浦, sappo). In peacetime, they also engaged in fishing.[2]
The Innoshima Murakami clan was a clan based in Mukaijima and Innoshima.[3]
In the mid-15th century, they cooperated with the Kono clan (河野氏), the guardian of Iyo Province, in an attack on Sarei Castle (佐礼城; in present-day Tamagawa, Ehime) . They were also ordered by Yamana Tokihiro, the shugo of Bingo Province, to guard ships sent to Ming China.[3] Later, they strengthened their ties with the Yamana clan, the Ouchi clan, and then the Mori clan.[4]
The Kurushima Murakami clan was a clan based on Kurushima Island. The first mention of the clan in historical records dates back to 1404, when they were contracted to manage the Yugeshima shōen (present-day Kamijima, Ehime).[3]
During the Sengoku period, Murakami Michiyasu served under the Kono clan, but his son, Kurushima Michifusa defected from the Kono clan after being persuaded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Later, Michifusa served on the seas as a daimyo, taking part in battles such as the siege of Odawara and the Imjin War, but was killed in the battle of Myeongnyang.[3]
The Noshima Murakami clan was based in Noshima and its surrounding areas. The first mention of the clan in historical records dates back to 1349, when they served as guards for an envoy from Toji Temple in Kyoto, who was also the lord of the shōen on Yugeshima in Iyo Province.[3]
In the 1520s, the Hosokawa clan recognized Noshima control over Shiwaku, where they developed it into a way station for travellers and sailors.[5]
The Noshima Murakami clan did not become a navy under the control of a specific feudal lord, instead maintaining autonomy through their control over the seas by guaranteeing the safety of navigation in exchange for collecting traffic toll.[3][4]
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In 1576, the Noshima helped break the Oda clan blockade and deliver provisions to the Ikkō-ikki citadel of Ishiyama Hongan-ji.[5]: 119 They proceeded to capture a castle near Utazu, which allowed them to control the harbour.[5]: 119 From 1579 until 1582, they worked for the Mori clan to block the Inland Sea from any of Oda Nobunaga‘s ships.[5]: 120
In the two successive Battles of Kizugawaguchi that resulted from the blockade, the Murakami pirates supported Mōri Terumoto. Murakami Takeyoshi led the Mori navy in the second battle against the Oda clan.[7] However, they later entered into negotiations with the Oda, sending Nobunaga a baby hawk, which was a symbol of loyal service.[5]: 120
In 1586, Portuguese missionary Luís Fróis expressed his fear of travelling through the Inland Sea without flying the Noshima flag.[8]: 233 The Noshima leader at the time was Murakami Takeyoshi, and flying their flag was often seen as the only way to ensure safety at sea.[8]: 234
Sengoku period to Edo period
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In 1453, a figure with Murakami surname and court title of Bitchu-no-Kami, who believed to be of the titular leader of Innoshima Murakami clan, was rewarded by Hosokawa Katsumoto of the Muromachi shogunate for his loyalty and facilitating the return of the Shugo clan to Iyo Province. Later, as the influence of the shogunate weakened, the Innoshima Murakami clan came under the control of a Sengoku daimyo. At the time of the Ōnin War, it is possible that they were already operating under the command of the Ōuchi clan, whose influence was expanding in the waters around the Seto Inland Sea, and as “lords of the sea”, they supported the Ouchi clan’s military power at sea. The Murakami clan pirates then influenced maritime logistics, resulting in the mid-16th century piracy in Japan.[9]
The Murakami clans became very dominant in Geiyo Islands chain in 15th-16th century.[10]
After Michifusa’s death in the Imjin War, Nagachika (later Yasuchika) succeeded him as head of the Kurushima Murakami clan, but because he sided with the Western Army in the battle of Sekigahara, he was transferred to Mori Domain (Bungo) by the new regime. Michiharu changed his surname to “Kurushima”. The Kurushima clan managed to maintain its connection to the sea through the Kurushima family’s territories in present-day Beppu and parts of Hiji in Oita Prefecture.[3]
The Innoshima Murakami and Noshima Murakami clans also sided with the Western Army at the Battle of Sekigahara and were subsequently incorporated into the Mōri clan. The two clans were organized into the Hagi domain ‘s ship-guarding unit, tasked with guarding the domain lord’s royal ships, towing Korean envoys, and dealing with drifting ships. The Noshima Murakami clan in particular served as the head of the ship-guarding unit for approximately 250 years during the Edo period.[3]
Japanese politician Seiichiro Murakami, claims to be the 18th generation of the Murakami clan.[11]
Murakami Kaizoku Museum on the island of Ōshima in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, dedicated to the Murakami Kaizoku, the Murakami Clan “pirates” or “feudal navies” (suigun).[12]
On March 13, 2015 , the maritime pass issued by Murakami Takeyoshi to Mukai Dan’emon-no-jo of the Saiga clan in 1581, entitled “Kasho Senki (Flag of a Passing Ship) March 28, was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.[13][14]
In 2024,
A large number of kawarake (unglazed, low-fired earthenware sake cup or dish that used in Shinto rituals) artifacts which believed to be Murakami’s was found in Noshima castle.[15]
- ^ Chibi Taku (1985). 清和源氏 740氏族系図 [Genealogy of the 740 Seiwa Genji Clans] (in Japanese). p. 275.
- ^ 村上海賊 | 因島のおすすめ | いんのしま観光なび March 9, 2018
- ^ a b c d e f g h “日本遺産『”日本最大の海賊”の本拠地：芸予諸島－よみがえる村上海賊”Murakami KAIZOKU”の記憶－』構成文化財” [Constituent cultural properties of the Japan Heritage ‘Home of Japan’s Largest Pirates: Geiyo Islands – Reviving the Memories of the Murakami Kaizoku'”] (PDF) (in Japanese). 尾道市. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ a b “防長と海 解説シート” [Boncho and the Sea Explanation Sheet] (PDF). 山口県文書館. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ a b c d e Shapinsky, Peter D. (2014). Lords of the Sea: Pirates, Violence, and Commerce in Late Medieval Japan. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-1-929280-81-0. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ Shapinsky, Peter D. (2014). Lords of the Sea: Pirates, Violence, and Commerce in Late Medieval Japan. University of Michigan. p. 6. ISBN 9781929280810. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen (2000). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & C0. p. 228. ISBN 1854095234.
- ^ a b Bentley, Jerry H.; Bridenthal, Renate; Wigen, Kären (2007). Seascapes: Maritime Histories, Littoral Cultures, and Transoceanic Exchanges. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3027-4. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ Takashi Kawato (2023). “｢海賊=無法者の集団｣ではなかった…瀬戸内海にいた｢海の領主｣たちの”したたかすぎる”生き残り戦略” [Pirates were not just a group of outlaws… The cunning survival strategies of the “lords of the sea” in the Seto Inland Sea”]. President Online（プレジデントオンライン） (in Japanese). President Inc. pp. 1–5. Archived from the original on 2025-11-07. Citation: Kuroshima, Satoshi (2021-11-20). 海の武士団: 水軍と海賊のあいだ [The Sea’s Warrior Band: Between Naval Forces and Pirates]. 読みなおす日本史 (in Japanese). Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan. ISBN 978-4-642-07169-7. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
- ^ Rambelli, Fabio, ed. (2018). The Sea and the Sacred in Japan: Aspects of Maritime Religion. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 9, 96–97. ISBN 9781350062863. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
- ^ “根来寺の鳥羽天皇肖像画が重文に – AGARA紀伊民報”. www.agara.co.jp.
- ^ “The Murakami Kaizoku of the Seto Inland Sea”. Cabinet Office. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ 今村真樹 (2015-03-14). “重文に「鳥羽天皇像」掛け軸” (in Japanese). 読売新聞. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
- ^ “根来寺「鳥羽天皇像」など重要文化財に” [Negoroji Temple’s “Portrait of Emperor Toba” and Others Designated as Important Cultural Properties] (in Japanese). 和歌山新報. 2015-03-14. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
- ^ “芸予諸島 -よみがえる村上海賊 “Murakami KAIZOKU” の記憶” [Geiyō Islands: Reviving the Memories of the Village Pirates “Murakami Kaizoku”]. Japan Heritage Portal Site (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
