Ōuchi clan
| Ōuchi 大内 | |
|---|---|
The emblem (mon) of the Ōuchi clan | |
| Home province | Suō |
| Parent house | Baekje Royal House (according to tradition) Tatara clan (多々良氏) |
| Titles | Various |
| Founder | Ōuchi Morifusa (大内盛房) |
| Final ruler | Ōuchi Yoshinaga |
| Founding year | 12th century |
| Dissolution | 1557 |
| Ruled until | 1557, Ōuchi Yoshinaga commits seppuku |
Ōuchi clan (大内氏, Ōuchi-shi) was one of the most powerful and important families in Western Japan during the reign of the Ashikaga shogunate in the 14th to 16th centuries. Their domains, ruled from the castle town of Yamaguchi in the western tip of Honshu island, comprised six provinces at their height, and the Ōuchi played a major role in supporting the Ashikaga in the Nanboku-cho Wars against the Southern Imperial Court. The Ōuchi remained powerful up until the 1550s, when they were eclipsed by their former vassals, the Mōri clan.