other · Korea and Japan

Mori clan domain

1557 CE – 1600 CE (approx.) · capital Yoshida-Koriyama, later Hiroshima

The domain of the Mori of Aki, who rose under Mori Motonari to rule most of western Honshu and later led the losing side at Sekigahara.

Origins

Mori Motonari, a minor lord of Aki based at Yoshida-Koriyama castle, built up power between the Ouchi and Amago. After defeating Sue Harukata at Itsukushima in 1555 he destroyed the Ouchi in 1557 and took their lands, and in 1566 he conquered the Amago.

Rule and society

Motonari placed his sons at the head of the Kikkawa and Kobayakawa families, the two rivers supporting the Mori, and legend tells of his lesson of three arrows on family unity. The domain covered some ten provinces in the Chugoku region and had a powerful navy. His grandson Terumoto fought Oda Nobunaga, then made peace with Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1582 and founded Hiroshima in 1589.

Decline and legacy

Terumoto was nominal commander of the western army at Sekigahara in 1600. Tokugawa Ieyasu reduced Mori lands to Suo and Nagato, which became the Choshu Domain.

Lineage

Ouchi clan domain 1400 CE – 1557 CEMori clan domainChoshu Domain 1600 CE – 1871 CE

Connections (2)

More states of Korea and Japan →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mori clan domain. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mori-clan-domain
MLA
“Mori clan domain.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mori-clan-domain. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Mori clan domain.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mori-clan-domain.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mori clan domain’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mori-clan-domain (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻