There have been six non-imperial families who have controlled Japanese emperors: the Soga ( 530s – 645 ), the Fujiwara ( 850s – 1070 ), the Taira ( for a relatively short period ), the Minamoto ( and Kamakura bakufu ) ( 1192 – 1333 ), the Ashikaga ( 1336 – 1565 ) and the Tokugawa ( 1603 – 1867 ).

Members of the Fujiwara, Taira, and Minamoto families — all of whom had descended from the imperial family — attacked one another, claimed control over vast tracts of conquered land, set up rival regimes, and generally broke the peace of Japan.

Fujiwara no Yorinaga sided with the retired emperor in a violent battle in 1158 against the heir apparent, who was supported by the Taira and Minamoto.

During the Heiji Disturbance ( Heiji no Ran ) in 1160 the Taira defeated the coalition of Fujiwara and Minamoto forces.

As it turned out, this tactic briefly allowed the emperors to wrestle power back from the Fujiwara clan, only to see it fall to the Taira warrior clan instead.

Depending upon the source, Oda Nobunaga and the entire Oda clan are descendents of either the Fujiwara clan or the Taira clan ( specifically, Taira no Shigemori's branch ).

As early as 939, Taira no Masakado threatened the authority of the central government, leading an uprising in the eastern province of Hitachi, and almost simultaneously, Fujiwara no Sumitomo rebelled in the west.

At this time Taira no Kiyomori revived the Fujiwara practices by placing his grandson on the throne to rule Japan by regency.

The Fujiwara family, Taira clan, and Minamoto clan were among the most prominent families supported by the new military class.

Members of the Fujiwara, Taira, and Minamoto families — all of whom had descended from the imperial family — attacked one another, claimed control over vast tracts of conquered land, set up rival regimes, and generally upset the peace.

Fujiwara no Yorinaga sided with the retired emperor in a violent battle in 1156 against the heir apparent, who was supported by the Taira and Minamoto ( Hōgen Rebellion ).

The cloistered Emperor Toba and his son Emperor Go-Shirakawa sided with the son of Fujiwara regent Fujiwara no Tadazane, Fujiwara no Tadamichi as well as Taira no Kiyomori ( a member of the Taira clan ), while Cloistered Emperor Sutoku sided with Tadazane's younger son, Fujiwara no Yorinaga.

Fujiwara no Michinori and Fujiwara no Tadamichi were executed, while the palace of Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa was burned down by the Taira.

Sutoku was banished to Sanuki province of Shikoku ; Fujiwara no Yorinaga was killed in battle, and Minamoto no Tameyoshi and Taira no Tadamasa were executed.

The Minamoto were one of four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period — the other three were the Fujiwara, the Taira, and the Tachibana.

* Minamoto no Kiyohime ( 源潔姫 ) ( 810 – 856 ), married to Fujiwara no Yoshifusa ( 藤原良房 )

* Minamoto no Junshi ( 源順子 ) ( 875 – 925 ), married to Fujiwara no Tadahira ( 藤原忠平 )

In time, many of the Fujiwara were replaced, mostly by members of the rising Minamoto family.

Empress Shōken, wife of Emperor Meiji, was a descendant of the Fujiwara clan and, through Gracia Hosokawa, of the Minamoto clan.

He praised Minamoto no Sanetomo, the third Shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, who was a disciple of Fujiwara Teika and composed waka in a style much like that in the Man ' yōshū.

* Minamoto no Yorimitsu, a governor and commander loyal to the Fujiwara clan

In time, many of the Fujiwara were replaced, mostly by members of the rising Minamoto family.

Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto ( Seiwa Genji ) clan, and his official wife, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, who was a member of the illustrious Fujiwara clan.

Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Fujiwara no Nobuyori placed Go-Shirakawa under house arrest and killed his retainer, the scholar Fujiwara no Michinori.

Minamoto no Mitsunaka ( 912 – 997 ) formed an alliance with the Fujiwara.

Thereafter the Fujiwara frequently called upon the Minamoto to restore order in the capital, Heian-Kyo ( or Kyoto.

( Originally, the Fujiwara were descended from relatively minor nobility, thus their kami is an unremarkable one in the Japanese myth world.

Fujiwara women were often Empresses, and concubines came from less exalted noble families.

The five Fujiwara families, Ichijō, Kujō, Nijō, Konoe and Takatsukasa, were the primary source of imperial brides from the 8th century to the 19th century, even more often than daughters of the imperial clan itself.

Fujiwara daughters were thus the usual empresses and mothers of emperors.

The acceptable source of imperial wives, brides for the emperor and crown prince, were even legislated into the Meiji-era imperial house laws ( 1889 ), which stipulated that daughters of Sekke ( the five main branches of the higher Fujiwara ) and daughters of the imperial clan itself were primarily acceptable brides.

Lesser members of the Fujiwara were court nobles, provincial governors and vice governors, members of the provincial aristocracy, and samurai.

The Fujiwara were the proverbial " power behind the throne " for centuries.

Because consorts of crown princes, younger sons, and emperors were generally Fujiwara women, the male heads of the Fujiwara house were often the father-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle, or maternal grandfather of the emperor.

Nevertheless, the Fujiwara were not demoted by Emperor Daigo but actually became stronger during his reign.

Little authority was left for traditional officialdom, and government affairs were handled through the Fujiwara family's private administration.

Many shōen were not properly certified, and large landholders, like the Fujiwara, felt threatened with the loss of their lands.

Rather than being banished, the Fujiwara were mostly retained in their old positions of civil dictator and minister of the center while being bypassed in decision making.

In the end, the Fujiwara were destroyed, the old system of government supplanted, and the insei system left powerless as bushi took control of court affairs, marking a turning point in Japanese history.

Only forty years after Michinaga's death, his Fujiwara heirs were not able to prevent the ascension of Emperor Go-Sanjō ( reigned 1068 – 1073 ), the first emperor since Emperor Uda whose mother was not a Fujiwara.

Imperial princesses were often married to Fujiwara lords-throughout a millennium at least.

Other popular champions were Toshio Fujiwara and Mitsuo Shima.

Yoshifusa's brothers were Fujiwara no Nagayoshi, Fujiwara no Yoshisuke and Fujiwara no Yoshikado.