Ōmura clan


The Ōmura clan was a clan of samurai of Medieval Japan of the province of Hizen descended from Fujiwara no Sumitomo. The clan is notable for being the first daimyo family in Japan to convert to Christianity in 1562.

Notable clan members

Ōmura Tadazumi An eighth-generation descendant of Sumimoto, he was the first to take the surname Ōmura, named after a village in Hizen Province where he lived.Ōmura Sumitada son of Arima Haruzumi, was chosen to succeed Ōmura Sumiaki. Baptized in 1562 with the name Bartholomew he was the first daimyō to remain faithful to the religion until his death. It was he who in 1568 opened the port of Fukae to foreign trade, which later became the city of Nagasaki.Ōmura Yoshiaki son of Sumitada, he was also a Christian and received the name Sanche. In 1600, he remained neutral during the Sekigahara Campaign and had to pass his own domain to his son. He spent the rest of his life in debauchery.Ōmura Sumiyori son of Yoshiaki. He was baptized and received the name Bartholomew , like his grandfather. However towards the end of his life he persecuted the Christians of his fiefdom.Ōmura Sumihiro received the title of count after the abolition of the han system.

Externial connections

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