| Kani | |
| |
| Location: | Mino Province |
|---|---|
| Start: | ? |
| End: | present |
| Major General(s): | Kani Saizo |
| Major Battle(s) | Confrontation at Yamazaki Battle of Sekigahara |
The Kani Clan was a minor clan of the Sengoku Jidai.
History[]
The Kani were vassals of the Saito Clan until 1567, when Oda Nobunaga conquered them. Saizo, the head of the family, sided with the Shibata Clan next, but became a daimyo over Mino as well. His forces served in the defense of Kyoto by Nobunaga at Yamazaki in 1579, but were defeated. Saizo was wounded, and he fled to the Akechi Clan in 1582. Another engagement at the Yamazaki battlegrounds ensued when the Toyotomi Clan marched out to avenge Lord Nobunaga's death at the hands of Mitsuhide. Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeated the Akechi and Saizo fled to the Maeda Clan. When the Maeda fought the Tokugawa Clan at Ueda Castle, Saizo felt like Tokguawa Ieyasu's dreams were right and joined him despite being the victorious side in the conflict against him. Fukushima Masanori and Kani Saizo were paired up at the Battle of Sekigahara, and Saizo took many heads, decorating them with bamboo to mark that they were his kills. Eventually, the Kani became a relic of the past and after Saizo's death in 1613, the Kani dissolved into the Tokugawa.