The , descended from Taira clan

Taira clan

The was a major Japanese clan of samurai in historical Japan.In reference to Japanese history, along with Minamoto, Taira was a hereditary clan name bestowed by the emperors of the Heian Period to certain ex-members of the imperial family when they became subjects...

 through the Miura clan

Miura clan

The ' was one of the branch families descended from the Taira clan. They held large fiefs, and great political influence. They were one of the primary opponents of the Hōjō family of regents, in the mid-13th century, and again at the beginning of the 16th...

, was a Japanese clan during the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

. Sometimes the kanji characters "芦名" and "葦名" are used also. The name came from the area called Ashina in the city of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...

.

There were two branches of the clan: and . Sagami-Ashina originated when Miura Yoshitsugu's third son adopted the name Ashina. Aizu-Ashina was descented from Miura Yoshiaki's seventh son Sawara Yoshitsuru. Some sources disagree however. During the Muromachi period

Muromachi period

The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...

 the clan claimed the shugo

Shugo

was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan...

 of Aizu

Aizu

is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...

. In 1589 the clan suffered a severe loss against Date Masamune

Date Masamune

was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai...

 at the Battle of Suriagehara

Battle of Suriagehara

was a battle during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japan.The Battle of Suriagahara served as the aftermath of Kurokawa, in which Ashina Yoshihiro with his 16,000 men stole the moment to act revenge on their previous defeat at Kurokawa castle. Date Masamune, with his superior 23,000 troops, defeated...

, leading to the demise of the clan.

The Ashina play a prominent role in Futaroh Yamada's novel Yagyu Ninpocho where, following their defeat by Masamune, they went into hiding only to emerge years later as ninja in service to the daimyo of Aizu.