The is a Japanese family which claims its descent from Fujiwara no Toshihito

Fujiwara no Toshihito

was a noble and general during Japan's Heian period. He was the son of Fujiwara Mimbu-no-kyo Tokinaga who in turn was grandson of Fujiwara no Uona founding father of the Northern Fujiwara....

 by way of Katō Kagekado. The family entered Mutsu Province

Mutsu Province

was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...

 in the 14th century as subordinates of the Ōsaki clan

Osaki clan

The was a subordinate retainer family to Minamoto no Yoritomo throughout the end of the Heian Period to the rise of the Kamakura Shogunate of Feudal Japan. They were prominent in Mutsu Province.-References:...

. However, in 1532, they became retainers of the Date clan, and remained so until 1872. In the Sengoku era, the Katakura took part in all the major campaigns of the Date clan. The family's head, Katakura Kagetsuna

Katakura Kagetsuna

was a Japanese samurai of the Katakura clan during the late Sengoku period. Also known by his court title, Bichū no Kami , or more commonly, as Katakura Kojūrō. Together with Oniniwa Tsunamoto and Date Shigezane, Kagetsuna was known as one of the "Three Great Men of the Date Clan"...

, became renowned throughout the country, even receiving praise from Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

, who granted Kagetsuna a fief (thereby bypassing Kagetsuna's status as vassal to 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...

).

In the Edo period, the heads of the Katakura clan were hereditary karō

KARO

KARO is a radio station licensed to serve Nyssa, Oregon, USA. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.It broadcasts a Contemporary Christian music format as part of the Air 1 network.-History:...

in the Sendai Domain

Sendai Domain

was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. Most of its holdings were contiguous, covering all of modern-day Miyagi Prefecture, small portions of southern Iwate Prefecture, and a portion of northeastern Fukushima Prefecture. The domain's capital, and the ruling family's castle, were located in what...

. Their personal fief was centered at Shiroishi Castle

Shiroishi Castle

is a Japanese castle in Shiroishi, Miyagi, within what was Mutsu Province. It was the castle of the Katakura clan, which was a family of retainers serving the Date clan of Sendai...

 (modern-day Shiroishi, Miyagi

Shiroishi, Miyagi

is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 37,432 and a population density of 131 persons per km². The total area is 286.47 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1954.-Notable locations:...

).

Shigenobu Katakura

Shigenobu Katakura

is a Japanese religious figure. The descendant of famed Sendai han retainer Katakura Kagetsuna, Shigenobu is the chief priest of Aoba Shrine, in Sendai. Shigenobu would have been the seventeenth Katakura Kojūrō.-Notes:...

, the current chief priest of Sendai's Aoba Shrine

Aoba Shrine

is a Shinto shrine located in Sendai, near the site of the former Aoba Castle. Its current chief priest is Katakura Shigenobu.-External links:*...

, is a direct descendant of this family.