Minamoto no Koreyoshi (源維義)
MINAMOTO no Koreyoshi (the year of his birth and death is not clear) was a bushi (samurai) in the Heian Period. He was also called MINAMOTO no Tameyoshi Toshio, but the details concerning him is not clear because of the lack of material. His name is also written in Chinese characters as 惟義 (Koreyoshi). His common name was Matsui-kaja and the MINAMOTO no Tameyoshi-ryu Matsui clan, his descendent, derives from this name. The Matsui clan is believed to have hailed from Matsuisho Kadono-gun in Yamashiro Province.
It is contemplated that Matsuisho Kadono-gun coincides with Saiin Matsui-cho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City. Although many of Tameyoshi's children died while being embroiled in Hogen War and Heiji War, some of them survived including Koreyoshi. It is presumed that he escaped the ravages of battle because he was still an infant.
It is believed that goin (a palace for the retired Emperor) called Shogakuin was located in the area of Saiin Matsui-cho and the Emperor Junna's nyoin (close female relatives of the Emperor) constructed a temple for their secluded life in the same area and named it Matsu-in. It is believed that Matsu-in was called Matsui-ji Temple in later years and became the origin of the name of this place. Junnain was a facility which was closely connected with Minamoto clan since its Bettoshoku (a chief of Junnain) was successively assumed by Genji choja (the chief of Minamoto clan) (at that time, it was hereditary post of Murakami Genji), but its relation with Koreyoshi is unknown.
Later on, the Matsui clan developed and branched off into some lineages with Yamashiro Province being its base, and Yasuyuki MATSUI (busho (Japanese military commander)) and Yukan MATSUI (Sakai bugyo (Magistrate of around Sakai)) appeared in succession during the Muromachi Period. The first lineage is the clan that served the Ashikaga Clan as Gokenin (vassals) of the Muromachi Bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) and later became the lord of Yatsushiro domain in Higo Province (however, some asserts that this clan hailed from Tsuzuki-gun Matsui) by affiliating itself to Yusai HOSOKAWA, who belonged to the Hosokawa clan that was the military governor of Izumikami. The second lineage is the clan that sided with Takauji ASHIKAGA during Kenmu era, then moved to Totomi Province and became the castellan of Futamata-jo Castle by affiliating itself with Norikuni IMAGAWA. The third lineage is the clan that branched off from the clan of the castellan of Hutamata Castle, moved to Mikawa Province, affiliated themselves to the Kira clan or the Matsudaira clan and finally became fudai daimyo (a daimyo in hereditary vassal to the Tokugawa family) or Hatamoto (direct vassals of a shogun) in the era of Edo Bakufu.