Minamoto no Yorisue (源頼季)
MINAMOTO no Yorisue (year of birth and death unknown) was a busho (Japanese military commander) in the late Heian period. He was the third son of MINAMOTO no Yorinobu.
According to a heresy, he was a son of MINAMOTO no Yorizane (Settsu-Genji [Minamoto clan]), but there is a slight problem in their ages when considering the period in which Yorizane was active and the birth year of his elder brother Yoriyoshi. His brothers included MINAMOTO no Yoriyoshi, MINAMOTO no Yorito, and MINAMOTO no Yoshimasa. His children included MINAMOTO no Mitsuzane and MINAMOTO no Mitsuaki. He got shoryo (territory) in Shinano Province with his elder brother Yorikiyo and became an ancestor of the Shinano-Genji Inoue clan (Yorikiyo was an ancestor of the Murakami clan). He was called Saburo OTOHA or Saburo INOUE, and after becoming a priest, he was called Otoha Nyudo. His homyo (a name given to a person who enters the Buddhist priesthood) was Gyozo. His ranks were Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) and Kamon no suke (Assistant Director of the House Repair and Cleaning Office).
He was born as the third son of MINAMOTO no Yorinobu, the first head of Kawachi-Genji (Minamoto clan) in Tsuboi, Ishikawa Country, Kawachi Province (present Habikino City, Osaka Prefecture), and first his base was in Omi Province. In 1028, however, TAIRA no Tadatsune War broke out in Shimousa Province in Kanto. His father Yorinobu subdued the war and established his influence in Togoku (the eastern part of Japan, particularly Kanto region). Because of the achievement, Yorisue, as the third son, also obtained a territory in Shinano and moved to Inoue in Takai county (present Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture) with his legitimate son MINAMOTO no Mitsuzane during the period of Chokyu. He used the place name as his myoji (family name) calling himself Yorisue INOUE, and became an ancestor of the Inoue clan.
Because he was the first to enter Shinano among the Seiwa-Genji (Minamoto clan), he is considered to be the ancestor of the Shinano-Genji. Yorisue settled to Inoue and promoted development of Inoue village. He arranged his peer groups including Yonemochi, Takanashi, and Suda clans, which were called the Inoue clans.
Subsequently, when his eldest brother MINAMOTO no Yoriyoshi joined Zen Kunen no Eki (Former Nine Years' Campaign), it is said that Yorisue and his son Mitsuzane took part in the campaign.
While his descendants kept influence in Shinano, branch families got territories in Aki Province and Harima Province and moved there. They say it is the reason why there are many people whose family name is Inoue.