# Kuno clan

The Kuno clan (Japanese: 久野氏, Hepburn: Kuno-shi) was a Japanese samurai clan who were a prominent Jizamurai (国人 kokujin) family of Tōtōmi Province during the Muromachi period and Sengoku period. They first served the Imagawa clan (今川氏) for generations but later became retainers of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The surname is sometimes written as "久努", "久奴" or "久能".

## Origins

Early in the Kamakura period, Kuno Munenaka (久野宗仲) moved to Kuno, Tōtōmi Province and took the place name as his surname founding the Kuno clan. There are several different genealogies of the Kuno clan and it is unknown which is the correct one. In most cases they descend from the Southern House of the Fujiwara clan (藤原南家 Fujiwara Nanke).

### Fujiwara Nanke

The Kuno clan of Tōtōmi Province was a branch of the Kudō clan (工藤氏) which descended from the Southern House of the Fujiwara clan (藤原南家 Fujiwara Nanke). The founder of Fujiwara's Southern House was Fujiwara no Muchimaro (680–737). His fifth generation great-grandson, Fujiwara no Tamenori (藤原為憲), founded the Kudō clan. In this genealogy the founder of the Kuno clan, Kuno Munenaka (久野宗仲), is a son of Kudō Kiyonaka (工藤清仲).

### Hata clan

Another theory is that the Kuno are descendants of the Hata clan (秦氏), an immigrant family who claimed descent from the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.

### Another theory

In the Seishi-kakei-daijiten (姓氏家系大辞典) family compilation it is in fact recorded that the Kuno clan descend from Kuno Nao (久奴直).

## Clan Heads

| Order | Name | Japanese | Lifetime | Titles/AKA | Lineage |
| 1 | Kuno Munenaka | 久野宗仲 | ? – ? | Kudō Munenaka (工藤宗仲) | son of Kudō Kiyonaka (工藤清仲) |
| 2 | Kuno Takakage | 久野忠景 | ? – ? | also Tadamune (忠宗) | son of #1 |
| 3 | Kuno Kiyomune | 久野清宗 | ? – ? | | son of #2 |
| 4 | Kuno Kiyonari | 久野清成 | ? – ? | | son of #3 |
| 5 | Kuno Munemasa | 久野宗政 | ? – ? | | son of #4 |
| 6 | Kuno Saburōuemon | 久野三郎右衛門 | ? – ? | | son of #5 |
| 7 | Kuno Tadakiyo | 久野忠清 | ? – ? | | son of #6 |
| 8 | Kuno Munehiro | 久野宗弘 | ? – ? | | son of #7 |
| 9 | Kuno Tadamune | 久野忠宗 | ? – ? | also Munetaka (宗隆) | son of #8 |
| 10 | Kuno Motomune | 久野元宗 | ? –1560 | | son of #9 |
| 11 | Kuno Muneyoshi | 久野宗能 | 1527–1609 | | younger brother of #10 |
| 12 | Kuno Munenari | 久野宗成 | 1582–1625 | Ju-goi-no-ge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade 従五位下), Tanba-no-kami (丹波守) | grandson of #11 |
| 13 | Kuno Muneharu | 久野宗晴 | 1609–1649 | Ju-goi-no-ge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade 従五位下) | son of #12 |
| 14 | Kuno Munetoshi | 久野宗俊 | 1643–1706 | Ju-goi-no-ge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade 従五位下), Tanba-no-kami (丹波守), Izumi-no-kami (和泉守) | son of #13 |
| 15 | Kuno Toshimasa | 久野俊正 | 1674–1726 | Ju-goi-no-ge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade 従五位下), Izumi-no-kami (和泉守), Bingo-no-kami (備後守) | son of #14 |
| 16 | Kuno Toshizumi | 久野俊純 | 1705–1772 | Ju-goi-no-ge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade 従五位下), Tanba-no-kami (丹波守), 号華峯 | son of #15 |
| 17 | Kuno Teruzumi | 久野輝純 | 1745–1811 | Ju-goi-no-ge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade 従五位下), Izumi-no-kami (和泉守), Ōmi-no-kami (近江守) | son of #16 |
| 18 | Kuno Masazumi | 久野昌純 | 1787–1823 | | son of #17 |
| 19 | Kuno Zumikata | 久野純固 | 1815–1873 | Ju-goi-no-ge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade 従五位下), Tanba-no-kami (丹波守) | son of #18 |