Abe clan Origins & History . According to the " Nihon Shoki " , the Abe were descended from a son of Emperor Kōgen . They originated in Iga province ( today Mie prefecture ) ; a number of families originally from this region , and bearing the Abe name , also claim descent from a legendary figure named Abi . Abi is said to have opposed Emperor Jimmu , the first legendary emperor of Japan , in his plans to conquer the Yamato plain . The various Abe families thus settled in the far north of Honshū , where they would become quite influential many centuries later in the Heian period . Though the clan name was originally written as 阿倍 , it changed to 安倍 around the 8th century . Though this origin is not positive , it is likely . This northern region , which would come to be known as the provinces of Mutsu and Dewa , was conquered by the Japanese sometime in the 9th century , and the native Emishi people there subjugated or displaced . While many provinces at this time were overseen primarily by a governor , Mutsu saw to the rise of independent families called gōzoku who administered local affairs . The Abe were appointed as " Superintendent of the Aborigines " ostensibly to control the local people who by now were a mix of Japanese immigrants and former Emishi tribesmen on behalf of the central government , but in reality the government in Kyoto simply did not have control over the region , and was recognizing this fact by appointing the Abe . The Abe for their part used their position to take control over the so - called six districts " roku - oku - gun " located in what is now central Iwate prefecture surrounding the Kitakami river . In time , they began to have disputes with the governor of Mutsu , an office held by a branch of the Fujiwara family , which erupted into violence in 1051 . The main reason given for the attack on the Abe was that they stopped paying taxes to Kyoto , and stopped contributing to the local government . The governors of Mutsu and the commander of Dewa fort combined their forces to attack the Abe , but were defeated . Desperate to quell this affront to their authority Kyoto appointed Minamoto Yoriyoshi as " Chinjufu - shogun " . The position known as " Chinjufu - shogun " , or " Commander - in - chief of the Defense of the North " , was traditionally given by the court as a temporary appointment to a courtier ( typically of high rank ) who was appointed as a national general to quell uprisings among the " Emishi " or " Ebisu " barbarians of northern Honshū . Increasingly , as military power became privatized this position was rotated among a few clans . In what has come to be termed the " Earlier Nine Years ' War " ( 前九年合戦 , " Zenkunen kassen " ) , Abe Yoritoki was killed , and his son Abe no Sadato defeated , by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and " his " son , Minamoto no Yoshiie . This war broke the power of the Abe family , but in the prolonged fighting that took place the Minamoto would not have prevailed had it not been for the aid of another powerful family , the Kiyowara . The Kiyohara clan of nearby Dewa province , aided the Minamoto in defeating the Abe . Other Abe families . Though many other major figures throughout history have been called Abe , it is difficult to know which were related to the Abe clan of Iga and Mutsu . Abe no Nakamaro , a major court noble of the 8th century , for example , was from the town of Abe , near Nara , and derived his family name thus . A family by the name of Abe also proved significant during the Edo period , serving successively in the post of " Rōjū " , or Elders , who advised the Tokugawa shogun . Again , it is difficult to determine whether or not this line was directly related to the much earlier Abe clan , but it is of an importance itself nevertheless . Abe Tadaaki was the first to serve as " Rōjū " , holding the post from 1633 - 71 . He was very likely a son or other direct relation to Abe Masatsugu ( 1569 – 1647 ) who served Tokugawa Ieyasu and fought under him at the decisive battle of Sekigahara . Other members of the Abe family would succeed Tadaaki to the post for much of the Edo period ( 1603 – 1867 ) , ending with Abe Masahiro , who was chief of the Council of " Rōjū " at the time of the arrival of Commodore Perry .