Uesugi Shigefusa

Uesugi Shigefusa was a mid-Kamakura court noble turned warrior and the founder of the Uesugi clan. The second son of the minor Kyoto official Fujiwara no Kiyofusa, he went down to Kamakura in 1252 in the retinue of Shōgun Prince Munetaka and was granted the Uesugi manor in Tanba Province, from which he took his family name.

When the prince returned to Kyoto in 1266, Shigefusa stayed, took up arms in shogunal service, and later served Ashikaga Yasuuji. His daughter, or possibly his sister, married Ashikaga Yoriuji and bore the clan head Ietoki.