Aso

The Aso were a family of priests at Aso Shrine who built a warrior following in Higo Province. In 1333 Aso Koretoki joined the attack on the Kamakura shogunate's Rokuhara headquarters in Kyoto.

Rival branches backed opposing courts during the civil wars; in 1341 Aso Koresumi killed a Northern Court rival at Nangō Castle. The Shimazu invaded the Aso lands in 1585, and the family lost its position as daimyō. Aso Koreyoshi later regained lands and the chief priesthood under Katō Kiyomasa.