Hosokawa

The Hosokawa were a Japanese warrior family descended from the Ashikaga, with holdings in Shikoku and the Kyoto region. Their members became provincial governors and deputies to the Ashikaga shoguns.

In 1467 Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen led opposing armies in Kyoto at the start of the Ōnin War. Katsumoto's son Masamoto dominated Kyoto politics until his assassination in 1507, after which the family split. A later Hosokawa branch ruled Kumamoto in Higo during the Edo period.