Aso

The Aso were a warrior and shrine family of Higo Province, hereditarily holding the office of high priest of Aso Shrine. They traced their line to the ancient Aso provincial governors and to Takeiwatatsumi no Mikoto, a grandson of the legendary Emperor Jimmu. The first verifiable head, Korenobu, built a warrior band around the Aso valley by the early twelfth century.

In the Nanboku-cho wars the Aso fought for the Southern Court: Koretoki joined the 1333 attack on the Rokuhara deputies and the clan was defeated with the Kikuchi at Tatara-hama in 1336. Rival Southern and Northern Court high-priest lines divided the house until 1484.

When the Shimazu overran Higo in 1585 the Aso domain collapsed and the infant head Koremitsu fled into the mountains. Toyotomi Hideyoshi later restored the family only as shrine priests, and under the Tokugawa it survived as a shrine house.