Hata

The Hata were the leading house of the Upper Matsuura party, a federation of seafaring warriors on the coast of Hizen in northern Kyushu. They traced their line to the Saga Genji through the Watanabe: Matsuura Mochi settled at Hata and took its name in 1102. The clan grew strong around Kishidake Castle and crossed to Iki Island.

In the Sengoku period a succession quarrel after Hata Sakō's death drew in the Arima, Ryūzōji and Hirado Matsuura. Hata Chikashi, Sakō's adopted heir and maternal grandson, won his seat with Ryūzōji backing between 1564 and 1569, then submitted to Ryūzōji Takanobu; after Takanobu fell in 1584, he moved toward the Shimazu.

Chikashi submitted to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1587, but defied Nabeshima Naoshige's orders during the Korean campaign. In 1593 Hideyoshi confiscated his lands and exiled him to Tsukuba, where he died and the house ended.