Tsuchimochi

The Tsuchimochi were a warrior house of northern Hyūga on Kyushu, with chief branches at Agata and Takarabe. They are thought to have split from the Tabe clan and served the Usa Hachiman shrine, rising as stewards of its estates and chiefs of Usuki district.

Under Nobutsuna the clan held seven seats, known as the Seven Heads of Tsuchimochi. In 1197 its members held jitō posts across Hyūga. In 1336 several fought for Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto and received estates, establishing the Agata main line; members later served the Shimazu as deputy governors.

In 1457 the Itō took ten castles, including Takarabe. The Agata house, caught between the Ōtomo and Shimazu, was destroyed in 1578 when Ōtomo Sōrin stormed Matsuo Castle and killed its lord Chikashige.