The Kobayakawa clan (小早川氏) was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Taira clan. Their holdings were primarily in the Choguku region. During the Sengoku period, they wielded significant power, but they were disbanded in the Edo period after the Battle of Sekigahara1. Origins: The Kobayakawa clan traces its lineage back to the Kanmu-Heishi branch of the Taira clan (平氏), which itself descended from the 50th Emperor of Japan, Emperor Kanmu. The founder of the Kobayakawa clan was Kobayakawa Tohira (Dohi Tohira), who established the clan in the 12th century.