This is a list of Japanese clans. The old clans (Gōzoku) mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki lost their political power before the Heian Period, during which new aristocracies and families, Kuge, emerged in their place. After the Heian Period, the warrior clans (Samurai) gradually increased in importance and power until they came to dominate the country.
Before the emperors, Japan had a system of clans, each made up of people that were related to each other by either blood or marriage, and a common ancestor. Every clan was ruled by a few powerful nobles, who were also the religious leaders for the clan. ... So, the first emperor of Japan came from the Yamato clan.
