The SAKANOUE clan is a linage that is related to HIGASHIKAN clan which was said to be a branch of the holy Chinese Emperor (KAN) in the Later Han Dynasty in China, and they guarded the Imperial Court for several emperors as a clan of martial arts who eagerly practiced archery and horse-back riding in all their generations.
坂上氏は中国の後漢の霊帝(漢)の流れを汲むという東漢氏に繋がる家系で代々弓馬の道をよくする武門の一族として、数朝にわたり宮廷を守護した。