The clan was a family of kokujin (local samurai) in Omi Province (Shiga Prefecture) and a Sengoku daimyo (Japanese territorial lord in the Sengoku period), which held influence over Kita Omi (Northern Omi Province).
近江国（滋賀県）の国人、近江国北部を中心に勢力を持った戦国大名である。