The Kanehira family started when Morisumi KANEHIRA, a younger brother of the head of the Oura clan Morinobu OURA, owned the territory of Kanehira Village, where he built his castle (Kanehira-tate), and changed his family name to 'Kanehira.'
兼平家は、大浦氏当主大浦盛信の弟兼平盛純が兼平村を領し、そこに館（兼平館）を構え、兼平を姓としたことに始まる。