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The Akechi clan (明智氏 Akechi-shi?) was a Japanese clan related to the Toki clan, and from there, descended from the Seiwa Genji. The Akechi clan thrived around the later part of the Sengoku period of the 16th century. The Akechi served under the Toki until the Toki fell to the Saitō clan in 1540. The Akechi then became a powerful clan under the leadership of Oda Nobunaga. Akechi Mitsuhide originally served as a general under Nobunaga. However, after 1582, Mitsuhide trapped Nobunaga at Honnō-ji and forced him to commit suicide. The Akechi then gained power due to the collapse of the Oda clan. Later that same year, Akechi Mitsuhide was slain at the Battle of Yamazaki, twelve days after the Incident at Honnō-ji. The Akechi clan then fell from prominence.
