Miyoshi

Miyoshi is a Japanese name that can refer to several places as well as a family name. It is written with different kanji depending on usage, and thus has multiple distinct origins: as a place name and as a surname.

In Japan, Miyoshi designates more than one municipality or former administrative area. The most noted is Miyoshi City in Hiroshima Prefecture. The name also appears in other prefectures as the name of former districts and towns that were merged or redefined during municipal consolidation in the 20th and 21st centuries.

As a surname, Miyoshi (often written 三好) is carried by many individuals in Japan and abroad. The name is associated with several historic clans and with contemporary professionals in fields such as politics, academia, sports, and the arts.

The Miyoshi clan is a well-known Sengoku-period samurai family. Centered in the Kinai region and with ties to Shikoku, members of the clan played important roles in feudal power struggles and in the politics of the Ashikaga shogunate era. The name has left a lasting imprint on local place names and families across Japan.