Taira clan (平氏 Hei-shi) was a major Japanese clan of samurai. In reference to Japanese history, along with Minamoto, Taira was a hereditary clan name bestowed by the emperors of the Heian period to certain ex-members of the imperial family when they became subjects. The Taira clan is often referred to as Heishi (平氏, literally "Taira clan") or Heike (平家, literally "House of Taira"), using the character's Chinese reading hei. This Kammu Heishi had many branch families, including the Hōjō, Chiba, Miura, Tajiri and Hatakeyama.