This is a similar name change to the Koji clan. It is no surprise how the originators are brothers of the Fujiwara can.
Fujiwara no Motozane (1143-change)
His father was Fujiwara no Tadamichi.
The date for the founding of the Konoe clan is unknown.
Konoe Motozane (change-death)
Konoe (近衛): (Japanese) near protection
The name Konoe derived from a road in Kyoto named Konoe-Oji, which was where Konoe Motozane lived, just like the origin of the Koji clan.
Motozane would become a regent of Emperor Rukujo. While he died at the young age of 24, his descendants continued to uphold the Konoe name.
Sources
- Ōta, Akira (1934). 姓氏家系大辞典 第2巻. pp. 2350–2353.
- Wikipedia
- \”Konoe family.\”
- \”Konoe Motozane.\”