Kumagai Family History

Japanese: written 熊谷 ‘bear valley’; also pronounced Kumatani, Kumaya, and Kumagaya. It is found in northeastern and western Japan, a habitational name from the town of Kumagaya in Musashi (now part of Saitama prefecture).

The earliest bearers were of Taira descent. In fact, the town was named after Kumagai Naozane, a 12th century warrior featured in a famous story in the epic Heike monogatari ‘Tales of the Taira’.