The Sakai clan was a prominent samurai family that served as trusted retainers to the Tokugawa shogunate, with various branches holding daimyo status and governing domains such as Shonai and Himeji throughout the Edo period. Members of the clan held influential positions including that of rōjū, senior councilors who advised the shogun on matters of state. As with many samurai lineages, deceased Sakai lords were honored through ancestral veneration, reflecting broader Japanese traditions of honoring one's forebears rather than any distinct religious cult tied to the clan itself.