[1] It is believed that the clan took its name from the manor (shōen) they held in Sagara, Haibara District, Tōtōmi Province during the Kamakura period.

[3][4] In 1198, the year before his death, Minamoto no Yoritomo granted the territory of Hitoyoshi (on Kyushu, in modern-day Kumamoto prefecture) to the Sagara clan.

When Ieyasu's forces laid siege to Nagatsune's Ôgaki castle, he granted the attackers entry, thus earning him some relief from Tokugawa enmity.

After contributing as well to Tokugawa efforts during the Siege of Osaka, he earned a high reputation for his clan.

After the Meiji Restoration and the abolition of the han system, members of the Sagara clan were appointed hereditary nobility Kazoku with the title of Viscount.