Originally based in Tachibana castle in Kyūshū, the family's holdings were moved to the Yanagawa Domain in the far north-east of Honshū in the Edo period.

The clan, which bore no direct relation to the Tachibana clan of the Heian period, originated with Ōtomo Sadatoshi (d. 1336), who took on the name and assigned it to the family of Ōtomo vassals who held Tachibana castle.

Muneshige then fought for Hideyoshi in the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98), and was granted the han (fief) of Yanagawa (Chikugo Province, 132,000 koku), the land surrounding Tachibana castle.

Ultimately, he proved his loyalty to the shogunate in 1611, and was granted a fief in Mutsu Province, far from Kyūshū.

Tachibana Takachika, one of that line, was awarded the government post of wakadoshiyori, gaining power and prestige for the clan even though he was soon demoted to hatamoto.