毛利元清は1551年に毛利元就の四男として誕生しました。

戦国時代の当時の大きな戦国武将たちは基本的に一夫多妻制であり妻の中でも正室や側室とランキングが付けられています。

一男の毛利隆元、二男の吉川元春、三男の小早川隆景らが正室の妙玖 (みょうきゅう)から生まれたのに対し

元清は側室の乃美大方(のみのおおかた)から産まれたため父親の毛利元就からは「虫けらのような子供たち」と

厳しく差別されました。

一方で「もしこの中で賢く成人する者がいれば哀れんで(哀れないで)いずれかの遠境などにでもおいてほしい」と正室の三人に述べました。

これは正室の子と側室の子を分けるために行っていた元就の配慮だったのです。

しかし、「たいていはまぬけで無力であろうからその時はどうなってもかなわない」とも発言しています。

元清は15歳の若さで甥の輝元の援助を受けて　　　　　成人の儀式(元服)を果たしました。

そして、18歳に村上水軍と関係を強化したいこともあって元清は村上水軍の村上通康の娘と結婚しました。

Motokiyo was born in 1551 as the fourth son of Mori Motonari.

During the Sengoku period, the warlords were basically polygamous,and their were ranked according to whether they were legal wives or concubines.

While the first son Mori Takamoto, the second son Kikkawa Motoharu, and the third sin Kobayakawa Takakage were born from his lawful wife Myokyu.

Motokiyo was born from his concubine, Nomi no Okata, so his father, Mori Motonari, called him "Children like dirt."severely discriminated against.On the other hand, he said to his three lawful wives, "If among us, please take pity on him, and leave him in some distant place."This was Motonari's consideration to separate the child of the lawful wife and the child of the concubine.However,he also said,"Most of them are stupid and helpless, so it doesn't matter what happens at that time."

At the young age of 15, Motokiyo completed his coming-of-age ceremony(Genpuku) with the help of his nephew Terumoto.

At the age of 18, Motokiyo married the daughter of Murakami Michiyasu partly because he wanted to strengthern his relationship with the Murakami Navy.