Interestingly, the Tachibana Clan is strictly matriarchal. The oldest female child of each generation becomes the heir to the clan, and though there has never been an instance where no female children were born, there is a rule that the oldest male child would have to marry someone of his mother's choosing, who would then inherit the clan-this is in the instance that there are no blood related females left to inherit the clan. Due to the family's tradition of longevity, the main family is relatively small compared to other clans, despite it having been established in the earliest days of the Seireitei.