Fujiwara no Kamatari | |
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藤原 鎌足 | |
.jpg) Fujiwara no Kamatari with his sonsJo'e [ja] andFujiwara no Fuhito, who is wearing court robes. (Nara National Museum) | |
| Born | Nakatomi no Kamatari 614 |
| Died | (669-11-14)November 14, 669 |
| Known for | Founder of theFujiwara clan, launched the Taika Reform of 645 with Naka no Ōe (laterEmperor Tenji) |
| Notable work | Poems in theMan'yōshū andKakyō Hyōshiki |
| Spouse | Kagami no Ōkimi [ja] |
| Children | Jo'e [ja],Fujiwara no Fuhito, Hikami no Ōtoji, Ōhara no Ōtoji, Mimi no Toji |
| Parent | Nakatomi no Mikeko, |
Fujiwara no Kamatari (藤原 鎌足,Japanese pronunciation:[ɸɯ.(d)ʑi.wa.ɾano(|)ka.maꜜ.ta.ɾʲi],[1][2] 614 – November 14, 669), also known asNakatomi no Kamatari (中臣 鎌足), was a Japanese politician and aristocrat who, together with Prince Naka no Ōe (laterEmperor Tenji), carried out theTaika Reform. He was the founder of theFujiwara clan, the most powerful aristocratic family inJapan during theNara andHeian periods.[3] He, along with theMononobe clan, was a supporter ofShinto and fought the introduction ofBuddhism to Japan. TheSoga clan, defenders of Buddhism in theAsuka period, defeated Kamatari and the Mononobe clan, and Buddhism became the dominant religion of theImperial Court. Kamatari was appointedInner Minister,[4] and, along with Prince Naka no Ōe, later Emperor Tenji (626–672), launched the Taika Reform of 645, which centralized and strengthened the central government. Just before his death, he received the surnameFujiwara and the rankTaishokan [ja] from Emperor Tenji, thus establishing the Fujiwara clan.[5][6]
Kamatari was born to theNakatomi clan, an aristocratic kin group[7] claiming descent from their ancestral godAme-no-Koyane.[8] He was the son of Nakatomi no Mikeko, and namedNakatomi no Kamatari (中臣 鎌足) at birth.[5] His early life and exploits are described in the 8th century clan historyTōshi Kaden (藤氏家伝).[9]
He was a friend and supporter of the Prince Naka no Ōe, laterEmperor Tenji. Kamatari was the head of theJingi no Haku, orShinto ritualists; as such, he was one of the chief opponents of the increasing power and prevalence ofBuddhism in the court, and in the nation. As a result, in 645, Prince Naka no Ōe and Kamatari madea coup d'état in the court. They slewSoga no Iruka who had a strong influence overEmpress Kōgyoku; thereafter, Iruka's father,Soga no Emishi, committed suicide.
Empress Kōgyoku was forced to abdicate in favor of her younger brother, who becameEmperor Kōtoku; Kōtoku then appointed Kamatarinaidaijin (Inner Minister).
Kamatari was a leader in the development of what became known as theTaika Reforms, a major set of reforms based on Chinese models and aimed at strengthening Imperial power.[5] He acted as one of the principal editors responsible for the development of the Japanese legal code known asSandai-kyaku-shiki, sometimes referred to as theRules and Regulations of the Three Generations.[10]
During his life Kamatari continued to support Prince Naka no Ōe, who became Emperor Tenji in 661. Tenji granted him the highest rankTaishōkan (or Daishokukan) (大織冠) and a new clan name, Fujiwara (藤原), as honors.[5]
Kamatari's son wasFujiwara no Fuhito. Kamatari's nephew, Nakatomi no Omimaro became head ofIse Shrine, and passed down the Nakatomi name.
In the 13th century, the main line of the Fujiwara family split into five houses:Konoe,Takatsukasa,Kujō,Nijō andIchijō. These five families in turn provided regents for the Emperors, and were thus known as theFive Regent Houses. TheTachibana clan (samurai) also claimed descent from the Fujiwara.Emperor Montoku of theTaira clan was descended through his mother to the Fujiwara.
Until the marriage of the Crown PrinceHirohito (posthumouslyEmperor Shōwa) to Princess Kuni Nagako (posthumouslyEmpress Kōjun) in January 1924, the principal consorts of emperors and crown princes had always been recruited from one of theSekke Fujiwara. Imperial princesses were often married to Fujiwara lords - throughout a millennium at least. As recently as Emperor Shōwa's third daughter, the late former Princess Takanomiya (Kazoku), and Prince Mikasa's elder daughter, the former Princess Yasuko, married into Takatsukasa and Konoe families, respectively.Empress Shōken was a descendant of the Fujiwara clan and throughHosokawa Gracia of theMinamoto clan. Likewise a daughter of thelast Tokugawa Shōgun married a second cousin of Emperor Shōwa.
Among Kamatari's descendants areFumimaro Konoe[citation needed] the 34th/38th/39th Prime Minister of Japan and Konoe's grandsonMorihiro Hosokawa[citation needed] the 79th Prime Minister of Japan (who is also a descendant of theHosokawa clan via theAshikaga clan of theMinamoto clan).
Abuyama Kofun, amegalithic tomb inTakatsuki andIbaraki,Osaka has been identified as Fujiwara no Kamatari's tomb. The tomb and amummy buried inside a coffin were first discovered in 1934. 50 years later,radiographic images and samples taken at the time were examined uncovering a mummy wrapped in gold thread.[11] Thekanmuri headwear found in the tomb indicates that the person buried was a noble of the highest rankTaishokkan.[12] It was concluded that it is highly likely that the tomb was dedicated to Kamatari. According to the analysis, the mummified person had a strong bone structure and an athletic body, with the so-calledpitcher's elbow. The cause of death was complications from injuries to thevertebral column andlumbar vertebrae sustained from a fall from horseback or a high ground. The injury is thought to have left the lower body paralyzed and caused secondary complications such aspneumonia orurinary tract infection.[11] The cause of death matches with that of Kamatari's, whom is recorded to have died from a fall from horseback.[12]
In 2014, theIbaraki City Education Committee announced that ancientsen bricks discovered atHigashinara site in Ibaraki,Osaka match with the bricks found in Abuyama Kofun. The site is believed to have been the location of Mishima Betsugyō, a villa where Kamatari stayed before theIsshi Incident which triggered theTaika Reform (645).[13]
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