Soga clan
| Soga clan 蘇我氏 |
|
|---|---|
| Titles | Various |
| Final ruler | Soga no Emishi |
| Dissolution | 645 |
| Ruled until | 645, Isshi Incident |
Soga clan (蘇我氏 Soga uji?) was one of the most powerful clans of the Asuka period of the early Japanese state - the Yamato polity - and played a major role in the spread of Buddhism. Through the 5th and 7th centuries, the Soga monopolized the kabane or hereditary rank of Great Omi and was the first of many families to dominate the Imperial House of Japan by influencing the order of succession and government policy.
The last Soga predates any historical work in Japan, and very little is known about its earliest members.
Soga no Iname served as Great Minister from 536 until his death in 570, and was the first of the Soga clan to carry to extreme lengths the domination of the Throne by the nobility. One of the chief ways he exerted influence through was marital connections with the imperial family; Iname married two of his daughters to Emperor Kimmei, one giving offspring to an Emperor, Emperor Yomei. The next five emperors all had a wife or mother who was a descendant of Iname. In this way the Soga unified and strengthened the country by expanding the power of the Emperor as a symbol and spiritual leader as they took control of secular matters.
The Soga clan had much contact with foreigners, including the Koreans and the Chinese. They favored the adoption of Buddhism and of governmental and cultural models based on Chinese Confucianism.
The Soga clan supported the spread of Buddhism when it was first introduced in Japan during the 6th century by monks from Baekje (Japanese Kudara). Many Japanese at the time, disliking foreign ideas and believing that this new religion might be an affront to the traditional "kami" or spirits and gods, opposed Buddhism. The rival Mononobe and Nakatomi clans succeeded in gathering hostility against this new religion when a disease spread, following the arrival of a Buddhist statue. It was claimed the epidemic was a sign of anger by the local spirits and the Soga temple at the palace was burned down.
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Wikipedia