Kofun period
The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...
, known for its military opposition to the
Soga clan
The was one of the most powerful aristocratic kin groups Uji (clan), (''uji'') of the Asuka period of the early Japanese state—the Yamato period, Yamato polity—and played a major role in the spread of Buddhism in Japan. Through the 5th and ...
. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, partly on religious grounds, claiming that the local deities would be offended by the worshiping of foreign deities, but also as the result of feelings of
conservatism
Conservatism is a Philosophy of culture, cultural, Social philosophy, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, Convention (norm), customs, and Value (ethics and social science ...
and a degree of xenophobia. The Nakatomi clan, ancestors of the Fujiwara, were also Shinto ritualists allied with the Mononobe in opposition to Buddhism.
The Mononobe, like many other major families of the time, were something of a corporation or guild in addition to being a proper family by blood-relation. While the only members of the clan to appear in any significant way in the historical record were statesmen, the clan as a whole was known as the Corporation of Arms or Armorers.
History
The Mononobe were said to have been descended from Nigihayahi no Mikoto, (饒速日命), a legendary figure who is said to have ruled Yamato before the conquest of
Emperor Jimmu
was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Isonokami Shrine by Yamatohime-no-mikoto, the daughter of Emperor Suinin. He then began using the name Mononobe.
In the 6th century, a number of violent clashes erupted between the Mononobe and the Soga clan. According to the ''
Nihon Shoki
The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...
'', one particularly important conflict occurred after the Emperor Yōmei died after a very short reign. Mononobe no Moriya, the head of the clan, supported one prince to succeed Yōmei, while
Soga no Umako
was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Conflicting evidence has suggested that Soga no Umako was actually an emperor during the Asuka period.
Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during t ...
chose another. The conflict came to a head in a battle at Kisuri (present-day Osaka) in the year 587, where the Mononobe clan were defeated and crushed at the Battle of Shigisan. Following Moriya's death, Buddhism saw a further spread in Japan.Read more in the article on Mononobe no Moriya for recent findings on a possible sponsorship for Buddhism by the Mononobe.
In 686, the Mononobe reformed as the Isonokami clan, named thus due to their close ties with Isonokami Shrine, a
Shinto shrine
A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion.
The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...
Nigihayahi-no-mikoto (饒速日命), legendary figure who is said to have ruled Yamato before the conquest of
Emperor Jimmu
was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Okoshi (尾輿)
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Mikari (御狩) Moriya (守屋) Nieko (贄子), his daughter married
Soga no Umako
was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Conflicting evidence has suggested that Soga no Umako was actually an emperor during the Asuka period.
Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during t ...
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Me (目)
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Umaro (宇麻呂)
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Isonokami no Maro (石上麻呂), changed his surname and founded the Isonokami clan (石上氏)
Descendants of Mononobe no Futsukuru (物部布都久留), see above tree.
Futsukuru (布都久留)
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Itabi (木蓮子) Ogoto (小事)
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Masara (麻佐良) Yakahime (宅媛), consort of Emperor Ankan
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Arakabi (麁鹿火)
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Iwayumi (石弓) Kagehime (影媛)
Notes
References
*Sansom, George (1958). ''A History of Japan to 1334''. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Mononobe no Okoshi
Mononobe no Okoshi (物部 尾輿) was a Japanese statesman during the Kofun period (300-538 Common Era, CE), and the chief of the Mononobe clan. He was strongly against the introduction of Buddhism in Japan, Buddhism in Japan, along with his coun ...