was a Japanese noble of the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

. Born the seventh son of the ''

chūnagon was a counselor of the second rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. The role was eliminated from the Imperial hierarchy in 701, but it was re-established in 705. This advisory position remained a part of the I ...

'' Nakatomi no Omimaro of the Nakatomi clan, he changed his name and founded the Ōnakatomi clan. He reached the court rank of and the position of ''

udaijin was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 701. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Udaijin'' in the context of a central administrat ...

''.

Life

After passing through a variety of inspector-level positions, Kiyomaro was in 743 promoted to assistant director of the ''

Jingi-kan The , also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, Department of Rites, Department of Worship, as well as Council of Divinities, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the reforms. It was first establish ...

'' and granted the rank of . In 747, in the last days of the court of

Emperor Shōmu was the 45th Emperor of Japan, emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, duri ...

, he was moved to a regional position as governor of

Owari Province was a province of Japan in the area that today forms the western half of Aichi Prefecture, including the modern city of Nagoya. The province was created in 646. Owari bordered on Mikawa, Mino, and Ise Provinces. Owari and Mino provinces w ...

. In 751, though, the new

Empress Kōken Empress Kōken (born Abe, known as Empress Shōtoku during her second reign; 718–770) was the 46th and 48th monarch of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. She was born to Crown Prince Obito (the future Emperor Shōmu) and ...

promoted Kiyomaro to , and in 754 he was restored to his position in the ''Jingi-kan'' and subsequently given the position of in the ''

Daijō-kan The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of Jap ...

''. Under the administration of

Fujiwara no Nakamaro , also known as , Brown, Delmer M. (1979). ''Gukanshō,'' p. 274 was a Japanese aristocrat (''kuge''), courtier, and statesman. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Fujiwara no Nakamaro"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 207. He was chancellor ('' Daij ...

, Kiyomaro advanced steadily. He was promoted to in 757, in 759. In 762 he rose to , and at the end of the year Kiyomaro was promoted to '' sangi'', joining the ranks of the ''

kugyō is the collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras. The term generally referred to the and court officials and denoted a court rank between First Rank and Third Rank un ...

'' along with Nakamaro's sons Kusumaro and Asakari. In this same year he also served with Kusumaro and in the empresses' palace, transmitting imperial decrees. In 763 he was promoted to and director of

Settsu Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or . Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province. Most of Settsu's ...

. Early in 764, he was promoted to . Later that year, though, Nakamaro rebelled, and Kiyomaro supported the Empress Kōken's side against him. The ex-Empress was victorious and retook the throne, and Kiyomaro was promoted to . In the next year, 765, he was further awarded honors, second class, for his service. At the banquet after Kōken's re-enthronement ceremony as Empress Shōtoku, Kiyomaro was in attendance as director of the ''Jingi-kan''. The Empress praised him for his integrity and industry in his long service in that organization, and he was promoted to . Kiyomaro continued his rise in the courts of both Empress Shōtoku and

Emperor Kōnin was the 49th emperor of Japan, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781. Traditional narrative The personal name of ...

. In 768 he was promoted to ''

'', and in 769 he changed his family name from Nakatomi no

Ason was a hereditary noble title in Japan, used mainly between the Asuka and Heian periods. At first, it was the second highest, below '' Mahito'', which was given to members of the Imperial family, but after the Heian period it became the highes ...

to Ōnakatomi no Ason. In 771, Kiyomaro was appointed as a tutor to , but was dismissed from this role when the Crown Prince was disinherited the next year. In 773, he was re-appointed as tutor to the new Crown Prince Yamabe, the future

Emperor Kanmu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kammu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the scop ...

. Meanwhile, in 770, Kiyomaro was promoted to and ''

dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'', and in 771, following the deaths of ''

sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Sadaijin'' in the context of a cent ...

'' Fujiwara no Nagate and ''

Kibi no Makibi was a Japanese scholar and noble during the Nara period. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Kibi no Makibi"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 512. Also known as . Early life Kibi no Makibi was born in Shimotsumichi County, Bitchu Province (present- ...

, he was promoted to and ''udaijin''. In 772, he was promoted again to . In his role as ''udaijin'', Kiyomaro headed the ''

'' until 780. In 781, immediately following the ascension of Emperor Kanmu, Kiyomaro was allowed to retire at the age of 70. He died in 788, at the age of 87.

Personality

As an old retainer familiar with the past days of the court, Kiyomaro memorized and was proficient in many court ceremonies. Even as he aged, he was diligent and never shirked his official duties. Five of his poems are recorded in the

Man'yōshū The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...

Genealogy

*Father: *Mother: , daughter of *Wife: , and **Fourth son: *Other children: **First son: **Second son: **Third son: **Son: **Son: **Daughter: wife of

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Onakatomi no, Kiyomaro 702 births 788 deaths People of the Nara period Nakatomi clan