is a hereditary

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

title (''

kabane were Japanese hereditary noble titles. Their use traces back to ancient times when they began to be used as titles signifying a family's political and social status. History At first, the ''kabane'' were administered by individual clans, but ...

'') of ancient

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It was given to the descendants of the

Imperial Family A royal family is the immediate family of monarch, monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or emperor, empress, and the term papal family describes the family of ...

before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''

Muraji (from Old Japanese: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master") was an ancient

Japan

ese hereditary title denoting rank a ...

'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the

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 ...

. When the Yamato court was established, the most influential families bearing these two titles were given the title ''Ōomi'' and ''Ōmuraji'', respectively.

History

The O''mi'' clans generally took their names from the geographic location from which they originated, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the , thus making them regional chieftains in their own right. The most powerful ''Omi'' added the prefix to the O''mi'' title, and were referred to as . Examples of ''Ōomi'' mentioned in 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 ...

'' included during the reign of Emperor Richū, during the reign of Emperors Yūryaku and Seinei, during the reign of

Emperor Keitai (died 10 March 531) was the 26th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 継体天皇 (26)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conve ...

and the four generations of Sogas who dominated the title during the 6th and 7th centuries:

Soga no Iname was a leader of the Soga clan, an early proponent of Buddhism in Japan, and a statesman during the reign of Emperor Kinmei, Emperors Kinmei and Emperor Senka, Senka in the Asuka period. He was the first person to hold the position of Omi (title), ...

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 ...

Soga no Emishi was a statesman of the Yamato imperial court. His alternative names include Emishi () and Toyora no Ōomi (). After the death of his father Soga no Umako, Emishi took over '' Ōomi '', the Minister of State, from his father. According to th ...

and

Soga no Iruka (died July 10, 645) was the son of Soga no Emishi, a statesman in the Asuka Period of Japan. He was assassinated at court in a coup d'état involving Nakatomi no Kamatari and Prince Naka-no-Ōe (see: Isshi Incident), who accused him of tryi ...

. When the ''kabane'' system was reformed into the eight kabane system in 684 following a series of coup attempts, the powerful O''mi'' of the time were given the ''kabane'' of ''

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 ...

'', which ranked second under the new system, and O''mi'' itself was dropped to sixth in rank.

Name

The title denoted supremacy within the court, with titular power belonging to the ''Ōkimi'' (later denoted Emperor), whether or not he actually held power. These same characters of ''Ōomi'' () are pronounced ''Daijin'' to refer to titles beyond 670 A.D. in ''

Daijō-daijin The was the head of the during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. It was equivalent to the Chinese , or Grand Preceptor. History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, was the first to have been acco ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Naidaijin The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the Japanese Imperial Court. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre- Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remained as a significant post under the Ta ...

'', etc.

List of ''Ōomi''

* (84–?) * * (?–456) * (?–?) * (?–498) * (?–529) * (c. 506–570) * (551–626) * (587–645) * (?–645)

In popular culture

The name "Omi" holds a superior power in "HvH".

References

Ancient Japan Asuka period Kofun period Titles {{Japan-hist-stub

History

Name

List of ''Ōomi''

In popular culture

See also

References