was a leader of 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 ...

, an early proponent of

Buddhism in Japan Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...

, and a statesman during the reign of Emperors Kinmei and Senka in the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the ...

. He was the first person to hold the position of ''Ōomi'' that can be verified with reasonable accuracy, in 536 A.D. He was the son of Soga no Koma and the father of

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 Iname solidified his power by marrying two of his daughters, Soga no Kitashihime and , to Emperor Kinmei. Between the two of them they gave birth to three future emperors,

Emperor Yōmei was the 31st Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 用明天皇 (31)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Yōmei's reign spanned the years from 585 until his death in 587. Traditional narrative He was ca ...

, Emperor Sushun and

Empress Suiko (554 – 15 April 628) was the 33rd monarch of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō''): She introduced Buddhism in Japan and built many Buddhist temples, but she held the balance between Buddhism and Shintoism. Under her rule, Japan ...

, as well as numerous other princes and princesses. Notable descendants included his granddaughter,

, and his great-grandson

Prince Shōtoku , also known as or , was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yōmei and his consort, Princess Anahobe no Hashihito, who was also Yōmei's younger half ...

, both of whom were champions of Buddhism. Soga no Iname is also known for his early support of Buddhism which, according to the ''Nihon Shoki'', was introduced to the Yamato court from

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

in 552. (However, according to a different source, the '' Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu'', it was introduced in 538.) Opposing Iname and against the acceptance of this new foreign religion were

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 ...

and

Nakatomi no Kamako Nakatomi may refer to: * Nakatomi clan, an influential clan in ancient Japan *'' Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza'', a first-person shooter video game *Nakatomi Corporation, a fictional corporation in the motion picture ''Die Hard'' and its sequels * Naka ...

. The rivalry between the Sogas and the Mononobe and Nakatomi clans would carry on into future generations, with Iname's son Soga no Umako defeating Okoshi's son Mononobe no Moriya in 587, and his grandson and great-grandson

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 ...

being defeated by a descendant of Kamako,

Nakatomi no Kamatari , also known as , was a Japanese politician and aristocrat who, together with Prince Naka no Ōe (later Emperor Tenji), carried out the Taika Reform. He was the founder of the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful aristocratic family in Japan durin ...

, in the

Isshi incident The was a successful plot by Nakatomi no Kamatari ( Fujiwara no Kamatari), Prince Naka no Ōe and others who conspired to eliminate the main branch of the Soga clan, beginning with the assassination of Soga no Iruka. It takes its name from th ...

. Soga no Iname received Buddhist statues from Baekje and built, in his home in Mukuhara, the first Buddhist temple in Japan, known as or as ; the present location is

Asuka, Nara is a village located in Takaichi District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of April 1, 2017, the village has an estimated population of 5,681, with 2,170 households, and a population density of . The total area is . Asuka is the land where ancient ...

. Archaeological and architectural remains discovered in the Mukuara compound are considered evidence of Buddhist activity in Japan prior to the construction of the first, full-scale Japanese temple built in 588. Kougenji-temple

Soon after the temple was built, a plague broke out. Mononobe no Okoshi convinced the emperor that the plague was sent by the Shinto gods as a punishment for Soga no Iname's conversion; in 552, his forces burnt down the temple and threw the sacred statue of Buddha into a canal in Naniwa in

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...

. The statue was thrown in the canal after Mononobe tried to melt or destroy the statue with hammers, but was unable to. According to Buddhist record, after Mononobe reported the destruction of the statue and the temple to Emperor Kinmei, a sudden thunderstorm began and lightning struck the palace, setting it on fire. The house is still known as Hori-e Machi in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

and the statue is preserved in

Zenkō-ji is a Buddhism, Buddhist temple located in the city of Nagano, Nagano, Nagano, Japan. The temple was built in the 7th century. It is one of the few remaining pilgrimage sites in Japan. The modern city of Nagano began as a town built around the ...

in Nagano.

Family

Parents *Father: Soga no Koma (蘇我高麗) *Mother: Unknown Spouse(s) and issue: *Wife: Bijohime (美女媛) *Wife: Lady Agako (吾田子) *Wife: Unknown women **First Daughter: Soga no Kitashihime (蘇我堅塩媛), Consort of

Emperor Kinmei was the 29th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 欽明天皇 (29) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)pp. 34–36 Brown, Delmer. (1979) ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 261–2 ...

, Mother of

and

**First Son:

(蘇我馬子, 551– 19 June 626) **Second Daughter: Soga no Oanegimi (蘇我小姉君), Consort of

, Mother of Emperor Sushun **Third Daughter: Soga no Ishikina (蘇我石寸名), Concubine of

**Second Son:

Sakaibe no Marise Sakaibe no Marise (境部摩理勢) (died 628) was a court aristocrat of the Asuka period of Japanese history, and member of the Soga clan. When Empress Suiko died in 628, Marise sought to place Prince Yamashiro, the son of Prince Shōtoku, on t ...

(境部摩理勢, d. 628) **Third Son: Kojoshin (小祚臣) Soga clan 506 births 570 deaths People of the Kofun period People of the Asuka period Buddhism in the Kofun period Buddhism in the Asuka period Year of birth unknown

References

{{Japan-bio-stub