The Puppeteers of the Japanese Court
The image above is an old banknote of 200 yen of the Bank of Japan, portraying Fujiwara-no-Kamatari, the founder of the Fujiwara clan in 645 CE and an influential courtier of the Asuka Period (538 – 710).
The Sogas
The three-metre-tall Asuka Great Buddha built in 609 CE. Fifteen tons of copper and thirty kilograms of gold was required to complete it.
No uji (clan) had affected the course of Japan’s ancient history more than did the Sogas. Their origins can be traced back to the eighth-Emperor Kōgen, via the notorious Takenouchi–no–Sukune. It was thought that this great statesman drunk daily from a sacred well, which prolonged his life for 280 years; a fact that enabled him to serve under six emperors as a political leader, as well as a spirit medium. However, modern historiography argues that his name was used more like a title; therefore, it was attributed to at least four generations of the same family. Through the sixth and seventh centuries, the Soga monopolised the kabane or hereditary rank of Great Ōomi (Prime Minister, in modern-day politics) and was the first of many families to dominate the Imperial House of Japan by influencing the order of succession and government policy. In the mid-6th century (Asuka Period); its patriarch Soga-no-Iname was nominated Ōomi of the Yamato court. He 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 was through marital connections with the Imperial Family. Until 645 CE; with exception of small gaps; the Sogas married their female family members to the males of the royal family. It ensured there was invariably a Soga wife, consort, mother, grandmother or aunty influencing the emperor; whereas Soga males in high-rank positions oiled the engines of the State behind the scenes. The key Imperial members of the Asuka Period that were from Soga stock were: Emperor Yōmei (31st), Emperor Sujun (32nd), Empress Suiko (33rd) and Prince Shōtoku. The Soga clan supported the spread of Buddhism when it was first introduced in Japan during the 6th century by monks from Baekje of the Korean Peninsula. Many Japanese at the time, disliking foreign ideas and believing that this new religion might be an affront to the traditional kami, opposed Buddhism.
Soga’s rival Mononobe (a descendant of Nigihayahi no Mikoto, a grandson of the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu) and Nakatomi/Fujiwara (a descendant of Koyane no Mikoto – a retainer of Ninigi) clans succeeded in gathering hostility against this new religion when a disease spread, following the arrival of a Buddhist statue in Japan. It was claimed the epidemic was a sign of anger by the local spirits and the Buddhist temple built by the Soga in the Asuka village, was burned down. Soga no Iname claimed that Buddhism would bring with it a new form of government that would subvert the independence of the clans, unifying the people under the emperor.
Prince Shotoku, flanked by his brother Prince Eguri (left) and his son Prince Yamashiro (right)
Iname’s argument was not unreasonable; however, his ulterior motive was to introduce to the country more innovations from China and Korea, which Buddhism would enable, whose immigrant clans he controlled (Hata and Aya: Korean and Chinese, respectively); hence, bulging further his private coffers. Nevertheless, after forty years of ideological war, Buddhism, defended and protected by the Soga, began to take hold in Japan, when it was officialised by Empress Suiko in 592 CE.
In 587, Soga no Umako, the son of Iname and the new Ōomi, defeated Mononobe no Moriya in the Battle of Shigisan, securing Soga dominance. Legends state that Umako won the battle against the odds, by being granted a wish by Buddha. A year later, he built the Asuka-Temple (Hōkō-ji at the time).
By 644, the heads of the Soga clan were no longer satisfied acting behind the scenes. Soga no Emishi and his son Iruka (son and grandson of Umako) began to build increasingly elaborate palaces and tombs for themselves, styling themselves ‘sovereigns’. Moreover, they engineered the tragic end of Prince Shōtoku’s son Prince Yamashiro, because the Soga violently opposed him to succeed to the throne. Though Yamashiro was a devout Buddhist too, the Sogas realised an emperor who would be committed to the cause of Buddhism would divest sacred authority away from the current chieftain of the Soga to the emperor.
Asuka Temple in Nara. This is a reproduction. The original temple was built in 588 CE, but it was destroyed by fire.
The Isshi Incident that marked the fall of the Soga and ascension of the Fujiwara
In response, the leader of the Nakatomi clan, Nakatomi no Kamatari (later known as Fujiwara), conspired with Prince Naka no Ōe (later Emperor Tenchi) and arranged for Iruka’s assassination. Prince Ōe himself attacked Iruka during a court ceremony concerning edicts from Korean kingdoms in front of Empress Kōgyoku, his mother. Iruka survived, but when the empress left the scene, Ōe’s guards finished him off. This disruptive and transformative event got known as the Isshi Incident. Shortly after the patriarch Emishi learned the ghastly predicament of his son. He set fire to their stately house, built at the foot of the Amakashi Hill, overlooking the Asuka Village. Nevertheless, not without committing his last malevolence. In 620, Empress Suiko had commissioned a historical project, primarily executed by Prince Shōtoku and Soga-no-Umako. The undertake was to compile historical documents of the emperors of the country, of its people, and of the great clans of Japan.
The Sogas became the guardians of the completed work and stored it in their premises for safe-keeping; which then was destroyed by Emishi’s last rant. Empress Kōgyoku abdicated and her brother took the throne as Emperor Kōtoku. The Soga clan’s hold over the imperial family was broken and two years later the Emperor enacted the Taika no Kaishin, returning full power to the emperor. The Taika, aka the ‘Great Reforms’ began with land reform, based on Confucian ideas and philosophies, but the true aim of the reforms was to bring about greater centralisation and to enhance the power of the Imperial Court, which was based on the governmental structure of China. Envoys and students were dispatched to China to learn seemingly everything from the Chinese writing system, literature, religion, and architecture, to even dietary habits at this time. Even today, the impact of these reforms can still be seen in Japanese cultural life.
Unearthed steps of the Miyakozuka burial, believed to have a pyramid-shape structure
Recent archaeological finds pointing to a Soga clan connection in Asuka village include the Miyakozuka burial mound, which dates to the latter half of the sixth century and is thought to be the tomb of Soga no Iname, who died in 570. It is believed the tomb had a pyramid-like structure with seven or eight stone layers. The mound is estimated to have been at least 4.5 meters high on the east side and 7 meters high on the west, with each side being more than 40 meters long. The nearby Koyamada burial mound, which dates from the mid-seventh century and was discovered when a school building for children with physical or mental disabilities was replaced, is considered by some archaeologists to be the tomb of Soga no Emishi.
The Koyamada burial mound in Asuka, Nara Prefecture
The Fujiwaras
Emperor Kōtoku passed away after nine years in the realm. Empress Kōgyoku wore again the mantel, becoming Empress Saimei. Upon her death in 661 CE, Crown Prince Naka-no-Ōe finally accepted to become the emperor and was crowned Emperor Tenchi. He reigned for eleven years, but before he died, he rewarded Nakatomi-no-Kamatari for his loyalty during a panegyric ceremony in the palace. “Kamatari, as Emperor and a proud Japanese, I’m here today to thank you for all these years of good service and your loyalty to our country. As a token of my gratefulness, I bequeath you and your descendants the surname of Fujiwara (wisteria arbour). This accolade symbolises our friendship; which started and ripened in the palace’s courtyard; where we played kemari under a billow of graceful wisteria blossoms.” Nakatomi-no-Kamatari became then Fujiwara-no-Kamatari (please refer to his portrait on the 200 yen banknote above). Under this game-changer leadership the Fujiwara clan secured their power vigorously. What will follow will leave a bitter taste of déjà vu in history. The Imperial House ridded themselves from the Sogas, but went on to copulate with another aristocratic family – the Fujiwaras, who became even more powerful than their predecessors. They also laid firm economic foundations to benefit the family riches by cleverly diverting public revenues to their own coffers.
Fujiwara no Momokawa
Though, it would be fair to mention, that some of their family members had indeed the best interest of the country in their hearts, and for four generations, they served loyally the crown. History cites Fujiwara no Momokawa and his son Otsugu as such loyal courtiers. Born in 732, Momokawa was a Counselor of the Imperial court during the reigns of Empress Kōken/Shōtoku and Emperor Kōnin. When Empress Shōtoku died in 770 without having named an heir, Momokawa was influential in the process which led to the enthronement of Emperor Kōnin. The posthumous influence of Momokawa was ensured when Emperor Kanmu (the son of Kōnin and Takano no Niigasa) followed Kōnin on the Chrysanthemum Throne in 781 and saved the country from total ruin and the Imperial House from bankruptcy
Fujiwara no Fuhito
Nevertheless, like the Soga, in a breakless succession, Fujiwara daughters married the emperors, ensuring the influence that enabled them to manipulate the wheels of the government. The first Fujiwara stock emperor was Emperor Shōmu. He was the son of Fujiwara Miyako, a concubine of Emperor Monmu, whose father was Fujiwara no Fuhito (659–720), the second son and heir of Kamatari, who was prominent at the court of several emperors and empresses during the early Nara Period. Fuhito succeeded in making another of his daughters, Kōmyōshi, the empress consort of Emperor Shōmu. She was the first empress-consort of Japan who was not a daughter of the imperial family itself. Further weakening the royal position was the fact that many emperors took the throne as children and so were governed by a regent, usually a representative of the Fujiwara family.
Fujiwara no Yoshifusa
The first precedent of this practice was Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, who was father-in-law to the reigning monarch and grandfather of the heir apparent. Upon the emperor’s death, his son succeeded to the throne as the Emperor Seiwa at the age of nine. Yoshifusa had himself appointed Kampaku (regent) — the first instance in the Japanese history of a person not of royal blood being named to this position. In total there would be 21 Fujiwara regents from 804 CE to 1238 CE. Even when the emperor reached adulthood, he was still advised by the Kampaku, which ensured the Fujiwara maintained their influence. To guarantee this situation was perpetuated new emperors were nominated not by birth but by their sponsors and encouraged or forced to abdicate when in their thirties in favour of a younger successor. Thus, between 858 and 956 CE there were 10 different emperors. As a consequence, key Fujiwara members could act as kampaku to three or four successive emperors in their own lifetime.
Fujiwara no Michinaga
The Fujiwara dominance achieved its apogee in 995, when Fujiwara no Michinaga became the leader of the clan. He gave three daughters to emperors and a fourth to an heir apparent who later became emperor. Four of his grandsons became emperors, and a son a regent. For 30 years he basked in the splendour and sophistication of court life. The capital of the Court had become an enclave of pleasure and ostentation. The metropolitan culture nurtured style, refinement and a taste for capricious extravagance. This indulgence created the delusion in the Court that it did not need a regular army, as everything was in order at home. Meanwhile, the domains beyond this insulated-carousal-paradise were in a troubled state. Rebellions rose up in the provinces, the seas were swarmed with pirates, crime was rife, and disorder had engulfed the country. The security of the nation had been neglected. When at last the rulers were knocked out of their reverie by the disgruntled society the ruling class had to rely on the warriors to keep order in the country. The Minamotos and their arch-rivals the Tairas – members of two warrior clans, stepped into the political arena. The influence of the Fujiwaras began to wane, already diseased by their inter-family disputes and eventually the new military classes displaced them.
Some of Japan’s greatest literature was produced during Michinaga’s sovereignty. The magnificence of the standard of the court life at his time became the subject of many novels. The famous Makura no Sōshi (The Pillow Book), by the court lady Sei Shōnagon, contains many references to Michinaga. Nonetheless, the best piece of literature, acclaimed worldwide was written in the early 11th century by Murasaki Shikibu, another court lady, where Prince Genji, the hero of the novel Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji), is supposed to be partially modelled on Michinaga. Her work was written in archaic language and a poetic and confusing style that make it unreadable to the average Japanese without dedicated study. Like most Heian literature, the Genji was written mostly in kana (Japanese phonetic script) and not in Chinese characters because it was written by a woman for a female audience. Writing in Chinese characters was at the time a masculine pursuit; women were generally discreet when using Chinese symbols, confining themselves mostly to native Japanese words.
