Ōtomo no Kanamura (大伴金村) was a Japanese warrior and statesman during the late

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 ...

. Most of what is known of his life comes from the ''

Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...

'' and the '' Nihon Shoki''. His clan, the Ōtomo, had been highly influential at court since the time of his grandfather Ōtomo Muruya. According to these sources, Kanamura was instrumental in putting down the uprising of

Heguri no Matori was a Japanese court minister of rank during the Kofun period, who was able to briefly usurp the throne of Japan in a coup attempt. He was the son of Heguri no Tsuka, and served in the administration of Emperor Yūryaku and Emperor Ninken ...

(平群馬鳥) and in raising

Emperor Buretsu (489 — 7 January 507) was the 25th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 武烈天皇 (25)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, but ...

to the throne. Buretsu, in gratitude, raised Kanamura to the position of

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

Japan

ese hereditary title denoting rank and ...

(a high-ranking ministerial position). He also oversaw the succession of

Emperor Keitai (died 10 March 531) was the 26th legendary 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 h ...

, instead of the claimant Prince Yamatohiko, and selected Keitai's empress himself. Kanamura embraced an aggressive policy towards the kingdom of

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

(part of modern-day Korea), and advocated sending forces there; his own son Ōtomo no Satehiko led two expeditions against the Korean kingdoms. This policy eventually led to his downfall, when in 540 the

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– ...

, under advice from the minister

Mononobe no Okoshi Mononobe no Okoshi (物部尾輿) was a Japanese minister during the Kofun period, and the chief of the Mononobe clan. According to the '' Nihon Shoki'', during the reign of Emperor Ankan, a necklace belonging to Mononobe was stolen by the daught ...

, decided to refrain from direct military action against Silla. The Emperor also removed Kanamura from his position as Ōmuraji as a result.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otomo no, Kanamura People of Kofun-period Japan Japanese warriors Buddhism in the Kofun period