clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

Yamato period The is the period of Japanese history when the Imperial court ruled from modern-day Nara Prefecture, then known as Yamato Province. While conventionally assigned to the period 250–710, including both the Kofun period (–538) and the Asuka ...

haniwa The are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD) of the history of Japan. ''Haniwa'' were created according to the ''wazumi'' technique, ...

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be ...

kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』� ...

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 As the national unification by the Yamato imperial court progressed ...

Sukune ''Sukune'' (宿禰) is one of the hereditary noble titles of ancient Japan. In the 3rd to 5th centuries, it was used as a title to represent military and administrative officers of the Yamato court. In the 8th century, it became one of the ei ...

Muraji (from Old Japanese: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master") was an ancient Japanese hereditary title denoting rank and political standing (a ''

. They were engaged in constructing the tombs of high-ranking people as well as managing the funeral ceremonies of the ''ōkimi'' ("great lords").

History

The Haji clan claims descent from

Ame-no-hohi Ame no Hohi (アメノホヒ, "Heavenly grain sun") is a male deity and the second son of sun goddess Amaterasu in Japanese mythology. Kokusō is said to have originated from Ame no Hohi. He was also said to be the ancestor to Izumo rulers. M ...

, the second son of

Amaterasu Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojik ...

, which makes them relatives of the

Japanese Imperial Family The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

.

Nomi no Sukune was a legendary figure in Japanese history, regarded as the founder of sumo wrestling. He was the founder of the Haji no Muraji clan. Life Sukune is said to have lived during the reign of Emperor Suinin (29 BC – 70). Allegedly, in 23 B.C., ...

was believed to be the ancestor of the clan. According to legend, he was the inventor of ''

haniwa The are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD) of the history of Japan. ''Haniwa'' were created according to the ''wazumi'' technique, ...

'',Kotobank entry for ''Hajibe''
(in Japanese; retrieved 13 July 2022) the

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

clay figurines buried with a nobleman and used as a symbolic substitute for ''

junshi refers to the medieval Japanese act of vassals committing seppuku (a voluntary suicide) for the death of their lord. Originally it was only performed when the lord was slain in battle or murdered. Background The practice is described by Chines ...

'', the practice whereby members of high-ranking households would commit suicide upon the passing of the household head, as a way to continue serving them in death. The clan was later divided into three houses: the Sugawara clan, the , and the .

Name

The clan takes its name from ''haji'' (), a shift from older ''hani-shi'', from (''hani'', "red clay", such as used to make

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

) + (''-shi'', a Chinese-derived suffix appended to indicate "master" of a craft). The ''hani-shi'' were masters of the crafts of

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

and earthwork engineering.

References

{{authority control Japanese clans

History

Name

See also

References