(from

Old Japanese is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language, recorded in documents from the Nara period (8th century). It became Early Middle Japanese in the succeeding Heian period, but the precise delimitation of the stages is controversial. Old Jap ...

: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master") was an ancient

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese hereditary title denoting rank and political standing (a ''

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 ...

'') that was reserved for the most powerful among the ''Tomo no Miyatsuko'' clans, which were clans associated with particular occupations. The ''muraji'' rivaled the rank of '' omi'' in political power and standing during much of 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 ...

and were frequently in conflict with them over political issues such as whether

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

should be accepted and issues of imperial succession. By tradition the ''muraji'' clans claimed descent from mythological gods (神別氏族, ''shinbetsu shizoku'') and included such clans as the Ōtomo (大伴), the Nakatomi (中臣), the

Mononobe The was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (''uji'') of the Kofun period, known for its military opposition to the Soga clan. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of Buddhism, partly on religious grounds, claiming that the local deities wo ...

(物部) and the Inbe (忌部). Like the ''omi'', the most powerful ''muraji'' added the prefix ''Ō'' (大) to ''muraji'' and were referred to as ''Ōmuraji'' (大連). Examples of ''Ōmuraji'' mentioned in the '' Nihon Shoki'' included Mononobe no Ikofutsu (物部伊莒弗) during the reign of

Emperor Richū , also known as was the 17th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 履中天皇 (17) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or ...

, Ōtomo no Muroya (大伴室屋),

Ōtomo no Kanamura Ōtomo no Kanamura (大伴金村) was a Japanese warrior and statesman during the late Kofun period. Most of what is known of his life comes from the '' Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki''. His clan, the Ōtomo, had been highly influential at cour ...

(大伴金村),

Mononobe no Me The was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (''uji'') of the Kofun period, known for its military opposition to the Soga clan. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of Buddhism, partly on religious grounds, claiming that the local deities wo ...

(物部目),

Mononobe no Arakabi was a government minister during the Kofun period of ancient Japanese history. Life In 512, the king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje (called ''Kudara'' by the Japanese) requested to take control of four districts of the land of the Gaya confed ...

(物部麁鹿火),

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 ...

(物部尾輿) and

Mononobe no Moriya was an '' Ō-muraji'', a high-ranking clan head position of the ancient Japanese Yamato state, having inherited the position from his father Mononobe no Okoshi. Like his father, he was a devoted opponent of Buddhism, which had recently been int ...

(物部守屋). When the ''kabane'' system was reformed into the eight ''

'' system in 684, a few of the powerful ''muraji'' of the time were given the ''kabane'' of ''

ason was a prestigious hereditary noble title in Japan, used mainly between Asuka and Heian periods. At first, it was the second highest, below '' Mahito'', which was given to members of the Imperial family, but after Heian period it became the h ...

'', which ranked second under the new system, but most were given the ''kabane'' of ''

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 ...

'', which ranked third. ''Muraji'' itself was dropped to seventh in rank.

List of ''Ō-muraji'' (大連)

Mononobe no Toochone The was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (''uji'') of the Kofun period, known for its military opposition to the Soga clan. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of Buddhism, partly on religious grounds, claiming that the local deities wo ...

(物部十千根) *

Mononobe no Ikofutsu The was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (''uji'') of the Kofun period, known for its military opposition to the Soga clan. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of Buddhism, partly on religious grounds, claiming that the local deities wo ...

(物部伊莒弗), great-grandson of Toochone * Ōtomo no Muroya (大伴室屋) *

(物部目), son of Ikofutsu *

(大伴金村), grandson of Muroya *

Mononobe no Itabi The was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (''uji'') of the Kofun period, known for its military opposition to the Soga clan. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of Buddhism, partly on religious grounds, claiming that the local deities wo ...

(物部木蓮子), grandson of Ikofutsu *

(物部麁鹿火), grandson of Itabi (died 536) *

(物部尾輿), grandson of Me * Mononobe no Nieko (物部贄子), son of Okoshi *

(物部守屋), son of Okoshi (died 587)

References

Ancient Japan {{Japan-hist-stub