The was a cadet branch of the

Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

. It was founded by

Fujiwara no Muchimaro was a Japanese courtier (''kuge'') and politician of the late Asuka and early Nara period. He founded the Nanke ("Southern") branch of the Fujiwara clan.'' MyPedia'' entry for "Fujiwara no Muchimaro His court rank is Senior First Rank. Life ...

. Muchimaro had three brothers: Fusasaki, Maro and Umakai. These four brothers are known for having established the "four houses" of the Fujiwara. The name Nanke ("southern house") comes from the fact that Muchimaro's mansion was located south of the mansion of his younger brother. The Nanke served in the imperial court, but many of Fujiwara no Tamenori's descendants later became

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

families such as Itō,

Nikaidō is the name of one of the administrative units ("towns", chō or machi) of Kamakura, a city located in Kanagawa, Japan, about 50 km south-south-west of Tokyo. Nikaidō lies immediately to the east of Nishi Mikado and Yukinoshita, and use ...

Sagara Sagara may refer to: People * Sagara (ethnic group), a people of Tanzania * Sagara (Vedic king), Ikshvaku dynasty * Sagara clan, a clan of 16th century Japan * Sekihotai (Sagara Souzou), a leader of the Sekihotai military unit during the Boshin ...

and Kudō.

Nara period

The founder of Fujiwara Nanke, Fujiwara no Muchimaro, was the eldest son of

Fujiwara no Fuhito Fujiwara no Fuhito (藤原不比等: 659 – 13 September 720) was a powerful member of the Imperial Court in Kyoto, imperial court of Japan during the Asuka period, Asuka and Nara periods. Second son of Fujiwara no Kamatari (or, according ...

. Shortly after the beginning of

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...

, Muchimaro became the head of Ministry of Civil Services in 718. When Fuhito died in 720,

Prince Nagaya Nagaya ( ') (684 – 20 March 729) was a politician of the Nara period and an imperial prince of Japan, a son of Prince Takechi (grandson of Emperor Tenmu). His father was Prince Takechi and his mother Princess Minabe (a daughter of Emperor T ...

was at the highest rank in the state government. Prince Nagaya was grandson of

Emperor Tenmu was the 40th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. Tenmu's re ...

, but not a son of Fujiwara family, he was therefore seen as a threat by Muchimaro and his three brothers. After successfully removing Prince Nagaya in 729, Muchimaro rose to ''

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'', "Counselor of the first rank". In 734, he was promoted to ''

Udaijin was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''udaijin'' in the context of a central administr ...

'' or "Minister of the Right", and in 737, he was made ''

Sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the ini ...

'' or "Minister of the Left". Nanke further prospered in the Nara period as Nakamaro, the second son of Muchimaro, gained the trust of

Empress Kōken , also known as , was the 46th (with the name Empress Kōken) and the 48th monarch of Japan (with the name Empress Shōtoku), Emperor Kōnin, Takano Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. ...

and was given the name ''Emi no Oshikatsu.''

Tachibana no Naramaro was a Japanese aristocrat (''kuge''), courtier, and statesman of the Nara period. He was the son of ''sadaijin'' Tachibana no Moroe and the second head of the Tachibana clan. He attained the court rank of and the position of '' sangi'', and pos ...

, who was unhappy about Nakamaro's monopolization of power, plotted a conspiracy to replace Nakamaro and to overthrow the Empress, but Nakamaro settled the rebellion and established

dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship are ...

. However, Nakamaro was killed during

Fujiwara no Nakamaro Rebellion The , also known as the Emi Rebellion, was a short-lived and unsuccessful Nara period military confrontation in Japan resulting from a power struggle between former Empress Kōken and the main political figure of the time, Fujiwara no Nakamaro fro ...

after he attempted to overthrow the

Imperial Family A royal family is the immediate family of King, kings/Queen regnant, queens, Emir, emirs/emiras, Sultan, sultans/Sultana (title), sultanas, or raja/rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the ...

and become the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

, after which Hokke replaced Nanke as the leading house of Fujiwara.

Notable members

Fujiwara no Nakamaro , also known as , Brown, Delmer M. (1979). ''Gukanshō,'' p. 274 was a Japanese aristocrat (''kuge''), courtier, and statesman. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Fujiwara no Nakamaro"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 207. He was Chancellor (''Daij� ...

Fujiwara no Suenori Fujiwara no Suenori (藤原季範, 1090 – December 27, 1155) was a Japanese nobleman and high priest, High Priest of Atsuta Shrine during the late Heian period, belonging to the Nanke (Fujiwara), Nanke House of the powerful Fujiwara clan. He w ...

Fujiwara no Toshiyuki Fujiwara no Toshiyuki (birthdate unknown – 901 or 907, Japanese: 藤原敏行, also 藤原敏行朝臣 ''Fujiwara Toshiyuki no Ason'') was a middle Heian ''waka'' poet and Japanese nobleman. He was designated a member of the Thirty-six Poe ...

* Ukon *

Fujiwara no Michinori , also known as , was an aristocratic Confucian scholar and Buddhist monk in late Heian period Japan. He was one of the chief advisors to Emperor Nijō, and one of the chief allies of Taira no Kiyomori, particularly during the Heiji Rebellion ...

Family tree

Notes

References

* Brinkley, Frank and

Dairoku Kikuchi Baron was a Japanese mathematician, educator, and education administrator during the Meiji era. Biography Early life and family Kikuchi was born in Edo (present-day Tokyo), as the second son of Mitsukuri Shūhei, a professor at Bansho Shi ...

. (1915). ''A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era.'' New York: Encyclopædia Britannica
OCLC 413099
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). ''Japan Encyclopedia.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 58053128
Fujiwara clan Japanese clans Japanese nobility {{Japan-hist-stub

Nara period

Notable members

Family tree

See also

Notes

References