is a hereditary
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
title (''
kabane'') of 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 ...
. It was given to the descendants of the
Imperial Family
A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pap ...
before
Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''
Muraji
(from Old Japanese: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master"
'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during 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 ...
. When the
Yamato court was established, the most influential families bearing these two titles were given the title ''Ōomi'' and ''Ōmuraji'', respectively.
History
The O''mi'' clans generally took their names from the geographic location from which they originated, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the , thus making them regional chieftains in their own right.
The most powerful ''Omi'' added the prefix to the O''mi'' title, and were referred to as . Examples of ''Ōomi'' mentioned in the ''
Nihon Shoki'' included during the reign of
Emperor Richū, during the reign of Emperors
Yūryaku and
Seinei, during the reign of
Emperor Keitai and the four generations of
Sogas who dominated the title during the 6th and 7th centuries:
Soga no Iname
was a leader of the Soga clan and a statesman during the reign of Emperor Kinmei in the Asuka period. He was the first person to hold the position of ''Ōomi'' that can be verified with reasonable accuracy, in 536 A.D. Essentially what this me ...
,
Soga no Umako
was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan.
Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during the rules of Emperor Bidatsu and Empress Suiko and established the Soga clan's stronghold in the govern ...
,
Soga no Emishi
was a statesman of the Yamato Imperial Court. His alternative names include Emishi () and Toyora no Ōomi (). After the death of his father Soga no Umako, Emishi took over '' Ōomi '', the Minister of State, from his father.
According to the ...
and
Soga no Iruka.
When the ''kabane'' system was reformed into the
eight kabane system in 684 following a series of coup attempts, the powerful O''mi'' of the time were given the ''kabane'' of ''
Ason'', which ranked second under the new system, and O''mi'' itself was dropped to sixth in rank.
Name
The title denoted supremacy within the court, with titular power belonging to the ''Ōkimi'' (later denoted Emperor), whether or not he actually held power.
These same characters of ''Ōomi'' () are pronounced ''Daijin'' to refer to titles beyond 670 A.D. in ''
Daijō-daijin
The was the head of the ''Daijō-kan'' (Great Council of State) during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. Equivalent to the Chinese (Grand Preceptor).
History
Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, w ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', ''
Udaijin'', ''
Naidaijin
The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the Japanese imperial court, Japanese Imperial Court. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre-Meiji period, Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remain ...
'', etc.
List of ''Ōomi''
* (84–?)
*
* (?–456)
* (?–?)
* (?–498)
* (?–529)
* (
c. 506–570)
* (551–626)
* (587–645)
* (?–645)
In popular culture
The name "Omi" holds a superior power in "HvH".
See also
*
Gōzoku
, in Japanese, refers to powerful regional families. In historical context, it can refer to powerful non-royal families regardless of their area of influence, in contrast to the Imperial Family. The most powerful ''gōzoku'' families of the Yamat ...
References
Ancient Japan
Asuka period
Kofun period
Titles
{{Japan-hist-stub