was a leader of the

Soga clan The was one of the most powerful aristocratic kin groups Uji (clan), (''uji'') of the Asuka period of the early Japanese state—the Yamato period, Yamato polity—and played a major role in the spread of Buddhism. Through the 5th and 7th centur ...

and a statesman during the reign of

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– ...

in the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after t ...

. 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 means: Japan's first

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

(or more precisely

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan. Japanese his ...

's) with the Ōkimi (later denoted Emperor) as

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

. He was the son of Soga no Koma and the father of

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 go ...

. Soga no Iname solidified his power by marrying two of his daughters,

Soga no Kitashihime was a Japanese noblewoman and high lady, a daughter of Soga no Iname, a high-ranking official. She was a consort of Emperor Kinmei of Japan. Among her offspring were Emperor Yōmei, Empress Suiko and Princess Ōtomo. Issue Soga no Kitashihime ...

and Soga no Oanegimi, to Emperor Kinmei. Between the two of them they gave birth to three future emperors,

Emperor Yōmei was the 31st Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 用明天皇 (31)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Yōmei's reign spanned the years from 585 until his death in 587. Traditional narrative He was cal ...

Emperor Sushun was the 32nd Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')崇峻天皇 (32)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Sushun's reign spanned the years from 587 through 592. Traditional narrative Before his ascension t ...

and

Empress Suiko (554 – 15 April 628) was the 33rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 推古天皇 (33)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Suiko reigned from 593 until her death in 628. In the history of Japan ...

, as well as numerous other princes and princesses. Soga no Iname is also known for his early support of

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 ...

which, according to the Nihon Shoki, was introduced to the Yamato court from

Paekche Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jumon ...

in 552. (However, according to a different source, the ''

Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu , also read as ''Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Taisetsu'', is a biography of Shōtoku Taishi. It is one scroll in length and is a National Treasure of Japan. Background The author (or authors) of the text is unknown. It originally belonged to Hōryū-j ...

'', it was introduced in 538.) Opposing Iname and against the acceptance of this new foreign religion were

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 ...

and Nakatomi no Kamako. The rivalry between the Sogas and 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 ...

and Nakatomi clans would carry on into future generations, with Iname's son Soga no Umako defeating Okoshi's son

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 ...

in 587, and his grandson and great-grandson

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 Soga may refer to: People * Soga clan, a Japanese clan of the Yamato period * Soga clan (Sagami Province), a Japanese clan * Soga people, of the Busoga kingdom in present-day Uganda * Machiko Soga, Japanese voice actress * Soga Tokimune, Jap ...

being defeated by a descendant of Kamako,

Nakatomi no Kamatari Fujiwara no Kamatari (藤原鎌足, 614 – November 14, 669) was a Japanese statesman, courtier and aristocrat during the Asuka period (538–710).Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Tadahira" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (191 ...

, in the Isshi Incident.

Family

Parents *Father: Soga no Koma (蘇我高麗) *Mother: Unknown Spouse(s) and issue: *Wife: Bijohime (美女媛) *Wife: Lady Agako (吾田子) *Wife: Unknown women **First Daughter:

(蘇我堅塩媛), Consort of

, Mother of

and

**First Son:

(蘇我馬子, 551– 19 June 626) **Second Daughter: Soga no Oane (蘇我小姉君), Consort of

, Mother of

**Third Daughter: Soga no Ishikina (蘇我石寸名), Concubine of

**Second Son:

Sakaibe no Marise Sakaibe no Marise (境部摩理勢) (died 628) was a court aristocrat of the Asuka period of Japanese history, and member of the Soga clan. When Empress Suiko died in 628, Marise sought to place Prince Yamashiro, the son of Prince Shōtoku, on t ...

(境部摩理勢, d. 628) **Third Son: Kojoshin (小祚臣) Soga clan 570 deaths People of Kofun-period Japan People of Asuka-period Japan Buddhism in the Kofun period Buddhism in the Asuka period Year of birth unknown {{Japan-bio-stub