(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 Ja ...

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

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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 At first, the ''kabane'' were administered by individual clans, but ...

'') 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 Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

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 (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 The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

'' included Mononobe no Ikofutsu (物部伊莒弗) during the reign of Emperor Richū, 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 court ...

(大伴金村), Mononobe no Me (物部目), Mononobe no Arakabi (物部麁鹿火),

Mononobe no Okoshi Mononobe no Okoshi (物部尾輿) was a Japanese statesman during the Kofun period (300-538 Common Era, CE), and the chief of the Mononobe clan. He was strongly against the introduction of Buddhism in Japan, Buddhism in Japan, along with his coun ...

(物部尾輿) and Mononobe no Moriya (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 hereditary noble title in Japan, used mainly between the Asuka and Heian periods. At first, it was the second highest, below '' Mahito'', which was given to members of the Imperial family, but after the Heian period it became the highes ...

'', 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 e ...

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

List of ''Ō-muraji'' (大連)

* Mononobe no Toochone (物部十千根) * Mononobe no Ikofutsu (物部伊莒弗), great-grandson of Toochone * Ōtomo no Muroya (大伴室屋) * Mononobe no Me (物部目), son of Ikofutsu *

(大伴金村), grandson of Muroya * Mononobe no Itabi (物部木蓮子), grandson of Ikofutsu * Mononobe no Arakabi (物部麁鹿火), grandson of Itabi (died 536) *

(物部尾輿), grandson of Me *

Mononobe no Nieko The was a Japan, Japanese aristocratic kin group Uji (clan), (''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 ...

(物部贄子), son of Okoshi * Mononobe no Moriya (物部守屋), son of Okoshi (died 587)

References

Ancient Japan {{Japan-hist-stub