Kudara no Konikishi clan

The Kudara no Konikishi (Japanese: 百済王) was a Japanese clan whose founder Zenkō (善光 or 禅広) was a son of King Uija, the last king of Baekje in southwestern Korea.

Kudara no Konikishi clan
百済王
Parent houseBuyeo
TitlesVarious
FounderZenkō
Founding yearcirca 691

Kudara was an uji or clan name that represented their country of origin, Baekje. Konikishi or Kokishi, which literally means "king", was a special kabane that was given only to the former royal families of Baekje and Goguryeo: the Kudara, Shōna (肖奈) and Koma (高麗) clans.

The founder Zenkō came from Baekje to Japan as a hostage along with his brother Hōshō in 643. Even though Japan sent Hōshō back to Korea for a failed campaign to revive Baekje, Zenkō remained in Japan. The former royal family members were treated as "barbarian guests" (蕃客) and were not incorporated into the domestic political system of Japan for some time. They enjoyed privileged treatment while they were obliged to serve to the emperor in a symbolic fashion.[1]

They were finally assimilated into Japanese bureaucracy in 691. They were given the name "Kudara no Konikishi" sometime after that. This event has drawn scholarly attention and a couple of theories have been proposed to explain the reason why they were given this peculiar name at that particular time. One theory associates the event with the enforcement of the Asuka Kiyomihara Code in 689: the law system entailed clarification of their legal status. However, while being subjects to the Japanese emperor, they still needed to represent Baekje kingship by the special name. Japan applied to herself the Chinese ideology of emperorship that required "barbarian people" to long for the great virtue of the emperor. It was, however, difficult for Japan to keep the concept in concrete form in real international politics. Silla, which had acted as a vassal state in the 670s,[2] changed its attitude and brought tension with Japan. In response, Japan treated Kudara no Konishiki as a "barbarian king" to reaffirm Silla's vassalage.

In 790, Emperor Kanmu issued a rescript that treats the Kudara no Konikishi clan as "relatives by marriage". It was related to the fact that the emperor's mother Takano no Niigasa belonged to the Baekje-originated Yamato no Fuhito clan, who at that time claimed its root in the Baekje royal family.[3]

Another theory attempts to interpret the rise and fall of the Kudara no Konikishi clan in the context of domestic politics rather than political ideology: This clan fell under the influence of the southern branch of the Fujiwara clan after Kudara no Konikishi Myōshin married Fujiwara no Tsugutada around 754. The emperor's rescript of 790 aimed to support Myōshin's appointment as Lady in Waiting (尚侍), the highest post among court ladies, despite her humble origin. She helped the clan's other female members enter the imperial court. Their prosperous days ended in 807 when Fujiwara no Takatoshi, the son of Tsugutada and Myōshin, fell from power in an imperial succession dispute. They declined from the latter half of the 9th century to the early 10th century and disappeared from the political scene.[4]

Notable members of the Kudara no Konikishi clan include:

  • Kudara no Konikishi Zenkō (百済王禅光) (617-700) - The founder of the clan
  • Kudara no Konikishi Shōsei (百済王昌成) (?-674) - son of the founder
  • Kudara no Konikishi Rōgu (百済王朗虞) (661-737) - Vice Governor of Settsu (摂津亮)
  • Kudara no Konikishi Kyōfuku (百済王敬福) (697-766) - Lord of Justice (刑部卿)
  • Kudara no Konikishi Shuntetsu (百済王俊哲) (740-795) - General of Peace Guard for Mutsu and Vice Delegate of Conquering East-Barbarian (陸奥鎮守将軍征夷副使)
  • Kudara no Konikishi Bukyō (百済王武鏡) - Governor of Dewa (出羽守)

Notes
  1. Mase Tomohiro 間瀬智広 (2005). ""Kudara no Konishiki" sei no seiritsu to Kudara no Konikishi shi no gakubu sōjō" 「百済王」姓の成立と百済王氏の楽舞奏上. Rekishi kenkyū 歴史研究 (in Japanese). 51: 89–110.
  2. Tanaka Fumio 田中史生 (1997). "'"Konikishi" sei shiyo to Nihon kodai kokka" 「王」姓賜与と日本古代国家. Nihon kodai kokka no minzoku shihai to toraijin 日本古代国家の民族支配と渡来人 (in Japanese). pp. 40–71.
  3. Tanaka Fumio 田中史生 (1997). "Kanmu chō no Kudara no Konikishi shi" 桓武朝の百済王氏. Nihon kodai kokka no minzoku shihai to toraijin 日本古代国家の民族支配と渡来人 (in Japanese). pp. 72–109.
  4. Ōtsubo Hidetoshi 大坪秀敏 (2008). Kudara no Konikishi shi to kodai Nihon 百済王氏と古代日本 (in Japanese).
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