Muraji

Muraji (連れん) (from Old Japanese: muraⁿzi < *mura-nusi "village master"^[1]) was an ancient Japanese hereditary title denoting rank and political standing (a kabane) 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 and were frequently in conflict with them over political issues such as whether Buddhism should be accepted and issues of imperial succession. By tradition, the muraji clans claimed descent from mythological gods (神かみ別べつ氏族しぞく, shinbetsu shizoku) and included such clans as the Ōtomo (大伴おおとも), the Nakatomi (中ちゅう臣しん), the Mononobe (物部ものべ), and the Inbe (忌部いむべ).

Like the omi, the most powerful muraji added the prefix Ō (大だい) to muraji and were referred to as Ōmuraji (大連たいれん). Examples of Ōmuraji mentioned in the Nihon Shoki included Mononobe no Ikofutsu (物部ものべ伊い莒弗) during the reign of Emperor Richū, Ōtomo no Muroya (大伴室屋おおとものむろや), Ōtomo no Kanamura (大伴金村おおとものかなむら), Mononobe no Me (物部もののべ目め), Mononobe no Arakabi (物部麁鹿火もののべのあらかび), Mononobe no Okoshi (物部ものべ尾お輿こし) and Mononobe no Moriya (物部守屋もののべのもりや).

When the kabane system was reformed into the eight kabane system in 684, a few of the powerful muraji of the time were given the kabane of ason, which ranked second under the new system, but most were given the kabane of sukune, which ranked third. Muraji itself was dropped to seventh in rank.

List of Ō-muraji (大連たいれん)

Mononobe no Toochone (物部ものべ十じゅう千せん根ね)
Mononobe no Ikofutsu (物部ものべ伊い莒弗), great-grandson of Toochone
Ōtomo no Muroya (大伴室屋おおとものむろや)
Mononobe no Me (物部もののべ目め), son of Ikofutsu
Ōtomo no Kanamura (大伴金村おおとものかなむら), grandson of Muroya
Mononobe no Itabi (物部ものべ木蓮もくれん子こ), grandson of Ikofutsu
Mononobe no Arakabi (物部ものべ麁鹿火ひ), grandson of Itabi (died 536)
Mononobe no Okoshi (物部ものべ尾お輿こし), grandson of Me
Mononobe no Nieko (物部ものべ贄にえ子こ), son of Okoshi
Mononobe no Moriya (物部ものべ守屋もりや), son of Okoshi (died 587)

References

^ Alexander Vovin; William McClure, eds. (2017). "On The Etymology of the Name of Mt. Fuji". Studies in Japanese and Korean Historical Linguistics and Beyond. Leiden, Boston: Brill. pp. 80–89. ISBN 978-90-04-35085-4.

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[1] Alexander Vovin; William McClure, eds. (2017). "On The Etymology of the Name of Mt. Fuji". Studies in Japanese and Korean Historical Linguistics and Beyond. Leiden, Boston: Brill. pp. 80–89. ISBN 978-90-04-35085-4.

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