View source for Muraji

{{Short description|Hereditary title in ancient Japan}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}
{{Italic title|reason=[[:Category:Japanese words and phrases]]}}
{{nihongo|'''''Muraji'''''|連}} (from [[Old Japanese]]: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master"<ref>{{cite book |editor=Alexander Vovin |editor2=William McClure|title=Studies in Japanese and Korean Historical Linguistics and Beyond|location=Leiden, Boston|publisher=Brill|year=2017|pages=80–89|chapter=On The Etymology of the Name of Mt. Fuji|url=https://www.academia.edu/35892155|isbn=978-90-04-35085-4}}</ref>) was an ancient [[Japan]]ese hereditary title denoting rank and political standing (a ''[[kabane]]'') that was reserved for the most powerful among the ''Tomo no [[Kuni no miyatsuko|Miyatsuko]]'' clans, which were clans associated with particular occupations. The ''muraji'' rivaled the rank of ''[[Omi (title)|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 (神別氏族, ''shinbetsu shizoku'') and included such clans as the Ōtomo (大伴), the [[Nakatomi clan|Nakatomi]] (中臣), the [[Mononobe clan|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]]'' included Mononobe no Ikofutsu (物部伊莒弗) during the reign of [[Emperor Richu|Emperor Richū]], [[Ōtomo no Muroya]] (大伴室屋), [[Ōtomo no Kanamura]] (大伴金村), [[Mononobe no Me]] (物部目), [[Mononobe no Arakabi]] (物部麁鹿火), [[Mononobe no Okoshi]] (物部尾輿) and [[Mononobe no Moriya]] (物部守屋).
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)==
*[[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
*[[Ōtomo no Kanamura]] (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)
*[[Mononobe no Okoshi]] (物部 尾輿), grandson of Me
*[[Mononobe no Nieko]] (物部 贄子), son of Okoshi
*[[Mononobe no Moriya]] (物部 守屋), son of Okoshi (died 587)
==References==
<references/>
{{Portal|Ancient Japan}}
[[Category:Ancient Japan]]
{{Japan-hist-stub}}