I just bought a new laptop as I’ll be moving and this old desktop won’t be coming with me. I was clearing out my documents and found this old paper from high school. It’s elementary, dated, simplistic, and completely lacks footnotes, so it’s no good to me anymore. I had a good time reading it, though–a lot of old memories. Without further to do, here’s something from the ancient past about the ancient past:
In 645, Soga no Iruka was assassinated at Empress’ Kougyoku’s court. Nakatomi no Kamatari and Naka no Oe were the main makers of the assassination plan. Why was Soga no Iruka killed? There have been, through the years, a few different theories. The following sums up the most common: 1) The Soga clan, especially Soga no Iruka, was dominating the Court. 2) Nakatomi no Kamatari and Naka no Oe did not believe Soga no Iruka could handle a possible Tang invasion. 3) Nakatomi no Kamatari wanted to secretly dominate the court himself, replacing the Soga clan with the Nakatomi (Fujiwara family).
The Soga clan had been dominating the court for many years. The position of Emperor was one, at the time, of a figurehead, with the Soga clan actually ruling. Upon Soga no Iruka’s assassination, Naka no Oe cried out to Empress Kougyoku that the Soga clan was ruling in place of the divinely appointed Emperors. Upon Soga no Iruka’s assassination, Soga dominance fell. This seems to be a very possible theory, and one that is quite prominent.
The Second possible reason is that the assassination conspirators did not think that Soga no Iruka could handle a possible Tang invasion. Nakatomi no Kamatari had studied for years under priests that had returned from studies in China. He was considered to be very wise in the aspect of foreign relations. He and Naka no Oe believed that having a Soga-controlled court at that time was unwise, believing their administration could handle the situation better. At this time, Tang forces from China were invading Korea. The Japanese court was afraid that the Tang forces would subsequently invade Japan, itself. Most political choices made at this time by the Imperial Court were made with deference to the present situation in China and Korea. Soga no Iruka did not have widespread support, thus making him a dangerous man, if he held Imperial power. His own father, Soga no Emishi, considered him rash, following his attack on Yamashiro no Oe and his family. Yamashiro no Oe was Shotoku Taishi’s son. Therefore, the worry that Nakatomi no Kamatari and Naka no Oe held seems understandable.
The last possible reason deals with the possibility that Nakatomi no Kamatari wished to palce his family in control of the Imperial Court. The possible proof of this theory is that the same controlling methods used by the Soga clan were soon adopted by the Fujiwara (Nakatomi) clan. The Fujiwara family grew to great status, supplying Imperial regents, not unlike the Hojo Shikken of later years, and actual Empresses. The prominence that they held in later years seems to point to the possibility that Nakatomi no Kamatari wished to place his family in great prominence.
The theory that the assassins were outraged at Soga no Iruka makes much sense. There are not many points that disagree with it. While this makes much sense for the reasoning behind a coup, examining all aspects is necessary. Soga no Iruka probably could not have handled a Tang invasion, as even his own Family, the Soga family, was not always agreed on issues. The last possible reason, while being quite possible, has some flaws. During the Nara period, Fujiwara no Maro, Umakai, Fusasaki, and Muchimaro were all Imperial counselors. Although this seems to point to Kamatari-designed Fujiwara influence, the way that the four Fujiwara men came to power points in another direction. The four came to power by going around laws that Nakatomi no Kamatari had put into place, thus breaking the governmental structure defined by him. If Nakatomi no Kamatari wished to replace the Soga clan in supremacy, he would have set up a system favoring his generation. This does not completely rule out this theory, but dampens it somewhat. Personally, I believe that all of these theories combined somewhat in the mind of Nakatomi no Kamatari, but that the theory of hatred for Soga dominance and Soga leadership takes center stage.
It is important to study history because it influences the present by giving examples and warnings. In the area of Japanese history, I find the Asuka-jidai to be most interesting, not only for the interaction between Korea, China, and Japan, but for the formation of culture and traditions that would come to affect the Heian culture, and eventually all of Japan.
