Yamatonoaya clan


Yamatonoaya clan was an immigrant clan from Korea that was active in Japan since the Kofun period according to the Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, and Shoku Nihongi.

Origins

According to ancient Japanese records, Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, Yamatonoaya clan was one of the many clans that arrived from the Korean kingdoms during the reign of Emperor Ōjin. It is said that the clan came from Paekche alongside their ancestor, Achi no Omi and his son, .It is said that the clan started off small but gradually grew as other clans integrated themselves to the clan, later becoming one of the most influential clans in Japan.
It is also said that "Hinokuma no Sato ", present day " " of Nara prefecture was a place Yamatonoaya clan had jurisdiction over as well as being a well-known "Paekche town" also known as "Kudara no Sato " in Japanese.
Although oldest sources such as the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki state that the clan and its founder, Achi no Omi, originate from the kingdom of Paekche, the Shoku Nihongi claims that Achi no Omi was a descendant of Emperor Ling of Han. Later, according to the Shinsen Shōjiroku, it states that he was rather a descendant of Emperor Xian of Han following the claim made by the Sakanoue clan. However, it is believed that the claims of his supposed royal heritage is an embellishment to make him seem more important as his name is recorded under "King Achi " likely to emphasize on the idea that he was of noble background. In actuality, the general consensus by modern historians is that Achi no Omi was likely a fictional individual, as according to historian, it was common for Korean descendants to rely on prominent families for their lineage in order to raise their social status.
According to at Kyoto University, the name "Yamatonoaya" was widely used by Korean immigrants to apply dominance in their newly found home. Similarly with the Hata clan from Silla being wrongfully credited as a kingdom from the Qin dynasty, Yamatonoaya clan is thought to have been misinterpreted as a clan from the Han dynasty and was wrongfully credited as such when in fact, they were originally from Paekche or more recently, Kaya based on historical and archaeological evidence.

Etymology

"Yamato" in Yamatonoaya meant "east " in Old Japanese as seen in the older spelling of the clan name, thus, "Yamato no Aya" meant "Aya clan of the east". The word "Aya", written as "漢 " in on'yomi, does not have a native Japanese etymology and scholars suspect it to be a loanword from a different language.
Modern Japanese historians theorize that Yamatonoaya clan and its founder Achi no Omi, originated from the Kaya confederacy, specifically from the kingdom of "Aya " or "Anra " where the placename became the etymology of the Aya clans. According to the theory, the immigrants brought many Paekche technologies from Ara Gaya and were considered as close kin to the people of Paekche. Some nationalist historians used this to support the claims over the Mimana controversy stating that Mimana was in fact Japanese due to the relations between the kingdom of Aya and the Aya clans of Japan. Despite the lukewarm reception in Korea, evidence alludes to the possibilities of Japanese speakers in the region.
In recent times, the character for "Aya " is analogous with the ancient Han dynasty, hence why the character is heavily associated with China today. However, looking at the character's etymology, it is believed to have been used more leniently than its modern equivalent. The pronunciation of "Aya ", as mentioned above, is believed to have derived from the "Kingdom of Aya " and was only given the character of Han later on. Similar to "Hata " being written as "Qin " but having roots in the Koreanic word "Pada/Hada ", and "Kara " being written as "Tang " but having roots in the "Kingdom of Kara ", it is believed to have been directly associated with Korean kingdoms at first, then later expanded to China over several millennia, adopting different characters and interchanging when necessary.
Similar usage of Chinese characters has been observed in Korean as well, with Koreans using "Han " to represent the native word "Han " meaning "big" or "grand" using the Idu system. Interestingly, the native Korean word "Han" which is directly associated with the Samhan or "three Hans" of Korea, is believed to be the root of the word "Kara" in Japanese as the word "Han" would have been pronounced as "Kar" in Old Korean. Therefore, pronunciations such as "Aya; Hata; Kara" were likely brought over by Korean immigrants, whose descendants later incorporated more influential characters to better represent themselves.

Relations with the Aya clans

Japanese scholars have indicated that Yamatonoaya clan and other "Aya " clans were all related and that they were generally classified under the same ethnic group. These mainly included: the Aya clan, the Yamatonoaya clan and the Kawachinoaya clan. It is said that the Yamatonoaya clan Kawachinoaya clan, and the Aya clan, though not from the same founder, were ethnically related, most likely all immigrating from Paekche. This is due to clans with similar names, such as the Ayahito clan coming from Paekche.
Kawachinoaya clan in particular, is thought to be related with the Yamatonoaya clan. The clan was one of the clans first founded by the scholar Wani who arrived in Japan from the kingdom of Paekche who helped spread the use of the Chinese Writing system in Japan. According to Japanese scholars, Wani and Achi no Omi founded Kawachinoaya and Yamatonoaya clan respectively, both being of Paekche origin and influential ethnic Koreans in Japan at the time. They shared the same character "Aya" but separated one another with the use of cardinal directions as Wani's Kawachinoaya clan resided in "Furuichikoori ", located in the west of Japan, while Achi no Omi and his Yamatonoaya clan resided in the Yamato Kingdom found in the east.
Yamatonoaya clan also had a related clan called the Sakanoue clan which was once part of the bigger and more influential Yamatonoaya clan, but later broke off to form a clan of their own.
After the formation of the clans, the next immigrants were mainly called "Imaki no Ayabito ".

Relations with the Fumi clans

As mentioned above, it is believed that the Aya clans in general, though each self-proclaiming to have descended from different individuals, were most likely ethnically related people from a common group. Likewise, it is believed that the Fumi clans were related to the Aya clans as well. It is believed that the ancestor of the Aya clans, Tsuka no Omi, was also written as "Tsuka no Atai " and the name Tsuka no Atai is said to have been the ancestor to many of the Fumi clans, according to their self-proclaimed genealogies.
In essence, Yamatonoaya clan claims descent from Yamatonoaya no Atai, who in turn descends from Shido no Atai. Shido no Atai was the second son of Tsuka no Omi, and had one older brother, Yamaki no Atai, and one younger brother, Isabuki no Atai. Both Yamaki no Atai and Isabuki no Atai were ancestors to many Fumi-related clans which are believed to have been related with the clans founded by Wani. Despite the modern consensus declaring that legendary individuals such as Achi no Omi and Wani most likely being fictional characters, their genealogies show hints of possible historical connections with clans in ancient Japan at the time.
Many of the branch clans of the Yamatonoaya clan later incorporated names under their parent clan's cousin clans; names including the Fumi clan, the Tami clan, the Ikebe clan, and the Aratai clan were reused.

Achievements

It is written both in Nihon Shoki and Kojiki that the clan specialized in architecture and carpentry.
There were also heavily militarized, often guarding and protecting high-ranking members of the Soga clan who also had deep connections with the Korean peninsula, specifically the kingdom of Paekche.

Legacy

On top of being one of the most influential immigrant clans in Japan, clans related to Yamatonoaya became much more prominent after its fall.
The clan was divided into clans with distinct surnames, such as the aforementioned Sakanoue clan, the Fumi clan, the Min clan, the Ikebe clan, and the Aratai clan.

Notable members