Fujiwara no Kamatari

• Birth: 614
• Death: 669
• Other names: Nakatomi Kamatari (中臣鎌足)
• Sons: Fujiwara Fuhito
• Japanese: 藤原 鎌足 (Fujiwara Kamatari)

History

Originally Nakatomi Kamatari, he was granted the family name Fujiwara as a reward for his service to the throne, including his involvement in the assassination of the Soga chieftain in 645. After his death in 669, the Fujiwara clan may have faded into the annals of history if not for his son, Fujiwara Fuhito, and his descendants, who eventually rose to become the most powerful family in the Heian Period, often controlling the throne as regents (sessho) or kampaku, as well as holding other highly placed positions on the Daijokan (Council of State).

References

• Piggott, Joan R. ed. Capital and Countryside in Japan, 300-1180, University of Cornell, NY, 2006.