Part 1: Ancient Japan and the Korean Peninsula Bloodline Series (1) - Let's talk about the Hata Clan (秦氏) https://www.fmkorea.com/9292981175 As many of you know, immigrants (Doraein) from the Korean Peninsula and the continent played a massive role in forming the nation and developing civilization in ancient Japan. The Hata clan, who laid the foundation for Kyoto (covered in my previous post), is a prime example. Today, I want to talk about a clan that played a role just as important but has way less name recognition: the Yamato-no-Aya clan (東漢氏). Their name sounds even more impressive than the Hata clan's, so let's look into where they came from, who their famous descendants are, and what cultural heritage they left behind.
1. Where did the Yamato-no-Aya come from? According to the 'Shinsan Seishiroku' (New Selection of Lineages), they claimed to be descendants of Emperor Ling (reigned 168–189), the 12th emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty. If you're a Fem-bro who loves the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' that name should ring a bell. Don't remember? The Yellow Turban Rebellion (184), which marks the start of the Three Kingdoms era, happened during his reign. He’s the guy responsible for the 'chaos at the end of the Han dynasty' that pops up in the prologue of every Three Kingdoms game. Fun fact: the Eunuch Rebellion (189) happened the same year he died.
"It's me, lol" - Emperor Ling (Liu Hong, 156? – 189) Since he was a tyrant who directly or indirectly caused the fall of the Han dynasty, Emperor Ling gets a terrible rap both then and now. It’s a mystery why the Yamato-no-Aya chose him as an ancestor, but back then, claiming Han Imperial blood was the ultimate 'diamond spoon' flex. For an immigrant in a foreign land, it wasn't a bad name to use to establish legitimacy. Anyway, much like the Hata clan claiming to be descendants of Qin Shi Huang, modern Japanese scholars don't buy this. The 'Nihon Shoki' and 'Kojiki' record that when the clan's ancestor, Achi-no-Omi, crossed over to Japan, a huge number of people with similar names arrived from 'Baekje.' However, they didn't explicitly state where Achi-no-Omi himself was from. So while he's likely Baekje-adjacent, it's hard to say for sure. Furthermore, the name 'Aya' (漢) used by immigrants is strongly suspected to originate from Gaya names like 'Ara-Gaya' or 'Anra.' Because of this, scholars also consider the possibility they came from Gaya. Japanese sources usually just generalize it as 'Southern Korean Peninsula' rather than specifying Baekje or Gaya. Even Kokugakuin University, which specializes in ancient Japanese literature, explains it this way:
"An immigrant clan claiming to be descendants of Emperor Ling of Han. In reality, they are considered an immigrant group from the southern Korean Peninsula, and some theories suggest 'Aya' comes from 'Anra' in Mimana (Gaya)." Some even argue they didn't migrate all at once, but rather multiple groups from Baekje or Gaya crossed the sea at different times and formed a single clan as if they were actual blood relatives. Either way, the likelihood of them being 'Southern Korean' is much higher than them being 'actual descendants of the Han Emperor.' Since the southern peninsula origin is pretty much certain, I'll proceed with the premise that the Yamato-no-Aya were a Korean-affiliated immigrant clan.
2. What did the Yamato-no-Aya do? While the Hata clan excelled in economics, the Yamato-no-Aya were the 'military' specialists. But if you follow their story, it's actually pretty sad. They were loyal, but their bosses were trash or they just had terrible luck. 1) The Assassination of Emperor Sushun Their main patrons were the Soga clan, who wielded power exceeding the Imperial family during the Asuka period (593–710). The Yamato-no-Aya served as the Soga's elite guard. When the Soga clan boldly planned to assassinate an Emperor—the Emperor Sushun assassination (592)—the assassin who acted as the Soga's blade was a prominent member of the Yamato-no-Aya. This shows how formidable their military might was. In the winter of 592, the absolute power broker Soga no Umako summoned Yamato-no-Aya-no-Ataikoma to kill the 32nd Emperor, Sushun.
(Soga no Umako) "Hey, can you really pull off this assassination?"
(Yamato-no-Aya-no-Ataikoma(?)) "Of course, lol. Just leave it to me."
"Huff, huff. I did it. I almost got caught though;"
"For real? You sure he's dead?"
"Yup, confirmed lol. I cut off the Emperor's head myself. No way he's alive."
"Alright, everyone heard that? He says he killed the Emperor. Arrest him." And just like that, Ataikoma got backstabbed by Soga no Umako and was executed immediately.
Even the power broker Soga no Umako must have had a tiny shred of conscience (?), as he spared the rest of the clan from being wiped out. But their bad luck didn't end there... 2) The Isshi Incident (645), which changed the course of Japanese history. Their masters, the Soga clan, were destroyed. When Nakatomi no Kamatari killed Soga no Iruka, the Yamato-no-Aya stood by the Soga and resisted. However, Kamatari's clan became the Fujiwara clan, which held power for over 1,200 years.
The Fujiwara clan. The Yamato-no-Aya picked the wrong side that time, but they finally hit the jackpot during the Jinshin War and managed to join the ranks of the central aristocracy.
Fujiwara no Kamatari. 3. The Legacy of the Yamato-no-Aya. In 780, a young man hunting deer met a monk named Enchin.
Enchin: "Killing is bad."
Young Man: "But I need medicine for my sick wife..." Persuaded by Enchin, the young man built a temple. This man later became Japan's first Shogun, 'Sakanoue no Tamuramaro.'
"Users are geeking out over the linguistic gymnastics of ancient Japanese kanji readings and the tragic 'unlucky bodyguard' vibes of the clan. Also, the '-maro' suffix being compared to a 2000s flash animation rabbit is peak internet community energy."
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