Kawachinofumi clan
| Kawachinofumi 西文 | |
|---|---|
| Home province | Baekje |
| Titles | Various |
| Founder | Wani |
| Cadet branches | Various |
Kawachinofumi clan (西文氏) was an immigrant clan active in Japan since the Kofun period according to the Nihon Shoki (720), Kojiki (711).
Origin[edit]
The clan is claimed to have descended from the legendary scholar from Baekje known as Wani, a famous scholar who is believed to have introduced the Chinese character system to the Japanese during Emperor Ōjin's reign.
Influence[edit]
The clan was located in Kisaichi of Kawachi Province together with its branch families. The head family had the uji "Fumi" [literature] after their duty as scribes, and similarly their branch families were given the kabane "Fuhito" [scribe].
Despite Wani's fame as a scholar, the Kawachinofumi clan was not so active as secretaries for administration. A rare exception was Fumi no Nemaro (文禰麻呂; ?-707). Instead of being active in civil administration, he rose to a rank unusually high for a mid-level bureaucrat for his military performances in the Jinshin War (672). Some historians consider that this was the reason why the legend of Wani was recorded in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. It is known that scribes of foreign origin had similar and mutually conflicting legends about their founders. Features common in their stories include the arrival during the reign of Emperor Ōjin, the introduction of Chinese literature and/or Confucianism, and the surname Wang. The legend of Wani was chosen with the rest of them ignored because the Kawachinofumi clan was relatively powerful at the time of the compilation of the history books.[1]
Relations with other clans[edit]
Japanese scholars have indicated that a separate yet ethnically similar clan called "Kawachinoaya clan (西漢氏/河内漢氏)" was also founded by Wani. Kawachinoaya clan, Yamatonoaya clan and other "Aya (漢)" clans were all related and that they were generally classified under the same ethnic group.[2] It is said that Kawachinoaya, Yamatonoaya and Aya clan, though not from the same founder, were ethnically related,[2] most likely all immigrating from Baekje.
According to Japanese scholars, Wani and Achi no omi founded Kawachinoaya and Yamatonoaya clan respectively, both being of Baekje origin and influential ethnic Koreans in Japan at the time.[2] They shared the same character "Aya" but separated one another with the use of cardinal directions ("Kawachi/西" meaning West and "Yamato/東" meaning East) as Wani's Kawachinoaya clan resided in "Furuichikoori (河内国古市郡)", (present day Furuichigun (古市郡) [ja] in Osaka) located in the west of Japan, while Achi no omi and his Yamatonoaya clan resided in the Yamato Kingdom found in the east.[1]