Soga no Umako

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Soga no Umako ( Japanese蘇 我 馬 子; † 626 ) was a Japanese aristocrat of the Yamato period who acted as an advisor and regent for several Japanese emperors .

Origin and family

Soga no Umako was the son of Soga no Iname. His family maintained a consistent, dynastic marriage policy with the Japanese ruling house, which is why he was related to several emperors. Emperor Sushun was his nephew, Emperor Yōmei his son-in-law, his son Shōtoku in turn was probably his grandson. Soga no Umako also had a son: Soga no Emishi .

Act as a politician

Soga no Umako used the close family ties to the Yamato to expand his power. During the turmoil of the throne in 587 , he enforced his nephew Sushun as emperor: for this he allegedly killed two competing princes. After he had also forcibly pushed back the rival noble families, he worked as a gray eminence from the background and controlled the Yamato government for years. In 592 he also murdered Sushun because he was increasingly trying to rule independently. Umako's power fell again under Sushun's successors, but he had some influence in government affairs until his death in 626 .

Sponsor of Buddhism

Soga no Umako was an active patron and patron of Buddhism on the Japanese islands during his lifetime . It is questionable, however, whether this was solely for spiritual reasons. Rather, he could have tried to oust the ruling dynasty with the new religion and to ascend the throne of the country himself, which he would never succeed.

Individual evidence

  1. Sesko, Markus: Koshirae, Hagen 2012, p. 41.
  2. Perez, Louis G .: Japan at War, Santa Barbara / Denver / Oxford 2013, p. 146
  3. Rademacher, Cay: Machtkampf on the Götterinseln, Hamburg 2006, p. 29.
  4. Rademacher 2006, p. 28f.
  5. Rademacher 2006, p. 32
  6. Rademacher 2006, p. 31