Soga Clan

The Soga clan (蘇我氏, Soga uji?) was one of the most powerful clans in Yamato Japan and played a major role in the spread of Buddhism. For many generations, in the 5th and 7th centuries, the Soga monopolized the position of Great Royal Chieftain (Ō-omi) and was the first of many families to dominate the Imperial House of Japan by influencing the order of succession and government policy. In fact, the last Soga predates any historical work in Japan, and very little is known about the earliest members.

Read more about Soga Clan:  Soga No Iname, Connection To Buddhism and Korea, Political Assertiveness and Reactions

Famous quotes containing the word clan:

    We cannot think of a legitimate argument why ... whites and blacks need be affected by the knowledge that an aggregate difference in measured intelligence is genetic instead of environmental.... Given a chance, each clan ... will encounter the world with confidence in its own worth and, most importantly, will be unconcerned about comparing its accomplishments line-by-line with those of any other clan. This is wise ethnocentricism.
    Richard Herrnstein (1930–1994)