Fujiwara no Kamatari

Fujiwara no Kamatari
藤原 鎌足
Fujiwara no Kamatari with his sons Jo'e [ja] and Fujiwara no Fuhito, who is wearing court robes. (Nara National Museum)
Born	Nakatomi no Kamatari 614
Died	(669-11-14)November 14, 669
Known for	Founder of the Fujiwara clan, launched the Taika Reform of 645 with Naka no Ōe (later Emperor Tenji)
Notable work	Poems in the Man'yōshū and Kakyō Hyōshiki
Spouse	Kagami no Ōkimi
Children	Jo'e [ja], Fujiwara no Fuhito, Hikami no Ōtoji, Ōhara no Ōtoji, Mimi no Toji
Parent	Nakatomi no Mikeko,

Fujiwara no Kamatari (藤原 鎌足, 614 – November 14, 669), also known as Nakatomi no Kamatari (中臣 鎌足), was a Japanese politician and aristocrat who, together with Prince Naka no Ōe (later Emperor Tenji), carried out the Taika Reform. He was the founder of the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful aristocratic family in Japan during the Nara and Heian periods.^[1] He, along with the Mononobe clan, was a supporter of Shinto and fought the introduction of Buddhism to Japan. The Soga clan, defenders of Buddhism in the Asuka period, defeated Kamatari and the Mononobe clan, and Buddhism became the dominant religion of the Imperial Court. Kamatari was appointed Inner Minister,^[2] and, along with Prince Naka no Ōe, later Emperor Tenji (626–672), launched the Taika Reform of 645, which centralized and strengthened the central government. Just before his death, he received the surname Fujiwara and the rank Taishōkan from Emperor Tenji, thus establishing the Fujiwara clan.^[3][4]