Kudara No Konikishi Clan

The Kudara no Konikishi (Japanese: 百済王) was a Japanese clan whose founder Zenkō (善光 or 禅広) was a son of the last king of Baekje, King Uija.

Kudara was an uji or clan name that represented their country of origin. Konikishi or Kokishi, which literally means "king", was a special kabane that was given only to the former royal families of Baekje and Goguryeo including Shōna (肖奈) and Koma (高麗) clans.

The founder Zenkō came from Baekje to Japan along with his elder brother Hōshō in 643. Even though Hōshō returned home to lead a failed campaign to revive Baekje, Zenkō remained in Japan. The former royal family members were treated as "barbarian guests" (蕃客) and were not incorporated into the domestic political system of Japan for some time. They enjoyed privileged treatment while they were obliged to serve to the emperor in a symbolic fashion.

They were finally assimilated into Japanese bureaucracy in 691. They were given the name "Kudara no Konikishi" sometime after that. This event has drawn scholarly attention and a couple of theories have been proposed to explain the reason why they were given the peculiar name in that period. Today it is associated with the enforcement of the Asuka Kiyomihara Code in 689 because the law system entailed clarification of their legal status. However, while be subjects of the Japanese emperor, they still needed to represent Baekje kingship by the special name. Japan applied to herself the Chinese ideology of emperorship that required "barbarian people" who longed for the great virtue of the emperor. It was, however, difficult for Japan to keep the concept in concrete form in real international politics. Silla, which had acted as a vassal state in 670s, changed its attitude and brought tension with Japan. In response, Japan treated Kudara no Konishiki as a "barbarian king" to reaffirm Silla's vassalage.

In 790, Emperor Kammu issued a rescript that treats the Kudara no Konikishi clan as "relatives by marriage". It was related to the fact that the emperor's mother Takano no Niigasa belonged to the Baekje-originated Yamato clan, who at that time claimed its root in the Baekje royal family.

Another theory attempts to interpret the rise and fall of the Kudara no Konikishi clan in the context of domestic politics rather than political ideology: This clan fell under the influence of the southern family of the Fujiwara clan after Kudara no Konikishi Myōshin married Fujiwara no Tsugutada around 754. The emperor's rescript of 790 aimed to support Myōshin's appointment as Lady in Waiting (尚侍), the highest post among court ladies, despite her humble origin. She helped the clan's other female members enter the imperial court. Their prosperous days ended in 807 when Fujiwara no Takatoshi, the son of Tsugutada and Myōshin, fell from power in an imperial succession dispute. They decline from the latter half of the 9th century to the early 10th century and disappeared from the political scene.

Notable members of the Kudara no Konikishi clan include:

• Kudara no Konikishi Zenkō (百済王禅光) (617-700) - The founder of the clan
• Kudara no Konikishi Rōgu (百済王朗虞) (661-737) - Vice Governor of Settsu (摂津亮)
• Kudara no Konikishi Kyōfuku (百済王敬福) (697-766) - Lord of Justice (刑部卿)
• Kudara no Konikishi Shuntetsu (百済王俊哲) - General of Peace Guard for Mutsu and Vice Delegate of Conquering East-Barbarian (陸奥鎮守将軍征夷副使)
• Kudara no Konikishi Bukyō (百済王武鏡) - Governor of Dewa (出羽守)