The Wani clan is believed to be related to
Wani dragons, with Naniwa-neko Takefurukuma described as an ancestor. Marrying women of the Wani clan was believed to give the Emperor control over the sea.[1]: 149–150
They had a similar religious role to the
Sarume clan [
ja] as mediums, so many women of the
Sarume clan [
ja] had husbands of the Wani clan perform ritual roles as substitutes for men of the
Sarume clan [
ja].[1]: 168
The clan declined in the 7th century but cadet branches such as the Ono clan[1]: 168 and the
Kakinomoto clan[2] continued to thrive.[1]: 168
They were sometimes called the Wanizumi clan, with
-mi being an honorific suffix.
possibly late sixth century (as the Kakinomoto clan); reign of
Emperor Kōshō, roughly fifth century BCE (as the Wani clan; according to tradition)
The Kakinomoto clan (柿本氏 Kakinomoto-uji) was a Japanese noble family particularly active in the
Yamato period. It was the clan of the famous
Asuka-
Nara poet
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro.
Legendary origins and parent clan
According to the Kojiki, the Kakinomoto clan was descended from
Prince Ameoshitarashi [
ja], a son of
Emperor Kōshō.[2] The Shinsen Shōjiroku records that the clan, along with others such as the
Ōyake,
Awata and
Ono (
ja) clans had split from the earlier
Kasuga clan [
ja], a branch of the Wani clan, and that they were natives of
Yamato Province who had adopted the name "Kakinomoto" during the reign of
Emperor Bidatsu in the late sixth century.[2] Centred in the northeastern part of the
Nara Basin, the Wani clan had furnished many imperial consorts in the fourth through sixth centuries, and extended their influence from
Yamato Province to
Yamashiro,
Ōmi,
Tanba and
Harima provinces.[2] Many of their clan traditions (including genealogies, songs, and tales) are preserved in the Nihon Shoki and, especially, the Kojiki.[2]
Home region
According to
Masatada Watase [
ja], there are two prominent theories regarding the location of the Kakinomoto clan's headquarters, one placing them in
Shinjō, Nara, and the other placing them in the Ichinomoto area of
Tenri, Nara.[2] Watase states, based on some passages in the Dai-Nihon Ko-Monjo [
ja], the Heian Ibun [
ja] and the Tōdaiji Yōroku [
ja], that the latter theory carries more weight.[2] Since their cousins in the main Wani clan were also based in this area, Watase speculates that the Kakinomoto clan had a particularly close relationship with the Wani clan.[2]
The famous seventh-century poet
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was born into this clan. There are several theories regarding the relationship of Hitomaro to Kakinomoto no Saru, including Saru being Hitomaro's father, brother or uncle, or them being the same person.[2] The theory that they were the same person has been advanced by
Takeshi Umehara,[3] but has little supporting evidence.[2] While the other theories cannot be confirmed, it is certain that they were members of the same clan (probably close relatives), and were active at the same time.[2] It is likely that their mutual activity at court had a significant effect on the fortunes of the clan, and on each other.[2]