# Yamatonoaya clan

Yamatonoaya clan (東漢氏) was an immigrant clan active in Japan since the Kofun period according to the Nihon Shoki (720), Kojiki (711) and Shoku Nihongi (797).

## Origins

According to ancient Japanese records, Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, Yamatonoaya clan was one of the many clans that arrived from the Korean kingdoms during the reign of Emperor Ōjin.
It is said that the clan started off small but gradually grew as other clans integrated themselves to the clan, later becoming one of the most influential clans in Japan.
According to Teiji Kadowaki (門脇禎二) [ja] at Kyoto University, the name "Yamatonoaya" was widely used by Korean immigrants to apply dominance in their newly found home. Similarly with the Hata clan from Silla being wrongfully credited as a kingdom from the Qin dynasty, Yamatonoaya clan is thought to have been misinterpreted as a clan from the Han dynasty and was wrongfully credited as such when in fact, they were originally from Baekje.
It is also said that "Hinokuma no Sato (檜前郡鄕)", present day "Hinokuma (檜前) [ja]" of Nara prefecture was a place Yamatonoaya clan had jurisdiction over as well as being a well-known "Baekje town" also known as "Kudara no Sato (百済の里)" in Japanese.

## Etymology

Modern Japanese historians theorized that Yamatonoaya clan and its founder Achi no omi, originated from the Gaya confederacy, specifically from the kingdom of "Aya (安邪国)" (old name for Ara Gaya) where the placename became the etymology of the Aya clans. According to the theory, the immigrants brought many Baekje technologies from Aya and were considered as close kin to the people of Baekje. Some nationalist historians used this to support the claims over the Mimana controversy stating that Mimana (Gaya) was in fact Japanese due to the relations between the kingdom of Aya and the Aya clans of Japan. Despite the lukewarm reception in Korea, evidence alludes to the possibilities of Japanese speakers in the region.

## Relations with the Aya clan and other immigrant clans

Japanese scholars have indicated that Yamatonoaya clan and other "Aya (漢)" clans were all related and that they were generally classified under the same ethnic group. These mainly included: the "Aya clan (漢氏)", the "Yamatonoaya clan (東漢氏/倭漢氏)" and the "Kawachinoaya clan (西漢氏/河内漢氏)". It is said that Yamatonoaya clan, Aya and Kawachinoaya, though not from the same founder, were ethnically related, most likely all immigrating from Baekje.
"Kawachinoaya (西漢氏)" in particular, is thought to be related with the Yamatonoaya clan. The clan was one of the clans first founded by the scholar Wani (alongside clans such as "Kawachinofumi clan (西文氏)") who arrived in Japan from the kingdom of Baekje who helped spread the use of the Chinese Writing system in Japan. According to Japanese scholars, Wani and Achi no omi founded Kawachinoaya and Yamatonoaya clan respectively, both being of Baekje origin and influential ethnic Koreans in Japan at the time. They shared the same character "Aya" but separated one another with the use of cardinal directions ("Kawachi/西" meaning West and "Yamato/東" meaning East) as Wani's Kawachinoaya clan resided in "Furuichikoori (河内国古市郡)", (present day Furuichigun (古市郡) [ja] in Osaka) located in the west of Japan, while Achi no omi and his Yamatonoaya clan resided in the Yamato Kingdom found in the east.
Yamatonoaya clan also had a related clan called the "Sakanoue clan (坂上氏)" (the clan that Sakanoue no Karitamaro hails from) which was once part of the bigger and more influential Yamatonoaya clan, but later broke off to form a clan of their own.
After the formation of the clans, the next immigrants were mainly called "Imaki no Ayahito (今来漢人/新漢人)" lit. 'Korean people who have just arrived'.

## Achievements

It is written both in Nihon Shoki and Kojiki that the clan specialized in architecture and carpentry.
There were also heavily militarized, often guarding and protecting high-ranking members of the Soga clan who also had deep connections with the Korean peninsula, specifically the kingdom of Baekje.

## Legacy

On top of being one of the most influential immigrant clans in Japan, clans related to Yamatonoaya became much more prominent after its fall.
The clan was divided into clans with distinct surnames, such as the aforementioned Sakanoue clan, the "Fumi clan (書氏)", the "Min clan (民氏)", the "Ikebe clan (池辺氏)" and the "Aratai clan (荒田井氏)".