Soga clan The last Soga predates any historical work in Japan , and very little is known about its earliest members . Soga no Iname . Soga no Iname served as Great Minister from 536 until his death in 570 , and was the first of the Soga clan to carry to extreme lengths the domination of the Throne by the nobility . One of the chief ways he exerted influence through was marital connections with the imperial family ; Iname married two of his daughters to Emperor Kimmei , one giving offspring to an Emperor , Emperor Yomei . The next five emperors all had a wife or mother who was a descendant of Iname . In this way the Soga unified and strengthened the country by expanding the power of the Emperor as a symbol and spiritual leader as they took control of secular matters . Connection to Buddhism and Korea . The Soga clan had much contact with foreigners , including the Koreans and the Chinese . They favored the adoption of Buddhism and of governmental and cultural models based on Chinese Confucianism . The names of Soga no Iname ' s ancestors , Soga no Koma and Soga no Karako reference the Chinese written form of the Goguryeo state and Gaya confederacy ( " Kara " ) , respectively , of the Korean Peninsula . The Soga clan supported the spread of Buddhism when it was first introduced in Japan during the 6th century by monks from Baekje ( Japanese " Kudara " ) . Many Japanese at the time , disliking foreign ideas and believing that this new religion might be an affront to the traditional " kami " or spirits and gods , opposed Buddhism . The rival Mononobe and Nakatomi clans succeeded in gathering hostility against this new religion when a disease spread , following the arrival of a Buddhist statue . It was claimed the epidemic was a sign of anger by the local spirits and the Soga temple at the palace was burned down . During Soga no Umako ' s time of influence , the capital was temporarily transferred to Kudara Palace ( meaning " Baekje Palace " , and named after that building in Baekje ) in what is now Kōryō , Nara . The Soga family , however , firmly believed that the most civilized people believed in Buddhism and continued to actively promote it , placing a holy image of the Buddha in a major Shinto shrine . Soga no Iname claimed that Buddhism brought with it a new form of government that would subvert the independence of the clans , unifying the people under the Emperor . After fifty years of ideological war , Buddhism , defended and protected by the Soga , began to take hold in Japan . Political assertiveness and reactions . By 644 , the heads of the Soga were no longer satisfied to act behind the scenes . Soga no Emishi and his son Soga no Iruka began to build increasingly elaborate palaces and tombs for themselves , styling themselves " sovereigns " . In response , the leader of the Nakatomi clan , Nakatomi no Kamatari ( later known as the founder of the Fujiwara and traditionally referred to as Fujiwara no Kamatari ) , conspired with Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro and Prince Naka no Ōe ( later Emperor Tenji ) and arranged for Iruka ' s assassination . Prince Ōe himself attacked Iruka during a court ceremony concerning edicts from Korean kingdoms in front of Empress Kōgyoku ; he survived , but the Empress left the scene and Ōe ' s guards finished Iruka off . Subsequently , Soga no Emishi committed suicide by burning down his own residence , destroying many important court documents . Soga followers dispersed and even killed ; the Empress abdicated and her brother took the throne as Emperor Kōtoku . The Soga clan ' s hold over the imperial family was broken and two years later the Emperor enacted the Taika Reform , returning full power to the emperor . This disruptive and transformative event is known as the Isshi Incident . Legacy . In 2005 , the remains of a building which may have been Soga no Iruka ' s residence were discovered in Nara . This discovery appeared to be consistent with the description found in " Nihon Shoki " .