| Clan Name: | Haji clan |
| Gaelic Names: | --> |
| Country: | Japan |
| Clan Badge: | --> |
| Chiefs Gaelic Title: | --> |
The Haji clan (Japanese: 土師氏, Haji-uji, Haji-shi) is a Japanese clan. The clan administered earthenware artisans, organized collectively into a group called Haji-be (Japanese: 土師部). During the Yamato period, these artisans worked chiefly on soil-related matters, such as creating haniwa, constructing tombs and kofun, and handling other civil engineering.[1] The kabane titles of the clan are Sukune or Muraji. They were engaged in constructing the tombs of high-ranking people as well as managing the funeral ceremonies of the ōkimi ("great lords").
The Haji clan claims descent from Ame-no-hohi, the second son of Amaterasu, which makes them relatives of the Japanese Imperial Family.[2] Nomi no Sukune was believed to be the ancestor of the clan. According to legend, he was the inventor of haniwa,[3] the terracotta clay figurines buried with a nobleman and used as a symbolic substitute for junshi, the practice whereby members of high-ranking households would commit suicide upon the passing of the household head, as a way to continue serving them in death.
The clan was later divided into three houses: the Sugawara clan, the, and the .
They are relatives of the Izumo clan who are also descended from Ame no Hohi and run Izumo-taishakyo today.[4] [5] [6]
The clan takes its name from haji (Japanese: [[:wikt:土師#Japanese|土師]]), a shift from older hani-shi, from Japanese: [[:wikt:埴#Japanese|埴]] (hani, "red clay", such as used to make terracotta) + Japanese: [[:wikt:師#Japanese|師]] (-shi, a Chinese-derived suffix appended to indicate "master" of a craft). The hani-shi were masters of the crafts of earthenware and earthwork engineering.