Surname Nihongo: | 葛城氏 |
Image Size: | 140px |
Parent House: | Imperial House of Japan |
Founder: | Katsuragi no Sotsuhiko |
Founding Year: | 4th century |
The was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (uji) that flourished during the Kofun period.[1]
The Katsuragi clan was founded by Katsuragi no Sotsuhiko (葛城 襲津彦), a great-grandson of the legendary Emperor Kōgen. During the 5th century the clan was the most prominent power in the court and intermarried with the imperial family. After the Katsuragi declined in the late 5th century, the Ōtomo clan temporarily took its place. When Emperor Buretsu died with no apparent heir, it was Ōtomo no Kanamura who recommended Emperor Keitai, a very distant imperial relative who resided in Koshi Province, as the new monarch. However, Kanamura resigned due to the failure of his diplomatic policies, and the court was eventually controlled by the Mononobe and Soga clans at the beginning of the Asuka period.[2]