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Judging from Japanese ancient custom of marriage applying to the Tennou family, it is probable that maternal relation with the Tennou family was not a single internal factor that Soga family came to occupy the status almost equal to the Tennou in a short term. In that case, to what extent did the grasp of the right of management of the Treasury, another internal cause, exert influence upon Soga family’s promotion?
Furthermore, the status of the Kougou, the highest rank among Tennou’s spouses, in principle, was supposed to be occupied by a sacred daughter of the Tennou, a half sister or a niece. According to this principle, Soga-no-Iname was nothing less than one of subjects who married their daughters to the Tennou. Truly, the Tennou who succeeded Kinmei Tennou was Bidatu Tennou and he was a son of Ishi-hime whose father was Sennka Tennou, who was a half brother of Kinmei Tennou.
In Japan, however, until the reign of Taisho Tennou, a Tennou could be married with several women who were daughters of chiefs of influential clans or families. Though from a modern point of view, such polygamy would be reproached immoral and uncivilized, of course, the system of matrimony could be considered to have been nexus of kin uniting the Tennou family and provincial clans at least in the process of national integration. In any way, owing to the polygamy of the Tennou, any ambitious persons who aimed to monopolize the status of a father in law of the Tennou and of a grandfather of the future Tennou could not always achieve his aspiration.
It has been pointed out that maternal relation with the Tennou family and a grasp of a managerial competence of public finance were two main factors accounting reason why Soga family rapidly climbed the ladder of success all the way close to the top. Soga-no Iname married two of his daughters, Kitashi-hime and Oanegimi, to Kinmei Tennou and obtained an indispensable position as a father in law of the Tennou. Any time, it is true that marriage with a member of a royal family and seizing of fiscal authority are sources of power indeed.
Notwithstanding the transmission of the cosmopolitan religion, Kinmei Tennou only recommended Soga-no-Iname to worship the image of the Buddha privately, while he himself was not converted to the Buddhism. Kinmei Tennou would well recognize that what the Tennou had to preserve was his religious position as a highest officiator of Japanese vernacular religion, Shintoism. So he did not dare to relinquish his faith with some influential clans, Mononobe family and Nakatomi family, both of whom also had followed Shintoism as of old.
On the other hand, in the 6th century, in addition to the security crisis, we can find a considerable incident in the religious sphere. As mentioned above, the Tennou had been the highest priest praying to the gods of heaven and earth since the Yayoi-era when Japan had been on the integrating process. Another religion, Buddhism, was transmitted into Japan in 552 in the reign of Kinmei through Kudara from India. The Chronicles of Japan says that the king of Kudara, Seimei, presented Kinmei Tennou an image of the Buddha and Buddhist altar fittings.
In the whole story of the downfall of Ootomo-no-Kanamura, a person who impeached for the scandal severely was an Oomi, Soga-no-Iname, whose family name was for the first time mentioned in the reign of Richuu Tennou of 5th century in the Chronicles of Japan. This political change also resulted in a shift of the most effective and powerful clan, from Ootomo family to Soga family. Thence, Soga family came to take front stage of Japanese ancient history.
Well, it is interesting that the incident of the cession of a part of Japanese territory to Kudara presents us an obvious proof that the policy maker in the ancient Japanese government was not the Tennou but a political officer, the Oomuraji. For Ootomo-no-Kanamura, being the Oomuraji still in the reign of Keitai-Tennou, lost his position on the charge of acceptance of bribes from Kudara. The public at that time rumored that he was a detestable traitor who handed their territory over a foreign country. Judging from this situation, it seems that crucial decisions for the national fate, such as cession of a part of territory, would be made by single or plural persons who held political powers.
Since 6th century, Japan had suffered some influences from abroad. In the phase of national security, in 512 under the reign of Keitai-Tennou, who was one of paternal offspring from Oujin-Tennou and succeeded Buretu-Tennou supported by Ootomo-no-Kanamura in 507, the government of Japan decided to cede four prefectures of Mimana in the south part of the Korean Peninsula, where were within territories of Japnan, to Kudara, a nation established by the Huyo tribe in 4th century. The reason why he acknowledged this cession was that Kudara entreated Japan to do so, because at those days, Kudara was oppressed by forceful Kokuri bordered on the North and wished to strengthen its national power and to enlarge the territory in opposision to Kokuri.
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In the 7th century, the Asuka-era, we find another case that an Oomi assumed an arrogant demeanor in the Chotei. In those days, the capital of Japan was located in the Asuka Basin surrounded by three beautiful small hills, though in general it was to transfer from place to place. The Asuka-Basin was not only advantageous for both offense and defense, but also was favorable for collection of intelligence both home and abroad.
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