Urabe clan

This clan originated from an ancient clan that served Shinto rituals with the art of divination. There were Urabe in Izu, Iki, Tsushima, and other places. Among them, the Urabe Yoshida family, who later became the custodian of Yoshida Shrine in Kaguraoka, Kyoto, gained a position of religious authority and became famous. In ancient times, the Nakatomi and Inbe clans were known as clans that were in charge of rituals, but as the Ritsuryo system was established and the Jingi system was established, the Shirakawa clan of the O clan, who held the position of Jingi haku, the head of the Jingikan, and the Urabe clan were added to the group and called the "Four Shinto clans." During the Kamakura period, the Urabe clan produced Kanefumi and Kanekata (Kanekata), who were known more for classical research and transmission of classical traditions than for divination, and gradually gained influence within the Jingikan. Later, in the mid-Muromachi period, Kanetomo appeared, and in the context of the turbulent times, in addition to his position as deputy Jingikan official, he called himself Jingi Chojo or Jingi Kanrei Chojo, and came to control all shrine priests throughout the country, separate from the Shirakawa family, who were Jingi kaku. The founder of the Urabe clan was Oikatsuchi no Mikoto, the 12th generation grandson of Amenokoyane no Mikoto, and according to his lineage, he was originally of the same clan as the Nakatomi (Fujiwara), but there are questions about the authenticity of this. According to this legend, during the reign of Emperor Chuai, the family name Urabe was given to the emperor, and when his son Maneko returned from the Three Kingdoms of Korea, he stayed on Iki Island and became the governor of Iki and Tsushima for generations. In addition, during the reign of Emperor Kenso, the 18th emperor, Oshimi Sukune, built a branch shrine for Tsukiyomi-no-kami enshrined in Iki in Utaarasuda, Yamashiro Province (Kyoto Prefecture), and this is said to be the origin of Tsukiyomi Shrine, a sub-shrine of Matsuo Taisha Shrine. At the end of the Heian period, a member of the family, Kanechika, became the abbot of Yoshida Shrine, and his descendants became the abbots of Yoshida Shrine for generations. His younger brother, Kanekuni, became the abbot of Hirano Shrine, and his descendants inherited the position. Kanechika's adopted son, Kanesue, became the shrine attendant of Umemiya Shrine, and his descendants inherited the position. Later, they took the surnames Yoshida, Hirano, and Umemiya, respectively. Among the family members were Daisojo Jihen, who was active at the end of the Kamakura period, and Kenko, author of Tsurezuregusa. Kanetomo also perfected Yoshida Shinto, exerting a great influence on Shinto in later generations.

[Toshihiko Uda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

卜占(ぼくせん)の術をもって神事に奉仕した古代氏族に発する氏。伊豆(いず)、壱岐(いき)、対馬(つしま)などの卜部がいた。なかで、のちに京都神楽岡(かぐらおか)吉田神社の預(あずかり)職となった卜部吉田家が宗教的権威の地位を得て有名となった。古く祭祀(さいし)をつかさどる氏として中臣(なかとみ)、斎部(いんべ)の2氏が知られていたが、律令制(りつりょうせい)が整備され、神祇(じんぎ)制度が定着するとともに、神祇官の長官神祇伯(はく)を世襲する王氏の白川家とこの卜部氏を加えて「神祇四姓」と称した。鎌倉時代、その卜部氏に兼文(かねふみ)、兼方(かねかた)（懐賢(かねかた)）らが出て、卜占よりも古典研究、古典伝承の氏として知られ、しだいに神祇官内で勢力をもつようになった。のち、室町中期に兼倶(かねとも)が出て、その乱世たる時代的背景もあって神祇官の副官たる地位とは別に神祇長上あるいは神祇管領長上と自称し、神祇伯の白川家とは別に全国の神社神職をその支配下に置くに至った。卜部氏の始祖は天児屋命(あめのこやねのみこと)の12世孫大雷命(おおいかつちのみこと)で、もとは中臣（藤原）と同族とその系譜にいうが、信憑(しんぴょう)性には問題がある。その伝承によれば、仲哀天皇(ちゅうあいてんのう)のとき卜部姓を賜り、その子真根子(まねこ)が三韓から帰朝するに際し壱岐島にとどまって以後累代、壱岐、対馬の島司(とうし)となったという。また18世忍見宿禰(おしみすくね)は顕宗(けんそう)天皇のとき壱岐に祀(まつ)る月読神(つきよみのかみ)を山背国(やましろのくに)（京都府）歌荒洲田(うたあらすだ)に分祠(ぶんし)、それが現在の松尾大社(まつのおたいしゃ)の摂社月読神社の起源と伝える。平安末期、一族の兼親(かねちか)が吉田神社の預となってからのち、その子孫が代々吉田神社預となり、またその弟兼国(かねくに)が平野神社預となってより、その子孫がそれを継承、さらに兼親の猶子兼季(かねすえ)が梅宮社務となってより、その子孫がそれを継承、のちそれぞれ吉田、平野、梅宮を氏とした。同族中に鎌倉末期に活躍した大僧正慈遍(じへん)や『徒然草(つれづれぐさ)』の作者兼好(けんこう)などがいる。また兼倶が吉田神道を大成して後世の神道に大きな影響を与えた。

［菟田俊彦］

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