Nakatomi family

Important priestly, noble clan in ancient Japan, and the ancestral name of the greatest clan of classical times, the Fujiwara. The name originally was Naka-tsu-omi, "minister of the center," denoting an ancient, hereditary office as intermediary between men and deities. Nakatomi no Kamako (mid 6th century) was a leader of the faction opposing the importation of the Buddhist religion, which was sponsored by the Soga clan. Kamako’s great-grandson, Kamatari, was a key figure in the downfall of the Soga and, as founder of the Fujiwara clan, the principal architect of his family’s greatness. (from Ancestry.com. Copyright © 1998-2006, MyFamily.com Inc.)