# Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro
**Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro** (蘇我倉山田石川麻呂; died 649) was the udaijin ([Minister](https://www.edgepedia.org/minister-government) of the Right) of the [Asuka period](https://www.edgepedia.org/asuka-period) and the first holder of that office in the reform government of [Emperor Kōtoku](https://www.edgepedia.org/emperor-kotoku) after the coup that destroyed the Soga head family.[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [2](https://www.historyatlas.com/people/soga-no-kurayamada-no-ishikawa-no-maro/) In 649 he was accused of treason on the slander of his half-brother Soga no Himuka, fled to Yamada-dera, and killed himself together with his wife and children.[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [3](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nihongi%3A_Chronicles_of_Japan_from_the_Earliest_Times_to_A.D._697/Book_XXV)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Highest office | Udaijin (Minister of the Right) under Emperor Kōtoku; first holder of the office[3](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nihongi%3A_Chronicles_of_Japan_from_the_Earliest_Times_to_A.D._697/Book_XXV) • [2](https://www.historyatlas.com/people/soga-no-kurayamada-no-ishikawa-no-maro/) |
| Role in the 645 coup | Read the memorial of the Three Kingdoms at the ceremony at which Soga no Iruka was assassinated[4](https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530) • [5](https://toukenza.jp/en/events/isshi-incident) |
| Marriage alliances | Daughter Ochi no Iratsume consort of Prince Naka-no-Ōe; Chino no Iratsume consort of Emperor Kōtoku[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [4](https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530) • [6](https://bohnerbiographie.zenwort.de/bw_daten/Chronicle_of_Kamatari_%E9%8E%8C%E8%B6%B3%E5%82%B3_englTransl_inclCorrig_(2017).pdf) |
| Death | Suicide at Yamada-dera in the third month of 649 (大化5), with his wife and children; the Nihongi counts eight family members[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [3](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nihongi%3A_Chronicles_of_Japan_from_the_Earliest_Times_to_A.D._697/Book_XXV) |
## Origins and family
He belonged to the [Soga clan](https://www.edgepedia.org/soga-clan).[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [2](https://www.historyatlas.com/people/soga-no-kurayamada-no-ishikawa-no-maro/) The name itself is debated: one theory, associated with the historian Naoki Kōjirō, takes Soga-Kura-Yamada-Ishikawa as the clan name, while another takes Soga-Kura, since Yamada and Ishikawa are place names and the Soga managed the court's storehouses.[4](https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530) According to the *Kōgyō Bunin*, the father was Omasa (雄正), and, per the *Tondabayashi City History*, some scholars instead equate Omasa with Ishikawa no Maro himself, so the genealogy is uncertain if that text is not trusted.[4](https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530)
His name first appears in the [Nihon Shoki](https://www.edgepedia.org/nihon-shoki) in the first month of 644 (皇極三年). In the episode recorded there, his eldest daughter was seized by Soga no Himuka, Ishikawa no Maro's brother, and her younger sister Miyatsuko-hime (Ochi no Iratsume, later mother of Emperor Jitō as printed in the source) became Naka-no-Ōe's consort instead.[4](https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530) • [6](https://bohnerbiographie.zenwort.de/bw_daten/Chronicle_of_Kamatari_%E9%8E%8C%E8%B6%B3%E5%82%B3_englTransl_inclCorrig_(2017).pdf) Other accounts simply state that he placed his daughters Ochi no Iratsume and Mei no Iratsume as consorts of Prince Katsuragi (Naka-no-Ōe), and his daughter Chino no Iratsume as consort of Prince Karu (the future Emperor Kōtoku).[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815)
## Career
According to the *Nihon Name Dictionary* (via Kotobank), rivalry with the Soga head family under [Soga no Iruka](https://www.edgepedia.org/soga-no-iruka) led Ishikawa no Maro to join the plot to destroy it.[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) At the court ceremony of 645 at which Iruka was assassinated (the [Isshi Incident](https://www.edgepedia.org/isshi-incident)), he was assigned to read aloud the written tributes from the [Three Kingdoms](https://www.edgepedia.org/three-kingdoms), with the assassination timed to the reading; the account in the Nihon Shoki has him tremble as the assassins delayed, and explain to Iruka that he sweated from awe at approaching the sovereign, after which Naka-no-Ōe gave the signal.[4](https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530)
After the fall of the head family, he stood at the center of the new government. At Emperor Kōtoku's enthronement he became udaijin, with [Abe no Uchimaro](https://www.edgepedia.org/abe-no-uchimaro) as sadaijin and Nakatomi no Kamako as naishin; the Nihongi records the emperor commanding the two ministers to rule the empire following the ways of the emperors of antiquity.[3](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nihongi%3A_Chronicles_of_Japan_from_the_Earliest_Times_to_A.D._697/Book_XXV) • [7](https://japan-history.org/the-isshi-incident/) He was the first holder of the udaijin office, created as part of the Taika restructuring that replaced the single [Ōomi](https://www.edgepedia.org/oomi) post the Soga had held with three ministerial positions.[2](https://www.historyatlas.com/people/soga-no-kurayamada-no-ishikawa-no-maro/) • [7](https://japan-history.org/the-isshi-incident/) The Nihongi also records him advising the emperor that first the gods of heaven and earth should be worshipped, and only then the affairs of government considered.[3](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nihongi%3A_Chronicles_of_Japan_from_the_Earliest_Times_to_A.D._697/Book_XXV)
## Political influence
Ishikawa no Maro's marriage alliances tied the surviving Soga line directly to the new imperial line: a daughter of his became the mother of Emperor Jitō as printed in the municipal history, and Chino no Iratsume became Emperor Kōtoku's consort.[4](https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530) • [1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) As udaijin he clashed with the faction of the sadaijin Abe no Uchimaro over the treatment of Prince Furuhito's group and the re-examination of the eastern provincial governors.[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) In the fourth month of 648 (大化四年) the cap-rank system was revised, but the left and right ministers still wore the old caps, which the municipal history reads as a sign of their difficulty keeping pace with the rapid reforms.[4](https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530)
His fall in 649 did not end the Soga as a political force. Leadership passed to his younger brothers: Murajiko died unpunished as a minister of Empress Saimei's court, while Akae and Hatayasu became senior figures of the Ōmi court on Prince Ōtomo's side in the [Jinshin War](https://www.edgepedia.org/jinshin-war) of 672, after which only Murajiko's line survived. Murajiko's son Soga no Yasumaro abandoned the name Soga at the end of [Emperor Tenmu](https://www.edgepedia.org/emperor-tenmu)'s reign and took the new clan name Ishikawa, after a place in Kawachi.[8](https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/80167)
## Death and successors
In the third month of 649 (大化5), shortly after Abe no Uchimaro's death, Ishikawa no Maro was slandered by his half-brother Soga no Himuka and targeted for pursuit by Prince Naka-no-Ōe.[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [9](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-553658) He fled from Naniwa to Yamada-dera in Yamato.[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [9](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-553658) His eldest son Kogoshi proposed resistance; one encyclopedia states that he rejected the proposal and killed himself together with his wife and children, while another states that he resisted the pursuit with Kogoshi and others.[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [9](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-553658) According to the *Nihongi*, he opened the door of the Buddha hall, vowed not to resent his sovereign in future existences, and strangled himself; his wife and children, six or more persons, died with him.[3](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nihongi%3A_Chronicles_of_Japan_from_the_Earliest_Times_to_A.D._697/Book_XXV)
No evidence of rebellion was found in his effects or residence.[10](https://bushoojapan.com/jphistory/kodai/2024/03/24/96971) One account places Himuka as head of the Dazaifu, effectively a half-demotion whose lightness suggests the charge was fabricated.[10](https://bushoojapan.com/jphistory/kodai/2024/03/24/96971)
## Historians' assessment
The Nihon Shoki presents the 649 affair as a slander, and modern accounts follow it in treating the treason charge as unfounded: the discovery of exonerating documents and the mild treatment of the slanderer are read as signs that the accusation was fabricated.[2](https://www.historyatlas.com/people/soga-no-kurayamada-no-ishikawa-no-maro/) • [10](https://bushoojapan.com/jphistory/kodai/2024/03/24/96971) The identity of the slanderer is given as Soga no Himuka by the standard references, but a local history names a half-brother Musashi (身刺) who bore a long grudge.[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [11](https://www.awatabe.com/history.htm) The genealogy of his father is likewise unsettled, with the Kōgyō Bunin conflicting with the standard descent from Soga no Kuramaro.[1](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815) • [4](https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530)
## Legacy
Through his daughters, Soga-descended imperial women formed the main imperial line of the early eighth century, producing Emperor Jitō, Emperor Monmu, Empress Genmei, Empress Genshō, and [Prince Nagaya](https://www.edgepedia.org/prince-nagaya); the Ishikawa clan that descended from his brothers declined once Fujiwara-line emperors succeeded to the throne, and in the [Heian period](https://www.edgepedia.org/heian-period) produced only officials of around fifth rank.[8](https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/80167)
## References
1. 蘇我倉山田石川麻呂とは？ 意味や使い方 - コトバンク（日本大百科全書・デジタル版 日本人名大辞典）: https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E5%80%89%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-89815
2. Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro | History Atlas: https://www.historyatlas.com/people/soga-no-kurayamada-no-ishikawa-no-maro/
3. Nihongi/Book XXV - Wikisource: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nihongi%3A_Chronicles_of_Japan_from_the_Earliest_Times_to_A.D._697/Book_XXV
4. 富田林市史 第一巻（本文編Ⅰ）, 富田林市文化財デジタルアーカイブ: https://adeac.jp/tondabayashi-city/texthtml/d000010/cp000001/ht000530
5. Isshi Incident, Prelude to the Taika Reforms | TOUKENZA: https://toukenza.jp/en/events/isshi-incident
6. The Chronicle of Kamatari (鏡足伝), English translation with corrigenda (2017): https://bohnerbiographie.zenwort.de/bw_daten/Chronicle_of_Kamatari_%E9%8E%8C%E8%B6%B3%E5%82%B3_englTransl_inclCorrig_(2017).pdf
7. The Isshi Incident, japan-history.org: https://japan-history.org/the-isshi-incident/
8. 古代最強の豪族・蘇我氏が改姓した石川氏…平安貴族列伝（47） | JBpress: https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/80167
9. 蘇我石川麻呂とは？ 意味や使い方 - コトバンク: https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%98%87%E6%88%91%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%9D%E9%BA%BB%E5%91%82-553658
10. 蘇我倉山田石川麻呂の自害｜従兄弟の入鹿を殺した乙巳の変では功労者だったが - 歴史専門サイト（武将ジャパン）: https://bushoojapan.com/jphistory/kodai/2024/03/24/96971
11. 蘇我倉山田石川麻呂 - 粟田部: https://www.awatabe.com/history.htm
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Asian history › Japan › Asuka and Nara Japan (592 to 794) › People and political events*
*Initially written Sep 24, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license