The Yamato polity, which emerges in the…

The Yamato polity, which emerges in the mid-Kofun period, is distinguished by powerful great clans or extended families, each with its dependents.

Each clan is headed by a patriarch who perform sacred rites to the clan's kami to ensure the long-term welfare of the clan.

Clan members are the aristocracy, and the kingly line that controls the Yamato court is at its pinnacle.