The Fujiwara clan (藤原氏, Fujiwara-shi or Fujiwara-uji; Japanese pronunciation: [ɸɯ.(d)ʑi.wa.ɾa(ꜜ.ɕi), -(ꜜɯ.dʑi)]) was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. They held the title of Ason. The abbreviated form is Tōshi or Tōji (藤氏; [toꜜː.ɕi, -(d)ʑi]).
The 8th century clan history Tōshi Kaden (藤氏家伝) states the following at the biography of the clan's patriarch, Fujiwara no Kamatari (614–669): "Kamatari, the Inner Palace Minister who was also called ‘Chūrō,’ was a man of the Takechi district of Yamato Province. His forebears descended from Ame no Koyane no Mikoto; for generations they had administered the rites for Heaven and Earth, harmonizing the space between men and the gods. Therefore, it was ordered their clan was to be called Ōnakatomi."
