The
Uji formed a decentralized ruling structure. According to
Chinese records, the clans divided in rising urban centers occupied the Yamato Plains (the region between the present-day cities of Nara and Osaka). The clans were responsible for the protection and the taxation of these independent territories. Each clan was ruled by a headman or warlord and worshiped its own unique
ujigami or clan spirit. The most thorough ancient description of the
uji clan system comes from early Chinese records during the
Kofun period (300–552 CE). As pointed out in the
History of Wei, the peace was preserved among the "
Wa people" as long as a queen, who was a member of the powerful
Yamato clan, played the role of mediator between the various clans. Since pre-classical Japan lacked a centralized government, an official language and a written body of laws, the
Shinto religious beliefs determined the hereditary lineage of the
uji members. The powerful Yamato clan, the
Imperial Family, consolidated its power during the late sixth and early seventh century,
Prince Shōtoku, created the
Seventeen Article Constitution in 604 CE. This constitution did not constitute an official legal text but it was an attempt to create a bureaucracy to undercut the political domination of the great clans. ==References==