Kose no Kiminari (巨勢君成)
KOSE no Kiminari (dates of birth and death unknown) was a noble of the Nara Period. His main name was KOSE no Asomi. His home ground was Kose-go, Takaichi-gun, Yamato Province.
During the reign of Emperor Shomu, Kiminari was appointed to Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) (on April 22, 746 on the old calendar) and then to Shimotsuke no kuni no kami (the governor of Shimotsuke Province) (on March 12, 748 on the old calendar). The KOSE family at that time included, in a direct line, KOSE no Sakaimaro, who was Sangi (counselor) and Jusani (Junior Third Rank) and was a nephew of KOSE no Oji, who was Chunagon (Middle Counselor) and Shosanmi (Senior Third Rank); the KOSE family also included KOSE no Nademaro, Dainagon (Major Counselor) and Junii (Junior Second Rank) and KOSE no Maro, Chunagon and Jusani. At the end of the eighth century, Kiminari was appointed to Commander-in-Chief of the Defense of Mutsu Province; KOSE no Notari, Chunagon and shosanmi, was Sakaimaro's grandchild in a direct line, and Notari was later appointed to Shimotsuke no kuni no kami, just like Kiminari.
The remains found in Shimotsuke at the time when Kiminari worked there included the following: the remains of Kamikounushi Mobara kanga (government office) iseki (at that time Kawachi County; present day, Kaminokawa-machi, Utsunomiya City) and Yakushi-ji Temple (at that time, Shimotsuke City) (present day; Kawachi County, Shimotsuke City); they are located along Tosan-do Road, to the east of the local government of Shimotsuke (Tsuga District, present day, Tochigi City). It is said that people who belonged to Sasakibe no Omi from Settsu Province, whose ancestor was TAKENOUCHI no Sukune as Kose no Omi did, had lived in that area for a considerably long time. It is presumed that at that time Shimotsuke Province had a strong relationship with Yamato Dynasty; the letters of 'Sasakibe somebody,' who seemed an inhabitant there, was engraved on a piece of a tile excavated from the remain of Kamikounushi Mobara Kanga iseki; Suzumenomiya-jinja Shrine (present day, in Utsunomiya City) was established near that site and Mimorowake no Mikoto, who was considered Emperor Sujin, was enshrined there.