The was a cadet branch of the Fujiwara clan of Japan.
History It was founded by Fujiwara no Umakai,Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric et al. (2005). "Fujiwara no Umakai" at . i.e., one of the four great houses of the Fujiwara, founded by the so-called , who were sons of Fujiwara no Fuhito.
The epithet derives from the fact that the founder Umakai held the office of , or the head of the .Brinkley, ; excerpt, "Muchimaro's home, being in the south (nan) of the capital, was called Nan-ke; Fusazaki's, being in the north (hoku), was termed Hoku-ke; Umakai's was spoken of as Shiki-ke, since he presided over the Department of Ceremonies (Shiki), and Maro's went by the name of Kyō-ke, this term also having reference to his office."Jinnō Shōtōki (14th century), under Emperor Mommu: Thus, Shiki-ke may be translated the "Ceremonials House."
The other branches were the Fujiwara Nan-ke (the eldest brother Muchimaro's line), Fujiwara Hok-ke (Fusasaki's line), and the Fujiwara Kyō-ke (Fujiwara no Maro's line).
Umakai's son mounted a rebellion named after his name in 740, which ended with suppression and his death, spelling ill-fortune for the Shikike.Nussbaum, "Fujiwara no Hirotsugu" at The Nanke then gained hegemony again (back from the non-Fujiwara Tachibana no Moroe) until Nakamaro mounted his own uprising.
Shikike came into ascendancy with Fujiwara no Momokawa. The notorious who enticed and held sway over Emperor Heizei is also of the Shikike clan.
See also Gosanke
Notes
References Brinkley, Frank and Dairoku Kikuchi. (1915). A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era. New York: Encyclopædia Britannica. OCLC 413099 Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 58053128