was a Japanese statesman and waka poet in the Nara period. He was one of the Man'yō no Go-taika, the five great poets of his time, and was part of Fujiwara no Kintō's . Ōtomo was a member of the prestigious Ōtomo clan. Like his grandfather and father before him, Yakamochi was a well-known politician, and by Enryaku rose to the position of , his highest bureaucratic position.'The Otomo Clan The Otomo clan was a powerful clan that flourished from the 5th to 9th centuries. They are said to have descended from Ame-no-Oshihi-no-Mikoto, who served as a precursor to Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto, and together with the Monobe clan were responsible for the military affairs of the Yamato kingdom and were also active in politics. Genealogy Father: Otomo Tabito Mother: Tambirou-no-musume Wife: Otomo Sakanoue Oiratume Children of unknown birth mother Male: Otomo Naganushi Biography Ōtomo was born into the Ōtomo clan; his grandfather was Ōtomo no Yasumaro and his father was Ōtomo no Tabito. The Ōtomo clan were warriors and bureaucrats in the Yamato Court, and Yakamochi served as a in several provinces. He was the nephew of Ōtomo no Sakanoue no Iratsume, who was also poet and a favorite of Prince Hozumi. When Tabito died in 731, Ōtomo became the head of the Ōtomo family. In 738, he met Udoneri, and in 740 at the behest of Emperor Shōmu went to Dazaifu (Kyūshū) to suppress the rebellion of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu. In 745 he became a . In July of the following year, he became governor of Etchū Province, a post he lasted in until 751. By this time he was already the author of 220 waka. In 751 he was promoted to and returned to the capital. In 754 he was appointed , and the following year concerned himself with the at Nanba, a time that is described in the Sakimori Songs Collection in the Man'yōshū. Yakamochi did not take part in the . Instead, he conspired with Fujiwara no Yoshitsugu, Isonokami Yakatsugu and Saeki no Imaemishi to plot the assassination of Fujiwara no Nakamaro. Afterwards Yoshitsugu took sole responsibility for the affair, but due to suspicions about Yakamochi's involvement he was transferred to the governorship of Satsuma Province. In 777, he rose to the governorship of Ise Province. According to the records of the , he served in this post for about five years. In 780