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The Kazoku (華族? lit. "flowery lineage") was the hereditary peerage of Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947. The Peerage is a system of Titles of Nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku

Interior of Peers' Club, Tokyo 1912
Interior of Peers' Club, Tokyo 1912

Contents

Origins

Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto ( kuge ) regained some of its lost status. The, also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan 's political and social structure (IPA /kʲoːto / is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. The kuge (公家 was a Japanese Aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto until the rise of the Several members of the kuge played a crucial role in the overthrow of the Tokugawa bakufu, and the early Meiji government nominated kuge to head all seven of the newly established administrative departments. The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the, and the, was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the Shoguns of The Government of Meiji period Japan from 1868-1911 was an evolution of institutions and structures from the feudal order of the Tokugawa bakufu towards

The Meiji oligarchs, as part of their Westernizing reforms, merged the kuge with the former daimyo (feudal lords) into an expanded aristocratic class on 25 July 1869, to recognize that the kuge and former-daimyo were a social class distinct from the other designated social classes of shizoku (former samurai) and heimin (commoners). The Meiji Oligarchy, as the new ruling class of Meiji period Japan is known to historians was a privileged clique that exercised imperial power sometimes The ( were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan. Itō Hirobumi, one of the principal authors of the Meiji constitution intended the new kazoku peerage to serve as a political and social bulwark for the "restored" emperor and the Japanese imperial institution. was a Japanese statesman Resident-General of Korea, four time Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st 5th 7th and 10th and Genrō. The, more commonly known as the Imperial or Meiji Constitution, was the fundamental law of the Empire of Japan from 29 November 1890 until 2 May 1947 At the time, the kuge and former daimyo consisted of a group of 427 families.

All members of the kazoku without an official government appointment in the provinces were initially obligated to reside in Tokyo. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. By the end of 1869, a pension system was adopted, which gradually displaced the kazoku from their posts as provincial governors and as government leaders. The stipends promised by the government were eventually replaced by government bonds

Development

Under the Peerage Act of 7 July 1884, pushed through by Ito Hirobumi after visiting Europe, the Meiji government expanded the hereditary peerage with the award of kazoku status to persons regarded as having performed outstanding services to the nation. A government bond is a bond issued by a national government denominated in the country's own Currency. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year was a Japanese statesman Resident-General of Korea, four time Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st 5th 7th and 10th and Genrō. The government also divided the kazoku into five ranks explicitly based on the British peerage, but with titles deriving from the ancient Chinese nobility:

  1. Prince or Duke (公爵 kōshaku?)
  2. Marquis (侯爵 kōshaku?)
  3. Count/Earl (伯爵 hakushaku?)
  4. Viscount (子爵 shishaku?)
  5. Baron (男爵 danshaku?)

The initial rank distribution for kazoku houses of kuge descent depended on the highest possible office to which its ancestors had been entitled in the imperial court. The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most Peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801 when Wang (King and Huangdi (Emperor The King or Wang (Chinese 王 or 國王 wáng was the title of the Chinese Head of state until the Qin dynasty Prince, from the Latin root Princeps, is a general term for a Monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family and is a A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom A marquess (ˈmɑrkwɪs or marquis (/mɑrˈkiː/ is a Nobleman of hereditary rank in various European monarchies and some of their colonies A count is a Nobleman in European countries The word count comes from French comte, itself from Latin Earl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning " Chieftain " and referring especially to chieftains A viscount ( VAI-count is a member of the European Nobility whose comital title ranks usually as in the British peerage, above a Baron is a specific Title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber Thus, the heirs of the five regent houses (go-seike) of the Fujiwara dynasty (Konoe, Takatsukasa, Kujo, Ichijo, and Nijo) all became princes. The Fujiwara clan (藤原氏 Fujiwara-shi) descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of Regents in Japan that monopolized the regent positions The Konoe family (近衛家 Konoe-ke was a branch of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful noble family in Japan. The Takatsukasa family (鷹司家 is a branch of the Fujiwara clan of Japan. For the horror novel by Stephen King see Cujo. The Kujō family (九条家 Kujō-ke was a Japanese noble family and a branch of the Fujiwara The was one of Five regent houses, branches of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful noble family monopolizing regent positions Sesshō and Kampaku in Japan. The was one of Five regent houses, branches of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful noble family that monopolized regent positions Sesshō and Kampaku in Japan The heads of other kuge houses (including Daigo, Hamuro, Hirohata, Kazan'in, Kikutei, Koga, Nakamikado, Nakayama, Oinomikado, Saga, Sanjo, Saionji, Shijo, and Tokudaiji) became marquises. For the automobile see Ford Kuga. The Koga family (久我家 Koga-ke is a branch of the Minamoto clan (descending from Emperor The Nabeshima clan (鍋島氏 -shi) was a prominent samurai clan of Kyūshū which controlled Saga Domain from the late Sengoku period through Saionji (西園寺 is a Japanese family name of former Kuge descent A marquess (ˈmɑrkwɪs or marquis (/mɑrˈkiː/ is a Nobleman of hereditary rank in various European monarchies and some of their colonies Also, the head of the Shō family, the former royal family of the Ryūkyūs (Okinawa), was given the title of marquis. The Ryūkyū Kingdom ( Ryukyuan: ja 琉球國 rūchū－kuku, 琉球王国 ryūkyū-ō-koku) liúqiúguó) was an independent kingdom which is one of Japan 's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1000 km long which extends southwest from Kyūshū

Excluding the Tokugawa, the initial kazoku rank distribution for the former daimyo lords depended on rice revenue: those with 150,000 koku or more became marquises, those with 50,000 koku or more become counts, etc. The was a powerful Daimyo family of Japan. They descended from Emperor Seiwa (850-880 and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji by the KOKU (1003 FM, "Hit Radio 100" is a Radio station in the United States territory of Guam. The former Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu became a prince, the heads of primary Tokugawa branch houses (shinpan daimyo) became marquises, and the heads of the secondary branches became counts. is a military rank and historical title in Japan. The Japanese word for "general" it is made up of two Kanji words sho, meaning "commander" Tokugawa Yoshinobu 1st Prince of the Yoshinobu-ke (徳川 慶喜 Tokugawa Yoshinobu (also known as Keiki) October 28, 1837 &ndash

As in British peerage, only the actual holder of a title and his consort were considered part of the kazoku. The Peerage is a system of Titles of Nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system. The holders of the top two ranks, prince and marquis, automatically became members of the House of Peers in the Diet of Japan upon their succession or upon majority (in the case of peers who were minors). This article is about the Japanese body The British House of Lords is also known as the House of Peers for certain ceremonial purposes. The is Japan's Bicameral Legislature. It is composed of a Lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an Upper house, called Counts, viscounts, and barons elected up to 150 representatives from their ranks to the House of Peers.

Titles and hereditary financial stipends passed according to primogeniture, although kazoku houses frequently adopted sons from collateral branches of their own houses and other kazoku houses to prevent their lines from dying out. Primogeniture is the Common law right of the Firstborn son to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings A 1904 amendment to the 1889 Imperial Household Law allowed minor princes (ō) of the imperial family to renounce their imperial status and become peers (in their own right) or heirs to childless peers. The, were branches of the Japanese Imperial Family created from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house Initially there were 11 non-imperial princes or dukes, 24 marquis, 76 counts, 324 viscounts, and 74 barons, for a total of 509 peers. [1] By 1928, through promotions and new creations there were a total of 954 peers: 18 non-imperial princes or dukes, 40 marquis, 108 counts, 379 viscounts, and 409 barons. The kazoku reached a peak of 1016 families in 1944. [2]

The Constitution of Japan abolished the kazoku and ended the use of all titles of nobility or rank outside the immediate imperial family. The has been the founding legal document of Japan since 1947 The constitution provides for a Parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights Nonetheless, many descendants of former kazoku families continue to occupy prominent roles in Japanese society and industry. [3]

References

See also

External links

Notes

  1. ^ Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan, page 391
  2. ^ Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, page 1194
  3. ^ Lebra, Above the Clouds: Status Culture of the Modern Japanese Nobility
In Japan, as in every country the family is the earliest focus of social life for an individual and it provides a model of social organization for most later encounters The following list are the court noble ( Kuge) families of Japan.
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