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Japanese nobility (aristocracy)

ricecake

先輩
13 Jun 2006
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I would like to expand my knowledge on Japanese history,anyone here can clue me in on Japanese noble class past and present if still in existent today.
 
AFAIK, Japanese aristocrats of the past have lost nobility status, and no one (in his/her right mind) uses titles comparable to count, duke, etc., in Japan. Of course, former aristocratic families' descendants remain proud of their heritage and keep archives for their genealogy. So, most Japanese live lives without much attention to aristocratic lineage.

The number of members of the Imperial Family is also dwindling:

The structure and size of the Imperial Family changed after WWII. Before that time, there were numerous imperial princes and princesses, many of whom belonged to the Imperial Family's cadet or collateral branches. After the war, the occupying allies wanted to reduce the Imperial Family's size, partly to limit the amount of money that they would receive from the government. The result was the 1947 Imperial Household Law which narrowed the legal definition of the Imperial Family. Under its terms, only the legitimate descendants of an emperor in the legitimate male line had imperial status. The result was that only the immediate family of Emperor Hirohito (or Showa) and his three brothers had imperial status. Everyone else, especially those in the junior, collateral branches of the Imperial Family, would lose their imperial rank and become ordinary tax-paying citizens. Neither they nor their children were part of the Imperial Family anymore. The 1947 Imperial Household law also stated that any females who married outside of the family lost their imperial rank; both they and their descendants would become tax-paying commoners without any imperial privileges or rights.

From The Unofficial Japanese Royal Family Pages

This is why there was so much fuss about the baby boy born to Prince and Princess Akishino. Many families related to the Emperor and his immediate relatives have been removed from the Imperial register during the past decades, due to lack of male heirs. The newborn prince is the only one who is entitled to carry on the Imperial family tradition. (Boy, will he have a hard time finding a marriage partner!)

I'm sure there are other noted figures in Japan today who claim a noble background, but I don't have the time to check them out right now! Gomen-ne! 😌
 
Of course, former aristocratic families' descendants remain proud of their heritage and keep archives for their genealogy.

The newborn prince is the only one who is entitled to carry on the Imperial family tradition. (Boy, will he have a hard time finding a marriage partner!)


As always, I appreciate your prompt answers. 🙏

I have my local bookstore here special order a Chinese-language book ( 328 pages ) on Japanese surnames and historical background; it's available from a Taiwan publisher. Our Stanford University's East Asia Study has a complete encyclopedia set of 3 volumes titled " Nihon Seishi Daijiten ", both materials should satisfy my research. If I recall correctly, you mentioned some family names could trace both samurai background and aristocrat heritage.

In the old days, any emperor could have a harem of beauties to his liking. It's no longer practical or permissible in modern time. Little I've gathered from readings, Japanese young ladies from upper-crust not fond of marrying into Japan's royal family, especially to the crown prince, because you're burdened with a noble task of bearing a male heir the throne.
 
My mother once said she is a descendant of a Samurai family.. I should check it out one day what it really means.😌
 
You can sometimes tell if someone has noble anscestors by their last names, though I don't think it really matters anymore. I only know two people who told me of their anscestry. One had samurai heritage and the other was related to some general or noble family.
 
I think quite a lot of Japanese families claim roots to a samurai or a noble. My husband says his family descends from the famous Warring Period samurai Shibata Katsuie, though our family name is not Shibata:

http://www.samurai-archives.com/katsuie.html

My side has mostly Buddhist priests who kept a temple in Nagano Prefecture. I don't know whether there was a samurai in the family or not.

A famous clan in Japanese history is the Fujiwara family which had many of its daughters marry into the Imperial family:

Fujiwara clan - Wikipedia

Quite a few family names reportedly suggest consanguinity with the Fujiwara (藤原).
The kanji for "fuji" (the plant wistaria) can be seen in many family names such as Sato (佐藤), Endo (遠藤), Kato (加藤), and Kondo (近藤).

When it comes to direct lineage, however, the number drops dramatically:
A well-known skater is a direct descendant of Oda Nobunaga:

Nobunari Oda - Wikipedia

A direct descendant of the last Tokugawa shogun Yoshinobu is making a living as a professional photographer, based on what I read.
Konoe (近衛) is also a famous aristocratic name. Historic figures include Konoe Nobutada and Konoe Fumimaro. (Konoe means "imperial guard" in Japanese). I don't have any information on their direct descendants today.

The Fujiwaras have split into three family names later in history: Reizei (冷泉), Kyogoku (京極)and Nijo (二条).
 
The Japanese copied the European nobility system during the Meiji Restoration (there isn't much they haven't managed to copy one way or another), but this system was abolished by the Americans after WWII because they were jealous of having no nobility themselves. The titles were the ones used as user titles on this forum :

Koushaku (公爵) : Duke/Prince
Koushaku (侯爵) : Marquess
Hakushaku : Earl/Count
Shishaku : Viscount
Danshaku : Baron
Naitoshaku : Knight

There used to be a different court nobility system before Meiji, but they lost much prestige and power since the rise of the samurai (who were not nobles) in the 12th century. So the old nobility was mostly something of the Heian period, at the time of the novel "The Tale of Genji".
 
Just a side note. After the American war of Independance they offered a crown to George Washington, but he refused. I sometimes wonder what the US would have been like under a monarchy?
Sorry, just slightly offtopic
 
The Japanese copied the European nobility system during the Meiji Restoration (there isn't much they haven't managed to copy one way or another), but this system was abolished by the Americans after WWII because they were jealous of having no nobility themselves.

So General Douglas MacArthur and Harry Truman decided to abolish Japan's nobility system because we're "jealous," eh?! Where (or what) do you base this on?
 
Koushaku (公爵) : Duke/Prince
Koushaku (侯爵) : Marquess
Hakushaku : Earl/Count
Shishaku : Viscount
Danshaku : Baron
Naitoshaku : Knight

These titles of nobility were used only from the Meiji Period until they were scrapped by the Allied Powers following WWII.

AFAIK, there were only 5 titles and "naitoshaku" is not one of them. Also, "naito-shaku" is more commonly known as "kishi"(騎士)and is used only to refer to the British title of "knight" used in the UK.

Nobility from Meiji to end of WWII was called "Kazoku" (華族).

In history books, the aristocrats of the Imperial court, especially in the Heian Period before their fall from political power and rise of samurai regime, are called "Ouchou kizoku" (王朝貴族)or "Heian kizoku" (平安貴族).
 
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I think quite a lot of Japanese families claim roots to a samurai or a noble.


epigene-san .... thank you once again for your insights on this subject.

Anyone I come in contact loosely boast having noble blood or whatnot,I typically take it with a grain of salt.



off-topic :

My surname is Liu,no one in my immediate family ever falsely claimed kinship to one of most reverred historic figure Liu-Bei from the 3 Kingdoms Era.

Liu Bei - Wikipedia
 
epigene said:
These titles of nobility were used only from the Meiji Period until they were scrapped by the Allied Powers following WWII.

In what way is that different from what I said?

AFAIK, there were only 5 titles and "naitoshaku" is not one of them. Also, "naito-shaku" is more commonly known as "kishi"(騎士)and is used only to refer to the British title of "knight" used in the UK.

How do the Japanese refer to the French "chevalier", the Italian "cavaliere", the Spanish "caballero", the German "Ritter", etc. then?

Nobility from Meiji to the end of WWII was called "Kazoku" (華族).

The 華 of 華族 means "Chinese". What is the connection with China ?
 
The 華 of 華族 means "Chinese". What is the connection with China ?


This Kanji can also mean " grandeur " in the context of Japanese aristocracy.



Huaxia - Wikipedia, the word derived from Hua-Xia for today's Chinese population. Generally, modern-day Han Chinese refer themselves as Hua-ren, Tang-ren, or Han-ren.


Hua = Hua-Xia centrism in Chinese culture
Tang and Han = China's 2 greatest dynasties.
 
epigene-san,


These English-language links are interesting, informative reads, added to my compilation of cross-references.

Basically, those noble families were off-shoot distant cousins from the Imperial House.

One question, is it a taboo marry someone with the same family name in Japanese culture? My elder siblings and I are NOT allowed to date or consider anyone with the same ( paternal ) surname as a potential mate.

I am yet to finish reading the Chinese translation version of " Tale of Genji " and " Pillow Book ". I am waiting for one other classic novel my local bookstore is ordering from a Taiwan publisher I can't remember the English title.
 
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Yes, caster51 is right. Cousins are allowed to marry under Japanese law, though such instances are not commonplace today, AFAIK. So, having the same surname is not a serious problem unless they are closely related.

In the ancient and feudal days, such intermarriages happened in noble families for political purposes. I think it also happened in the peasantry, too, since marriage partners were most often found within the same village or locality.
 
Cousins are allowed to marry under Japanese law, having the same surname is not a serious problem unless they are closely related.In the ancient and feudal days, such intermarriages happened in noble families for political purposes.


Europe's Blue Blood is one big dysfunctional family once had a long tradition, with a few royal pairs were paternal ( 😲 ) first cousins. Haemophilia was a royal disease plaguing some European royal members, including Russian Emperor Nicholas's only son Prince Alexis.


I've read a couple of books on the Royal House of Aisin-Giron,in-breeding between children of Nurhaci's sons and daughters was encouraged during his reign. He had his daughters married off to Mongol chieftains' sons. The off-springs became marriage mates of their Jurchen first cousins.


The Fujiwara clan was one larger than life noble family. They had a towering presence in the Imperial Court during the Heian Period. Their Fujiwara name is fixated to many pages in the classic novels I am presently reading.
 
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Xiang Yu and Liu Bang by Shiba Ryotaro was published in Chinese last month.
Shiba is a greatest writer, I believe. And the book is interesting to read, and you're lucky enough to read Chinese, even though you're 3rd or 4th generation of Chinese American.
I heard Shiba's works had been tabooed in PRC, for he criticised her policy on Taiwan when he met Li Denghui. Anyways Shiba died and no Taiwan issue when Liu Bang lived. Enjoy what a Japanese described your history.
 
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