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The Emperor Meiji

Kazoku: the Exalted Japanese Lineage

Japan’s culture and traditions are greatly influenced by Shinto and Buddhist beliefs. Several gods or spirits called ”kami” are revered by many Japanese. One of them is the goddess of the sun, Amaterasu who, according to Shinto belief, is the Emperor of Japan’s direct ancestor. Japan is also known to have the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world. The Chrysanthemum Throne is the term that embodies the Japanese monarchy and the legal authority of the existence of the Japanese government. The kazoku was considered the accepted  hereditary peerage (legal system of hereditary titles) of the Empire of Japan between 1884 and 1947.

The Japanese Emperor 明治天皇 (The Emperor Meiji), 1909.The Meiji Restoration of 1868 saw the restoration of practical imperial rule to Japan under Emperor Meiji. It put in place practical abilities and secured the political system of the country. This led to many changes in Japan’s political structure as well as its emergence as a modernized nation. Kazoku (華族) literally means “exalted lineage” or “magnificent.”  The ancient court nobility of Kyoto (kuge) regained its status when several of its members played crucial roles in overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate.  The Meiji government nominated kuge to head all seven of the newly established administrative departments.

The Emperor Meiji.

The new ruling class of Japan was known as the Meiji oligarchy. One of their Westernizing reform strategies was to unite the daimyo (feudal lords) with the kuge to build an expanded aristocratic class distinct from other social classes of shizoku (former samurai) and the heimin (commoners). The kazoku peerage was intended to provide the political and social foundation for the newly restored Japanese imperial institution.  Any kazoku without any official government appointments in provinces were obligated to reside in Tokyo.Interior of Peers Club, Tokyo, circa 1911.

Interior of Peers Club, Tokyo, circa 1911.

The Peerage Act as promulgated by Hirobumi Ito of 7 July 1884 expanded the awarding of kazoku status to people who had performed outstanding services for the country.

The kazoku was divided into five ranks based on the British peerage system but with titles derived from ancient Chinese nobility:

Prince or Duke – Kōshaku  (公爵 )
Marquis – also Kōshaku  but written with a different Chinese character (侯爵 )
Count – Hakushaku (伯)
Viscount – Shishaku  (子爵 )
Baron – Danshaku (男爵)

The 1946 Constitution of Japan abolished the kazoku. This ended the use of all titles of nobility and rank outside the immediate Imperial Family. But many of the descendants of the kazoku families continue to hold influential positions in Japanese government and society up until today.

Related post:

Amaterasu and the Imperial Regalia of Japan

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Read all about Japanese immersion learning and studying abroad. Check out our eZasshi archives for more articles!