The kuge ( 公家 ) was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto . The kuge were important from the establishment of Kyoto as the capital during the Heian period in the late 8th century until the rise of the Kamakura shogunate in the 12th century, at which point it was eclipsed by the bushi . The kuge still provided a weak court around the Emperor until the Meiji Restoration , when they merged with the daimyō, regaining some of their status in the process, and formed the kazoku ( peerage ), which lasted until shortly after World War II (1947), when the Japanese peerage system was abolished. Though there is no longer an official status, members of the kuge families remain influential in Japanese society, government, and industry.
19-643: The Katsura-no-miya ( 桂宮家 ) was one of the four shinnōke , branches of the Imperial Family of Japan which were eligible to succeed to the Chrysanthemum Throne in the event that the main line should die out. It was founded by Prince Toshihito, a grandson of Emperor Ōgimachi and brother of Emperor Go-Yōzei . It is the second oldest of the shinnōke , after the Fushimi-no-miya . The Katsura-no-miya house has died out several times, and has undergone
38-518: A closely related group of people. In the Muromachi period , Prince Yoshihito, the son of the Northern Emperor Sukō was permitted to establish a parallel lineage to the main imperial line, and took the name Fushimi-no-miya from the location of his palace. Without this permission, the line would be considered commoners, and therefore excluded from the succession. This served politically to cement
57-561: A number of changes in name. It was originally titled Hachijō-no-miya. Prince Hachijō-no-miya Toshihito lived at the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto , hence he and all of his lineage are referred to as Katsura-no-miya . Prince Yoshihito of Mikasa , the second son of Prince Mikasa received the title Katsura-no-miya in 1988. However, this title is connected to his badge ( お印 , o-shirushi ) , Katsura ( Cercidiphyllum ) and thus
76-618: A pre– peerage context ) originally described the Emperor and his court. The meaning of the word changed over time to designate bureaucrats at the court. During the Heian period , the relative peace and stability provided freedom for the noble class to pursue cultural interests, and the kuge became leaders and benefactors of arts and culture in Japan. Most of the Kuge resided in the capital city of Kyoto . Later in
95-498: A surname such as Minamoto or Taira , and serve as a government official, or they could enter the Buddhist priesthood, generally as the head of one of the monzeki temples in and around Kyoto . During the Edo period, the latter practice became almost universal. Non-heir sons who entered the priesthood were styled princely priest ( 法親王 , hōshinnō ) , and were automatically excluded from
114-541: Is not related to the shinnōke title. Unless otherwise stated, all Princes listed here are the sons of their predecessors. Shinn%C5%8Dke Seshū Shinnōke ( 世襲親王家 ) was the collective name for the four cadet branches of the Imperial family of Japan , which were until 1947 entitled to provide a successor to the Chrysanthemum throne if the main line failed to produce an heir. The heads of these royal houses held
133-605: The kuge , daimyō or Tokugawa houses, if not to the imperial family. During and after the Meiji Restoration , members of the seshū shinnōke, whether they were elder sons or younger sons, often served in the Imperial Japanese Army or Imperial Japanese Navy . The four seshū shinnōke were, in order of creation: The sixteenth son of Prince Kuniie , the twentieth head of the Fushimi-no-miya, succeeded to
152-515: The Fujiwara family . Though they lost most of their political power, they sustained the court culture and maintained a cultural influence. In particular, after the Sengoku period they lost most of their financial basis and were no longer in a position to act as patrons of culture, but they passed on their knowledge as masters of particular fields such as writing waka poetry and playing instruments such as
171-522: The Kamakura period (1185–1333), kuge became an antonym to buke (warrior nobles), that is, samurai who swore loyalty to the shogunate. At this point, kuge began to be used to describe those who worked in the Court; both aristocratic noblemen and commoners. Two classes formed the kuge: the dōjō ( 堂上 ) noblemen who sat on the floor with the Emperor; and the jige ( 地下 ) who were unable to sit with
190-565: The Tokugawa shogunate , in conscious imitation of the Tokugawa Gosanke . However, aside from Emperor Go-Hanazono , the only time a member of the seshū shinnōke ascended to the throne was in 1779, when the son of Prince Kan'in-no-miya Sukehito became Emperor Kōkaku . Within the seshū shinnōke households, younger non-heir sons (who were titled prince ( 親王 , shinnō ) ), had two career options. They could "descend" to subject status with
209-423: The biwa , and they had disciples among the daimyō and sometimes rich commoners. As masters of a certain field, kuge gave their disciples many licenses certifying that the disciples had learned a certain field and allowed them to perform in public or sometimes to teach others. Disciples were expected to pay their master a fee for each issued license. During the Edo period, this was an important source of income for
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#1732852681198228-459: The dōjō , separating them into groups according to their office at court. These determined the highest office to which they could be appointed. Within the dojo class, the groupings were: The jige class was associated with but not a part of the dojo : Most of the highest-classed kuge belonged to the Fujiwara clan and Minamoto clan , but there were still other clans like the Sugawara clan ,
247-403: The kuge . In 1869 during the Meiji Restoration the kuge merged with the daimyō to form a single aristocratic group, the kazoku . Others associated with the kuge included Buddhist priests, Kyoto cultural patrons, geisha , and actors. The kuge were divided into two classes, the higher dojo and the lower jige . In the 12th century conventional differences were established among
266-438: The Emperor. Although kuge included those two classes, mainly this word described the dōjō, the noblemen. The highest offices at the court were called kugyō and eligibility was limited to members of dōjō kuge. During the Edo period there were about 130 families of dōjō kuge. The most prominent members of the kuge became regents to the emperor ( sesshō or kampaku ). These daijō-kan offices were restricted to members of
285-462: The Kan'in-no-miya house in 1872, but the house died out in 1988 on the death of his son. The Fushimi-no-miya house was the progenitor of ten other cadet branches of the imperial family, the ōke , during the reign of Emperor Meiji . After the 25th Fushimi-no-miya, the seshu shinnōke ceased to exist. The current head of Fushimi-no-miya, Fushimi Hiroaki , has three daughters and no male heirs to carry on
304-611: The family name and title. When he dies, the last remaining seshū shinnōke lineage will become extinct. Five of the original ten ōke lineages still have male descendants. The shinnōke and ōke households, along with the kazoku (Japanese peerage ) and the shizoku (Warrior families) were reduced to Japanese nationals (Nihon kokumin) status during the American occupation of Japan, in October 1947. Kuge Kuge (from Middle Chinese kuwng-kæ 公家, "ducal family", or "nobility" in
323-506: The reunification of the Northern and Southern Court , but provided insurance in the extreme event that the main imperial line should fail to produce a direct heir and become extinct. This proved to be a fortunate decision, as in 1428, the son of the 2nd Prince Fushimi-no-miya ascended the throne as Emperor Go-Hanazono . In the Edo period , three additional seshū shinnōke households were created by
342-408: The succession, but could be recalled to "secular" status (and thus reinstated as potential successors) if the need arose. Unwed daughters, once they crossed a certain age, often became Buddhist nuns. However, marriage was the norm for them, and they could hope to enter the highest houses of the land. The great seshū shinnōke houses gave their daughters in marriage only to families of high rank, such as
361-407: The title of imperial prince ( 親王 , shinnō ) , regardless of their genealogical distance from the reigning Emperor , as the term seshū in their designation meant that they were eligible for succession. The Imperial family of Japan considers itself a single dynasty in unbroken succession; however, the succession has often not been directly from father to son, but has been in the male line within
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