Kazoku

The Kazoku (Japanese华 族, literally " magnificent family ") was the hereditary nobility of Japan, who from 1869 to 1947 inventory.

The Meiji oligarchy merged in 1869 as part of their Western reforms the Kuge ( court nobles ) with the daimyo ( feudal lords ) to a single common noble class. Itō Hirobumi, one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration and later lead author of the Meiji Constitution, intended so that the Kazoku should serve as a political and social bulwark for the " restored " imperial dignity and Imperial Japanese institutions.

In addition to the existing Japanese nobility, the Meiji leadership rewarded those with the Kazoku - status who have made ​​outstanding services to the country. In 1884, the government went a step further by divided the Kazoku into five levels according to the British peerage system. This system used titles that were derived from the ancient Chinese needle system, which coincidentally also knew five titles:

As in the British peer -Adel only the actual holder of the title and his spouse were considered Kazoku. The holders of the top two titles prince / duke and margrave were in succession or rise ( for nobles who previously had minor title ) automatically become members of the Lord's house. Counts, viscounts and barons chose from among their ranks up to 150 representatives in the House.

Titles have been passed by primogeniture, although Kazoku houses often sons of collateral branches of their house or other Kazoku houses adopted to prevent the extinction of their line. An addition of 1904 to the 1889 Act adopted on the Imperial family allowed the lower Prince ( Ō ) of the imperial family to abandon their imperial status to become a Kazoku Noble or an heir of a childless Kazoku - nobles.

Originally there were 509 Kazoku Nobles (11 princes / dukes, 24 marquises, 76 counts, 324 viscounts and barons 74 ). By 1928 their number had increased by rise and recreation on 954 (18 princes / dukes, 40 marquises, 108 earls, viscounts, and 379 barons 409 ).

The awarding of the title of nobility for Kazoku houses from Kuge - origin depended on the highest possible office with which the ancestors were entrusted in the imperial court. Accordingly, the heirs of the five regent houses (五 摂 家go- Sekke ) were the Fujiwara dynasty ( Konoe, Takatsukasa, Kujo, Nijo Ichijō and ) all the princes, as well as the Iwakura. The heads of the other pot belly pig houses ( Daigo, Hamuro, Hirohata, Kazan'in, Kikutei, Kuga, Nakamikado, Nakayama, Oinomikado, Saga, Sanjō, Saionji, Shijō and Tokudaiji ) was Margrave. Even the head of the Sho family, the former royal family of the Ryukyu Islands ( Okinawa ), the title of Margrave was given.

With the exception of the former Shogun family Tokugawa, as well as the significantly concerned in the Meiji Restoration families Mōri ( from Chōshū ) and Shimazu ( Satsuma ) put the princes were hung to award the title to the former daimyo of their rice income from: those from 150,000 koku were Margrave, from 50,000 koku counts, etc. Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu was the former prince, the heads of the most important main branches ( Shimpan - daimyo ) Margrave and the heads of the secondary branches counts.

The Japanese Constitution of 1946 abolished the Kazoku and all titles of nobility from outside the imperial family. Since there - except in the Heian period - was no "from" (Japanese for no), former nobles rarely differ by their name. Exceptions are, for example, Matsudaira / Tokugawa, Madenokōji, Mushanokoji (former court nobility ). Even after the abolition of the previous Kazoku families continue to hold important positions in society and Industry of Japan. Former Kazoku have come together to form a club Kasumikaikan. The association has its premises in the Kasumigaseki Building.