TheKazoku (華族, "Magnificent/Exalted lineage";IPA:[ka̠zo̞kɯ̟]) was the hereditarypeerage of theEmpire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. It was formed by merging the feudal lords (daimyō) and court nobles (kuge) into one system modelled after theBritish peerage. Distinguished military officers, politicians, and scholars were occasionally ennobled as (新華族,shin kazoku,'the newly ennobled'), until the country's defeat in theSecond World War in 1945.^[1][2] The system was abolished with the1947 constitution, which prohibited any form of aristocracy under it, butkazoku descendants still form the core of the traditional upper class in the country's society, distinct from thenouveau riche.^[3]

Kazoku (華族) should not be confused withkazoku (家族), which is pronounced the same in Japanese, but written with a different first character, meaning "immediate family" (as in the filmKazoku above).

Following theMeiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility ofKyoto, thekuge (公家), regained some of its lost status. Several members of thekuge, such asIwakura Tomomi andNakayama Tadayasu, played a crucial role in the overthrow of theTokugawa shogunate,^[4]: 115 and the earlyMeiji government nominatedkuge to head all seven of the newly established administrative departments.

TheMeiji oligarchs, as part of their Westernizing reforms, merged thekuge with the formerdaimyō (大名, feudal lords) into an expandedaristocratic class on 25 July 1869, to recognize that thekuge and formerdaimyō were a social class distinct from the other designated social classes ofshizoku (士族, former samurai) andheimin (平民, commoners). They lost their territorial privileges.^[1]Itō Hirobumi, one of the principal authors of theMeiji constitution, intended the newkazoku peerage to serve as a political and social bulwark for the "restored"emperor and the Japanese imperial institution. At the time, thekuge (142 families) and formerdaimyō (285 families) consisted of a group of total427 families.

All members of thekazoku without an official government appointment in the provinces were initially obliged to reside inTokyo. By the end of 1869, a pension system was adopted, which gradually displaced thekazoku from their posts as provincial governors and as government leaders. The stipends promised by the government were eventually replaced bygovernment bonds.

In 1884 thekazoku were reorganized and the old feudal titles were replaced with:^[1]

1. Prince, the equivalent of a EuropeanDuke (公爵,Kōshaku)
2. Marquess (侯爵,Kōshaku)
3. Count, the equivalent of anEarl (伯爵,Hakushaku)
4. Viscount (子爵,Shishaku)
5. Baron (男爵,Danshaku)

There were several categories within thekazoku. The initial rank distribution forkazoku houses ofkuge descent depended on the highest possible office to which its ancestors had been entitled in the imperial court. Thus, the heirs of thefive regent houses (go-sekke) of theFujiwara dynasty (Konoe,Takatsukasa,Kujō,Ichijō andNijō) all became princes, the equivalent of a Europeanduke, upon the establishment of thekazoku in 1884.

The heads of eight other families (Daigo,Hirohata,Kikutei,Koga,Saionji,Tokudaiji,Ōinomikado andKasannoin) all with the rank ofseiga, the second rank in thekuge, became marquesses at the same time. Those family heads in the third tier of thekuge and with the rank ofdaijin became counts. Heads of families in the lowest three tiers (those in the ranks ofurin,mei andhan) typically became viscounts, but could also be ennobled as counts.

Other appointments to the two highest ranks in thekazoku—prince and marquess—from among thekuge were also made to reward certainkuge families for their roles in theMeiji Restoration, for taking a prominent role in national affairs or for their close degree of relationship to the Imperial family. Thus the head of theseiga-rankedSanjo [ja] house became a prince in 1884. The heads of the Tokudaiji and the Saionji houses were advanced to the rank of prince from the rank of marquess in 1911 and 1920, respectively.

In recognition of his father's role in theMeiji Restoration,Iwakura Tomosada, the heir of nobleIwakura Tomomi and whose family had been in the fourth tier ofkuge nobility, with the rank ofurin, was ennobled as a prince in 1884.Nakayama Tadayasu, theMeiji Emperor's maternal grandfather and also from anurin-ranked family, was ennobled as a marquess. The head of theShō family, the former royal family of theRyūkyū Kingdom (Okinawa), was given the title of marquess. When theKorean Empire was annexed in 1910, theHouse of Yi wasmediatized as an incorporated and therefore subordinate kingship (王). Some Korean princes were also made Japanese princes (公).

Excluding theTokugawas, the initialkazoku rank distribution for the formerdaimyō lords depended on rice revenue: those with 150,000koku or more became marquesses, those with 50,000koku or more become counts, and those with holdings rated below 50,000koku became viscounts. The head of theTokugawa clan,Tokugawa Iesato, became a prince, the heads of primary Tokugawa branch houses (shinpan daimyō) became marquesses, the heads of the secondary branches became counts and the heads of more distant branches became viscounts. The head of the Matsudaira (Fukui Domain) branch was raised to the rank of marquess from the rank of count in 1888. In 1902, the formershōgunTokugawa Yoshinobu was created a prince, and the head of the Mitoshinpan house was raised to the same rank, prince, in 1929.

Of the other formerdaimyō clans, the heads of the Mōri (Chōshū Domain) and Shimazu (Satsuma Domain) clans were both ennobled as princes in 1884 for their role in the Meiji Restoration; the Yamauchi (Tosa Domain) clan was given the rank of marquess. The heads of the main Asano (Hiroshima Domain), Ikeda (Okayama andTottori Domains), Kuroda (Fukuoka Domain), Satake (Kubota Domain), Nabeshima (Saga Domain), Hachisuka (Tokushima Domain), Hosokawa (Kumamoto Domain) and Maeda (Kaga Domain) clans became marquesses in 1884.

Notably, the head of the main family line of theDate clan, which had formerly ruled the extensiveSendai Domain, was only ennobled as a count and was thus denied a hereditary seat in theHouse of Peers; this was likely due to the domain's prominent role as the leader of a coalition against the Imperial forces during theBoshin War. In 1891, the head of the Date-Uwajima family (Uwajima Domain), a cadet branch of the clan which had remained loyal to the Emperor during the conflict, was raised to the rank of marquess, having been ennobled as a count in 1884.

Many of those who had significant roles in the Meiji Restoration, or their heirs, were ennobled.Ito Hirobumi andYamagata Aritomo were ennobled as counts in 1884, promoted to marquesses in 1895 and finally became princes in 1907. The heirs ofOkubo Toshimichi andKido Takayoshi, two of thethree great nobles of the Meiji Restoration, were ennobled as marquesses in 1884, followed by the heirs of samurai general-politicianSaigō Takamori in 1902.

As in theBritish peerage, only the actual holder of a title and his consort were considered members of thekazoku. The holders of the top two ranks, prince and marquess, automatically became members of theHouse of Peers in theDiet of Japan upon their succession or upon majority (in the case of peers who were minors). Counts, viscounts and barons elected up to 150 representatives from their ranks to sit in the House of Peers.

Under thePeerage Act of 7 July 1884, pushed through by Home Minister and future first Prime MinisterItō Hirobumi after visitingEurope, the Meiji government expanded the hereditary peerage with the award ofkazoku status to persons regarded as having performed distinguished public services to the nation.^[1] The government also divided thekazoku into five ranks explicitly based on theBritish peerage, but with titles deriving from the ancientChinese nobility.

Usually, though not always, titles and hereditary financial stipends passed according toprimogeniture. Unlike in European peerage systems, but following traditional Japanese custom, illegitimate sons could succeed to titles and estates. To prevent their lineages from dying out, heads ofkazoku houses could (and frequently did) adopt sons from collateral branches of their own houses, whether in the male or female lines of descent, and from otherkazoku houses whether related or not.

Unlike European custom, the adopted heir of a peer could succeed to a title ahead of a more senior heir in terms of primogeniture. A 1904 amendment to the1889 Imperial Household Law allowed minor princes (ō) of theimperial family to renounce their imperial status and become peers (in their own right) or heirs to childless peers.

Initially there were 11 non-imperial princes, 24 marquesses, 76 counts, 324 viscounts and 74 barons, for a total of 509 peers.^[5]: 391 By 1928, through promotions and new creations, there were a total of 954 peers: 18 non-imperial princes, 40 marquesses, 108 counts, 379 viscounts and 409 barons. Thekazoku reached a peak of 1016families in 1944.^[6]: 1194

The 1947Constitution of Japan abolished thekazoku and ended the use of all titles of nobility or rank outside the immediate Imperial Family. Since the end of the war, many descendants of thekazoku families continue to occupy prominent roles in Japanese society and industry.^[1][7]

TheKazoku Kaikan (華族会館), or Peers' Club, was the association of the high nobility. It had its headquarters in theRokumeikan building. After 1947 it was renamed theKasumi Kaikan (霞会館), and is now located in theKasumigaseki Building inKasumigaseki.^[8]

Althoughkazoku families were supposed to live in a style that matched their status, living standards varied significantly from family to family.Kuge families, long having been seen as a spent force since thesamurai class became the de facto ruling class in the 11th century, tended to be significantly worse off thandaimyo families. TheNara kazoku (奈良華族), consisting of 26 monk families fromKofukuji, who descended from kuge families (22 of which belonged to the Fujiwara clan), were all made barons under thekazoku system. They were regarded as the poorest and received extra stipends to support their living.^[9] A 1915 survey found that a kazoku family had around 13 servants on average, while the grandest families had hundreds.^[10]

Almost all kazoku heirs raised in Japan attended theGakushuin for their primary and secondary education. For higher education, the most preferred institutions included theUniversity of Tokyo (called Tokyo Imperial University 1897-1947) (e.g., PrinceIemasa Tokugawa, CountYoriyasu Arima) and thenaval andarmy academies (e.g., ViscountNaganari Ogasawara, MarquessToshinari Maeda).^[11] Some opted to be educated overseas, such as atEton College (e.g., PrinceIesato Tokugawa) andCambridge University (e.g., MarquessMasauji Hachisuka, BaronKoayata Iwasaki). After completing their education, they pursued varied careers such as statesmen at theHouse of Peers, diplomats (e.g., PrinceIemasa Tokugawa, MarquessNaohiro Nabeshima), and scholars (e.g., MarquessYoshichika Tokugawa, PrinceTomohide Iwakura). Those who followed rather unusual career paths included MarquessHijikata Yoshi, who became a communist and fled toSoviet Russia, andMeiho Ogasawara, an heir to a viscountcy who pursued his passion for films and was disinherited in 1935.^[12]

Kazoku usually married within their class. TheImperial Household Law of 1889 prohibited Imperial Princes from marrying commoners, hence their options were limited to Princesses and daughters ofkazoku families.Kazoku daughters who married into the Imperial family includeKikuko, Princess Takamatsu (néeTokugawa),Yuriko, Princess Mikasa (néeTakagi), andSetsuko, Princess Chichibu (néeMatsudaira).

• 
  Tokyo house of MarquessNaohiro Nabeshima
• 
  FormerHōfu country house of ViscountMototoshi Mori (nowMori Museum)
• 
  Former Tokyo residence of MarquessToshinari Maeda (nowKomaba Park)
• 
  Former Kyoto residence of PrinceAritomo Yamagata (nowMurin-an)
• 
  Kazoku Girls' School (Gakushuin Girls' School) in 1889
• 
  Woodblock print of "Enlightened Nobles", depicting prominent noble politicians and military commanders of the Meiji era, 1877
• 
  Itsuko, Princess of Nashimoto (née Nabeshima)
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  Tsuneo Matsudaira andEmperor Hirohito onMusashi
• 
  MarquessYoshichika Tokugawa with a tiger he hunted inMalaya
• 
  Yuriko, Princess Mikasa, one of the last members of theImperial family who were born askazoku
• 
  BaronKijuro Shidehara (later Prime Minister), ViscountTomosaburo Kato and PrinceIesato Tokugawa atWashington Naval Conference

• Monbatsu

• Jansen, Marius B. (2000).The Making of Modern Japan. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.ISBN 978-0-674-00334-7.OCLC 44090600.
• Lebra, Sugiyama Takie (1993).Above the Clouds: Status Culture of the Modern Japanese Nobility. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.ISBN 978-0-520-07602-0.
• Wakabayashi, Bob Tadashi (1991). "In Name Only: Imperial Sovereignty in Early Modern Japan".The Journal of Japanese Studies.17 (1):25–57.doi:10.2307/132906.JSTOR 132906.

• Some Information on Nobility, Peerage and Ranks in Ancient and Meiji Japan—Information on Japanese nobility with additional sources

• Kazoku
• 1884 establishments in Japan
• 1947 disestablishments in Japan
• Japanese historical terms
• Japanese nobility
• Japanese words and phrases
• Meiji Restoration
• Politics of the Empire of Japan

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