The kuge (公家) was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto until the rise of the Shogunate in the 12th century at which point it was eclipsed by the daimyo. The kuge still provided a weak court around the Emperor right up until the Meiji Restoration. Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... Kyoto )   is a city in the central part of the island of HonshÅ«, Japan. ... This page is about the Japanese ruler and military rank. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori visits the residence of a retainer. ... For the CPR ocean liner, see Empress of Japan. ... The Meiji Restoration ), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japans political and social structure. ...

The word means literally "public house" or "public family" and originally described the Emperor and his court. The meaning of the word changed over time to designate bureaucrats at the court. Later, in the Kamakura period, kuge became an antonym to buke (warriors' house), 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. A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy, usually within an institution of the government. ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Kamakura Period. ...

Two classes formed the kuge: the dōjō (堂上) noblemen who sat on the floor with the Emperor and the jige (地下) who where unable to sit with 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 (公卿) and eligibility was limited to members of dōjō kuge. During Edo period there were about 130 families of dōjō kuge. The highest members of the kuge class were known as Sesshō or Kanpaku, acting as imperial regents; this was restricted to members of the Fujiwara family. Kugyō is a collective term for those persons attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan. ... In Japan, the Sesshō (摂政) was a title given to a regent who was named to assist an emperor when the emperor was still a child, before the coming of age, or female. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ... The Fujiwara family (藤原氏 Fujiwara-uji) was a powerful family of regents in Japan who had a sort of monopoly to the Sekkan positions, Sesshō and Kampaku. ...

Though they lost the 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 and playing instruments like the biwa, and had disciples among the daimyo and sometimes rich commoners. As masters of a certain field, kuge gave their disciples many licences certifying that the disciples had learned a certain field and allowed them to do practice in public or sometimes to teach others. Disciples were expected to pay their master a fee for each issued licence. During the Edo period, this was an important source of income for the kuge. The Sengoku Period (戦国時代 Sengoku jidai) or warring-states period, is a period of long civil war in the History of Japan that spans through the middle 15th to the early 17th centuries. ... Waka (和歌) or Yamato uta is a genre of Japanese poetry. ... Junko Ueda playing a Satsuma-biwa A biwa (琵琶) is a Japanese short-necked fretted lute, and a close pickles variant of the Chinese pipa. ... Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori visits the residence of a retainer. ...

In 1869 during the Meiji restoration the kuge merged with the daimyo to form a single aristocratic group, the kazoku. 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Meiji Restoration ), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japans political and social structure. ... The kazoku (華族, lit. ...

Others associated with the kuge included Buddhist priests, Kyoto cultural patrons, geisha, and actors. A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Typical nape make-up Geisha ) or Geigi )(pronounce Gay - Sha) are traditional, female Japanese entertainers, whose skills include performing various Japanese arts, such as classical music and dance. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ...

Classification

In the 12th century among dōjō conventional differences were established separating the kuge into groups according to their office at court. These determined the highest office to which they could be appointed. The groups were:

• Sekke: could be appointed to Sessho and Kampaku: Highest class of kuge. Only five families belonged to this class, all derived from Fujiwara no Michinaga.
• Seigake: could be appointed daijin (minister), including dajō daijin, the highest of the four daijin of the court. They derived from the Fujiwara clan or Minamoto clan, descendants of the emperors.
• Daijinke: could be appointed nai daijin, if this office became vacant. In reality, the highest office they could achieve was dainagon.
• Urinke: military class; could be appointed dainagon. Rarely to naidaijin.
• Meika: civilian class; could be appointed dainagon. Sometimes referred to as Meike.
• Hanka: the lowest class among the dōjō, a class created in the late Sengoku period. They could only be appointed to lower ranks than sangi or chūnagon. Sometimes referred to as Hanke.

Most of highest classed kuge belonged to the Fujiwara clan and Minamoto clan. But there were still other clans like the Sugawara clan, the Kiyohara clan and the Oe clan. Most of these lower class kuge were descendants of ancient clans who had lost power in the early Heian period. In Japan, the Sesshō (摂政) was a title given to a regent who was named to assist an emperor when the emperor was still a child, before the coming of age, or female. ... Fujiwara no Michinaga (藤原 道長, 966-1027) represents the highpoint of the Fujiwara regents control over the government of Japan. ... Seiryoji, a temple in Kyoto, was once a villa of Minamoto no Toru (d. ... Dainagon ), often translated as Great Councillor, was a government post of the Japanese ritsuryo governmental system, which was in place for much of the classical and feudal periods. ... “Sengoku” redirects here. ... Chūnagon (中納言), often translated as Councillor, was a position in the dajō-kan, or early feudal Japanese government. ... The Kiyowara family (清原氏, Kiyowara-shi) was a powerful clan of the far north of Japan during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Temmu (631-686). ...

See also

• List of Kuge families