List of Japanese court ranks, positions and hereditary titles

The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ikai (位階いかい), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state. Ikai as a system was originally used in the Ritsuryo system, which was the political administration system used in ancient China, and the indication of the rank of bureaucrats and officials in countries that inherited (class system).

Currently, the Japanese court ranks and titles are among the types of honours conferred to those who have held government posts for a long time and to those who have made distinguished achievements. In recent times, most appointments, if not all, are offered posthumously. A recent recipient of such a court rank is the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe on 8 July 2022, who received Junior First Rank (従したがえ一いち位い, ju ichi-i).

Court ranks

The national system for ranking politicians and officials who served the Japanese dynasty began in 603 when Empress Suiko enacted the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System. Each rank was identified by the color of a crown the person with the rank wore. There were twelve ranks: Greater Virtue (大徳だいとく, dai-toku), Lesser Virtue (小しょう徳とく, shō-toku), Greater Benevolence (大仁おおひと, dai-jin), Lesser Benevolence (小しょう仁ひとし, shō-jin), Greater Propriety (大礼たいれい, dai-rei), Lesser Propriety (小しょう礼れい, shō-rei), Greater Sincerity (大信たいしん, dai-shin), Lesser Sincerity (小しょう信しん, shō-shin), Greater Justice (大義たいぎ, dai-gi), Lesser Justice (小しょう義よし, shō-gi), Greater Knowledge (大智たいち, dai-chi), and Lesser Knowledge (小智しょうち, shō-chi), from top to bottom.

The ranking system underwent several amendments and was developed by the Taiho Code enacted in 701. Under this system, ranks were established for the Imperial family members and vassals like the following:

Ranks for Imperial family members

An Emperor was not ranked.

Princes, princesses, and other Imperial family members were ranked depending on the extent of their contribution to the nation or other factors as follows:

English translation	Japanese text	Romanized Japanese	Notes
First Rank	一品いっぴん	ip-pon
Second Rank	二に品ひん	ni-hon
Third Grade	三品みしな	san-bon
Fourth Grade	四よん品ひん	shi-hon

Ranks for subjects

Under the Taiho Code, politicians and officials other than Imperial family members were graded according to the following ranking system.

First to Third Ranks

Each of the First to Third Ranks is divided into Senior (正ただし, shō) and Junior (従したがえ, ju). The Senior First Rank (正せい一いち位い, shō ichi-i) is the highest in the rank system. It is conferred mainly on a very limited number of persons recognized by the Imperial Court as most loyal to the nation during that era.

The Junior First Rank (従したがえ一いち位い, ju ichi-i) is the second highest rank, conferred in many cases on the highest ministers, premier feudal lords, and their wives.

Nobles with the Third Rank or upper were called kugyō.

Successive Tokugawa shoguns held the highest or near-highest court ranks, higher than most court nobles. They were made Shō ni-i (正せい二に位い, Senior Second Rank) of court rank upon assuming office, then Ju ichi-i (従したがえ一いち位い, Junior First Rank), and the highest rank of Shō ichi-i (正せい一いち位い, Senior First Rank) was conferred upon them upon their death. The Tokugawa shogunate established that the court ranks granted to daimyo by the imperial court were based on the recommendation of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the court ranks were used to control the daimyo.

Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were Shō ni-i (正せい二に位い, Senior Second Rank) and Ju ichi-i (従したがえ一いち位い, Junior First Rank) respectively, but both were elevated to Shō ichi-i (正せい一いち位い, Senior First Rank) in the Taisho era, about 300 years after their deaths.

See also: § Ranking system after the Meiji Restoration

English translation	Japanese text	Romanized Japanese	Selected recipients
Senior First Rank	正せい一いち位い	shō ichi-i	Fujiwara no Fuhito (720), Sugawara no Michizane (993), Tokugawa Ieyasu (1617), Lady Saigō (1628), Tokugawa Hidetada (1632), Tokugawa Iemitsu (1651)
Junior First Rank	従したがえ一いち位い	ju ichi-i	Isonokami no Maro (717), Taira no Kiyomori (1167), Ōmandokoro (1585), Nene (1588), Maeda Toshiie (1599), Oeyo (1626), Takatsukasa Nobuko (wife of shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi) (1702), Keisho-in (mother of shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi) (1702), Iso no Miya Tomoko (wife of shōgun Tokugawa Ieharu (1783), Shimazu no Shigehime (wife of Tokugawa Ienari) (1792)
Senior Second Rank	正せい二に位い	shō ni-i	Minamoto no Yoritomo (1189), Toyotomi Hideyori (1602), Konoe Tadahiro (1824)
Junior Second Rank	従したがえ二に位い	ju ni-i	Hōjō Masako (1218), Taira no Tokiko (12th-century), Toyotomi Hidenaga (1587), Tokugawa Muneharu (1839), Lady Kasuga (1628)
Senior Third Rank	正せい三さん位い	shō san-mi	Fujiwara no Matate (764), Takano no Niigasa (781), Kitabatake Tomonori (1557)
Junior Third Rank	従したがえ三さん位い	ju san-mi	Asa no Miya Akiko (1658), Tenshō-in (1858)

Fourth Rank

The Fourth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper (上うえ, jō) and Lower (下した, ge) Grades. The Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade (正せい四よん位い上じょう, shō shi-i no jō) is the highest Fourth Rank and the Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade (従したがえ四よん位い下か, ju shi-i no ge) the lowest.

English translation	Japanese text	Romanized Japanese	Notes
Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade	正せい四よん位い上じょう	shō shi-i no jō
Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade	正せい四よん位い下か	shō shi-i no ge	Matsunaga Hisahide (1561)
Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade	従したがえ四よん位い上じょう	ju shi-i no jō
Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade	従したがえ四よん位い下か	ju shi-i no ge	Taira no Tadamori

Fifth Rank

The Fifth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade (正せい五ご位い上じょう, shō go-i no jō) is the highest Fifth Rank and the Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade (従したがえ五ご位い下か, ju go-i no ge) the lowest.

English translation	Japanese text	Romanized Japanese	Notes
Senior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade	正せい五ご位い上じょう	shō go-i no jō
Senior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade	正せい五ご位い下か	shō go-i no ge	Kusunoki Masashige
Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade	従したがえ五ご位い上じょう	ju go-i no jō	Sanada Nobuyuki (1591), Yamakawa Futaba
Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade	従したがえ五ご位い下か	ju go-i no ge	Hojo Ujinao (1575), Hayashi Narinaga (1588)

Sixth Rank

The Sixth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade (正せい六ろく位い上じょう, shō roku-i no jō) is the highest Sixth Rank and the Junior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade (従したがえ六ろく位い下か, ju roku-i no ge) the lowest.

English translation	Japanese text	Romanized Japanese	Notes
Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade	正せい六ろく位い上じょう	shō roku-i no jō
Senior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade	正せい六ろく位い下か	shō roku-i no ge
Junior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade	従したがえ六ろく位い上じょう	ju roku-i no jō
Junior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade	従したがえ六ろく位い下か	ju roku-i no ge

Seventh Rank

The Seventh Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade (正せい七なな位い上じょう, shō shichi-i no jō) is the highest Seventh Rank and the Junior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade (従したがえ七なな位い下か, ju shichi-i no ge) the lowest.

English translation	Japanese text	Romanized Japanese	Notes
Senior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade	正せい七なな位い上じょう	shō shichi-i no jō
Senior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade	正せい七なな位い下か	shō shichi-i no ge
Junior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade	従したがえ七なな位い上じょう	ju shichi-i no jō
Junior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade	従したがえ七なな位い下か	ju shichi-i no ge

Eighth Rank

The Eighth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade (正せい八はち位い上じょう, shō hachi-i no jō), is the highest, and the Junior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade (従したがえ八はち位い下か, ju hachi-i no ge), is the lowest.

English translation	Japanese text	Romanized Japanese	Notes
Senior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade	正せい八はち位い上じょう	shō hachi-i no jō
Senior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade	正せい八はち位い下か	shō hachi-i no ge
Junior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade	従したがえ八はち位い上じょう	ju hachi-i no jō
Junior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade	従したがえ八はち位い下か	ju hachi-i no ge

Initial Rank

The Initial Rank (初はつ位い, sho-i) is divided into Greater (大だい, dai) and Lesser (少すくな, shō), and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Greater Initial Rank, Upper Grade (大だい初はつ位い上じょう, dai sho-i no jō) is the highest Initial Rank, and the Lesser Initial Rank, Lower Grade (少しょう初はつ位い下か, shō sho-i no ge) the lowest.

English translation	Japanese text	Romanized Japanese	Notes
Greater Initial Rank, Upper Grade	大だい初はつ位い上じょう	dai sho-i no jō
Greater Initial Rank, Lower Grade	大だい初はつ位い下か	dai sho-i no ge
Lesser Initial Rank, Upper Grade	少しょう初はつ位い上じょう	shō sho-i no jō
Lesser Initial Rank, Lower Grade	少しょう初はつ位い下か	shō sho-i no ge

Ranking system after the Meiji Restoration

The 1887 Ordinance on Ordination reorganized the ranking system. It abolished the Initial Ranks and the Grades of Upper and Lower of Fourth and lower Ranks. The relationships between ikai and court positions were also abolished. There were then a total of 16 ranks, ranging from the Senior First Rank (正せい一いち位い, shō ichi-i) to the Junior Eighth Rank (従したがえ八はち位い, ju hachi-i), as shown below:

English translation	Japanese text	Romanized Japanese	Notes
Senior First Rank	正せい一いち位い	shō ichi-i	Kusunoki Masashige (1880), Nitta Yoshisada (1882), Shimazu Nariakira (1901), Konoe Tadahiro (1904), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1915), Oda Nobunaga (1917, the last recipient)
Junior First Rank	従したがえ一いち位い	ju ichi-i	Shimazu Hisamitsu (1887), Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1888), Ōkubo Toshimichi (1901), Ōkuma Shigenobu (1922), Tōgō Heihachirō (1934), Shigeru Yoshida (1967), Eisaku Satō (1975), Yasuhiro Nakasone (2019), Shinzo Abe (2022)
Senior Second Rank	正せい二に位い	shō ni-i	Saisho Atsushi (1910), Nogi Maresuke (1916), Shibusawa Eiichi (1931), Ryutaro Hashimoto (2006)
Junior Second Rank	従したがえ二に位い	ju ni-i	Uesugi Kenshin (1908), Date Masamune (1918), Mori Ōgai (1922), Hideki Yukawa (1981)
Senior Third Rank	正せい三さん位い	shō san-mi	Kenkichi Yabashi (1927), Isoroku Yamamoto (1943), Mineichi Koga (1944), Yasunari Kawabata (1972), Kōnosuke Matsushita (1989), Soichiro Honda (1991), Masaru Ibuka (1997), Akio Morita (1999)
Junior Third Rank	従したがえ三さん位い	ju san-mi	Katō Kiyomasa (1910), Akira Kurosawa (1998), Hisaya Morishige (2009), Isuzu Yamada (2012), Ken Takakura (2014), Donald Keene (2019), Sadako Ogata (2019)
Senior Fourth Rank	正せい四よん位い	shō shi-i
Junior Fourth Rank	従したがえ四よん位い	ju shi-i
Senior Fifth Rank	正せい五ご位い	shō go-i
Junior Fifth Rank	従したがえ五ご位い	ju go-i
Senior Sixth Rank	正せい六ろく位い	shō roku-i	Kōrō Sasaki (1978)
Junior Sixth Rank	従したがえ六ろく位い	ju roku-i
Senior Seventh Rank	正せい七なな位い	shō shichi-i
Junior Seventh Rank	従したがえ七なな位い	ju shichi-i
Senior Eighth Rank	正せい八はち位い	shō hachi-i
Junior Eighth Rank	従したがえ八はち位い	ju hachi-i

Sanjo Sanetomi was the last living person who received the Senior First Rank (正せい一いち位い) in 1891, and all subsequent recipients were posthumously received. No persons have been awarded this rank since 1917 when Oda Nobunaga was posthumously awarded.

The 1925 Decree on Ranks (位階いかい令れい) restricted ordination exclusively to the purpose of conferring honors. Since the current Constitution came into effect in 1947, the presentation of ranks has been limited to those who have already died, with the idea of abolishing the privileges associated with conferring honors, and ranks have been presented posthumously.

Today, the Junior First Rank (従したがえ一いち位い) is the highest available rank, which is posthumously conferred primarily on persons deemed being served most to the nation out of former prime ministers. The Senior Second Rank (正せい二に位い) is conferred on many former prime ministers, and the Junior Second Rank (従したがえ二に位い) on top-class politicians, such as former speakers of the National Diet and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The Senior Third Rank (正せい三さん位い) is posthumously conferred mainly on civilians who are recognized as having done the most for the nation's development, such as founders of large companies and the novelists and artists who represented Japan. The Junior Third Rank (従したがえ三さん位い) is in many cases conferred on artists who created Japan's famous masterpieces.

The Junior First Rank is bestowed directly by the incumbent Emperor. The Second through Fourth Ranks are awarded by Imperial decree. The awarding of the Fifth Ranks or lower is decided by a hearing from the Cabinet and a decision by the Emperor to the hearing.

Court positions

In the era when the Ritsuryo system was in place, the official position in the court and ikai of bureaucrats were closely related. For example, becoming the Chancellor of the Realm (太政大臣だじょうだいじん, daijō daijin), the highest position in the administration, required the Senior or Junior First Rank (正せい一いち位い、従したがえ一いち位い, shō ichi-i, ju ichi-i). To become the Minister of the Left, Right, or Center (左大臣さだいじん、右大臣うだいじん、内大臣ないだいじん, sadaijin, udaijin, naidaijin), he had to be in either the Senior Second Rank (正せい二に位い, shō ni-i) or the Junior Second Rank (従したがえ二に位い, ju ni-i). A Major Counselor (大納言だいなごん, dainagon) needed the Senior Third Rank (正せい三さん位い, shō san-mi), and a Middle Counselor (中納言ちゅうなごん, chūnagon) needed the Junior Third Rank (従したがえ三さん位い, ju san-mi). Associate Counselors (参議さんぎ, sangi) required the Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade (正せい四よん位い下か, shō shi-i no ge).

Council of State (太政官だじょうかん, daijōkan)

• Chancellor of the Realm (太政大臣だじょうだいじん, daijō daijin)—the highest position in the Council of State. This position was used only when it was necessary to place someone in a position above the Minister of the Left.
• Minister of the Left (左大臣さだいじん, sadaijin)—the highest permanent position in the Council of State.
• Minister of the Right (右大臣うだいじん, udaijin)—the second highest position next to the Minister of the Left.
• Minister of the Center (内大臣ないだいじん, naidaijin)—the third highest position next to the Minister of the Right.
• Senior Counselor (大納言だいなごん, dainagon)—the fourth highest position in the Council of State. The maximum number of this position was originally four and was reduced to two in 705.
• Provisional Senior Counselor (権けん大納言だいなごん, gon-dainagon)—when all Senior Counselors were occupied, and a new person was appointed to the Senior Counselor, he was placed in this position.
• Middle Counselor (中納言ちゅうなごん, chūnagon)—a newly created position to assist Senior Counselors. The maximum number of this position was three.
• Associate Counselor (参議さんぎ, sangi)—personnel to participate in political discussions, not Senior or Middle Counselors.
• Controller of the Left (左ひだり大だい弁べん, sadaiben)—controls the Ministers of the Center, Civil Service, Ceremonies, and Popular Affairs.
• Controller of the Right (右みぎ大だい弁べん, udaiben)—controls the Ministers of War, Justice, the Treasury, and the Imperial Household.
• Junior Counselor (少納言しょうなごん, shōnagon)—the top working-level position in the Council of State. The maximum number of this position was three.

Controllers needed the Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade. Junior Counselors required the Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade.

Eight Ministries (八はち省しょう, hasshō)

• Minister of the Center (中務なかつかさ卿きょう, nakatsukasa kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of the Center (中務なかつかさ省しょう, nakatsukasa shō).
• Minister of Civil Service (治部じぶ卿きょう, jibu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of Civil Service (治部じぶ省しょう, jibu shō).
• Minister of Ceremonies (式部しきぶ卿きょう, shikibu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of Ceremonies (式部しきぶ省しょう, shikibu shō).
• Minister of Popular Affairs (民みん部ぶ卿きょう, minbu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of Popular Affairs (民みん部ぶ省しょう, minbu shō).
• Minister of War (兵部ひょうぶ卿きょう, hyōbu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of War (兵部ひょうぶ省しょう, hyōbu shō).
• Minister of Justice (刑部おさかべ卿きょう, gyōbu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of Justice (刑部おさかべ省しょう, gyōbu shō).
• Minister of the Treasury (大蔵おおくら卿きょう, ōkura kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of the Treasury (大蔵省おおくらしょう, ōkura shō).
• Minister of the Imperial Household (宮内卿くないきょう, kunai kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of the Imperial Household (宮みや内省ないせい, kunai shō).

The Minister of the Center needed the Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade. Other ministers required the Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade.

Shiki (職しょく)

• Chief Surveyor of Palace Apartments (中宮なかみや大夫たいふ, chūgū-dayū)—the first-class officer requiring the Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade.
• Palace Assistant (中宮なかみや亮あきら, chūgū-no-suke)—the second-class officer requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade.

Bureau (寮りょう, ryō)

• Chief Curator of the Palace (内蔵ないぞう頭あたま, kura no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Curation of the Palace (内蔵ないぞう寮りょう, kura ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade.
• First Assistant Curator of the Palace (内蔵助くらのすけ, kura no suke)—the second-class officer of the Bureau of Curation of the Palace (内蔵ないぞう寮りょう, kura ryō), requiring the Junior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade.
• Second Assistant Curator of the Palace (内蔵ないぞう允まこと, kura no jō)—the third-class officer of the Bureau of Curation of the Palace (内蔵ないぞう寮りょう, kura ryō), requiring the Junior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade.
• Alternate Curator of the Palace (内蔵ないぞう属ぞく, kura no sakan)—the fourth-class officer of the Bureau of Curation of the Palace (内蔵ないぞう寮りょう, kura ryō), requiring the Junior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade or the Greater Initial Rank, Upper Grade.
• Chief Court Architect (内匠たくみ頭あたま, takumi no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Court Architect (内匠たくみ寮りょう, takumi ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.
• Chief Court Musician (雅楽ががく頭あたま, uta no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Court Musician (雅楽ががく寮りょう, uta ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.
• Chief Diplomat (玄蕃げんば頭あたま, genba no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Diplomacy (玄蕃げんば寮りょう, genba ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.
• Director of the Bureau of Computation (主計しゅけい頭あたま, kazue no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Computation (主計しゅけい寮りょう, kazue ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.
• Assistant Director of the Bureau of Computation (主計しゅけい助すけ, kazue no suke)—the second-class officer of the Bureau of Computation (主計しゅけい寮りょう, kazue ryō), requiring the Senior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade.
• Director of the Tax Bureau (主税しゅぜい頭あたま, chikara no kami)—the first-class officer of the Tax Bureau (主税しゅぜい寮りょう, chikara ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.
• Assistant Director of the Tax Bureau (主税しゅぜい助すけ, chikara no suke)—the second-class officer of the Tax Bureau (主税しゅぜい寮りょう, chikara ryō), requiring the Senior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade.
• Captain of the Left Division of the Bureau of Horses (左ひだり馬頭めず, sama no kami)—the first-class officer of the Left Division of the Bureau of Horses (左ひだり馬ば寮りょう, sama ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.
• Captain of the Right Division of the Bureau of Horses (右みぎ馬頭めず, uma no kami, or migi no uma no kami)—the first-class officer of the Right Division of the Bureau of Horses (右みぎ馬ば寮りょう, uma ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.
• Chief Court Astrologer (陰陽いんよう頭あたま, onmyō no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Court Astrology (陰陽いんよう寮りょう, onmyō ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade.
• Chief Court Calendar-maker (暦こよみ博士はかせ, reki hakase)—a person recognized by the state as a learned person in charge of creating the state calendar. He needed the Junior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade.
• Chief Court Astronomer (天文てんもん博士はかせ, tenmon hakase)—a person recognized by the state as a learned person in charge of astronomy. He required the Senior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade.
• Chief Court Timekeeper (漏刻ろうこく博士はかせ, rōkoku hakase)—a person recognized by the state as a learned person in charge of national timekeeping. He required the Junior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade.
• Imperial Tutor or Reader (侍読じどく, jidoku)—a scholar who served at the Emperor's side and taught learning.

Division of Inner Palace Guards (近衛府このえふ, kon'e fu)

• Major Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards (左ひだり近衛このえ大将たいしょう, sakon'e no taishō)
• Major Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (右みぎ近衛このえ大将たいしょう, ukon'e no taishō)
• Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (右みぎ近衛このえ中将ちゅうじょう, ukon'e no chūjō)
• Provisional Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (右みぎ近衛このえ権けん中将ちゅうじょう, ukon'e no gon no chūjō)
• Minor Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards (左ひだり近衛このえ少将しょうしょう, sakon'e no shōshō)
• Provisional Minor Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards (左ひだり近衛このえ権けん少将しょうしょう, sakon'e gon no shōshō)
• Lieutenant of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (右みぎ近衛このえ将すすむ監かん, ukon'e no shōgen)
• Lieutenant of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards (左ひだり近衛このえ将すすむ監かん, sakon'e no shōgen)

Division of Military Guards (兵衛ひょうえ府ふ, hyō'e fu)

• Head of Left Military Guards (左ひだり兵衛ひょうえ督とく, sahyō'e no kami)
• Head of Right Military Guards (右みぎ兵衛ひょうえ督とく, uhyō'e no kami)
• Assistant Head of Left Military Guards (左ひだり兵衛ひょうえ佐さ, sahyō'e no suke)
• Provisional Assistant Master of the Left Military Guard (左ひだり兵衛ひょうえ権けん佐さ, sahyō'e gon no suke)
• Assistant Head of Right Military Guards (右みぎ兵衛ひょうえ佐さ, uhyō'e no suke)
• Provisional Assistant Master of the Right Military Guard (右みぎ兵衛ひょうえ権けん佐さ, uhyō'e gon no suke)

Chamberlain Office (蔵人所くろうどどころ, Kurōdo-dokoro)

• Head Chamberlain (蔵人くろうど頭あたま, kurōdo no tō, or kurōdo no kami)
• Chamberlain (蔵人くろうど, kurōdo)
• Assistant Chamberlain (次じ侍従じじゅう, ji-jijū)

Provincial Governor (地方ちほう国司こくし)

• Governor (守もり, kami)
• Provisional Governor (権守ごんもり, gon no kami)

Others

• Empress Dowager (皇太后こうたいごう, kōtaigō)

Hereditary titles

A hereditary title was conferred by an Emperor on an Imperial family member, a noble, or a clan under the kabane system to signify his political and social status. This title was inherited from generation to generation in the family until the hereditary title system was discontinued in 1871 by law.

• Mahito (真人まさと)—the highest noble title of the court personnel. Mahito was mainly conferred to Imperial families.
• Ason (朝臣あそん)—the second highest noble title next to Mahito. Ason was practically the highest title for non-imperial-household clans.
• Sukune (宿禰すくね)—the third highest noble title. The clans with Sukune represented military and administrative officers.
• Imiki (忌き寸すん)—the fourth highest noble title. It was mainly conferred to Hata and Yamato-no-Aya clans.
• Michinoshi (道みち師し)—the fifth highest noble title. There is no record that this title was conferred.
• Omi (臣しん)—the sixth highest noble title. It was recorded to be conferred mainly on Soga, Kose, Ki, Katsuragi, and Hozumi clans.
• Muraji (連れん)—the seventh highest noble title. It was conferred on Mononobe, Nakatomi, Yuge, Otomo and Haji clans.
• Inagi (稲置いなおき)—the eighth highest noble title. There was no precedent for this title being conferred.
• Tomo no Miyatsuko (伴とも造づくり)—a title of gōzoku who were subordinate to nobles with Muraji.
• Momoamariyaso no Tomo (百ひゃく八はち十じゅう部ぶ)—a lower title than Tomo no Miyatsuko.
• Kuni no Miyatsuko (国造くにのみやつこ)—a title for officers ruling provinces.
• Agatanushi (県けん主ぬし)—a title of rulers of a smaller area than a province.