List of Japanese court ranks, positions and hereditary titles
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The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ikai (
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[when?], most appointments, if not all, are offered posthumously. A notable recipient of such a court rank is the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe received Junior First Rank (
Court ranks
[edit]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 (
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
[edit]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 | ip-pon | ||
Second Rank | ni-hon | ||
Third Grade | san-bon | ||
Fourth Grade | shi-hon |
Ranks for subjects
[edit]Under the Taiho Code, politicians and officials other than Imperial family members were graded according to the following ranking system.
First to Third Ranks
[edit]Each of the First to Third Ranks is divided into Senior (
The Junior First Rank (
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 (
Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were Shō ni-i (
English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Selected recipients |
---|---|---|---|
Senior First Rank | 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 | 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 | shō ni-i | Minamoto no Yoritomo (1189), Toyotomi Hideyori (1602), Konoe Tadahiro (1824) | |
Junior Second Rank | ju ni-i | Hōjō Masako (1218), Taira no Tokiko (12th-century), Toyotomi Hidenaga (1587), Tokugawa Muneharu (1839), Lady Kasuga (1628) | |
Senior Third Rank | shō san-mi | Fujiwara no Matate (764), Takano no Niigasa (781), Kitabatake Tomonori (1557) | |
Junior Third Rank | ju san-mi | Asa no Miya Akiko (1658), Tenshō-in (1858) |
Fourth Rank
[edit]The Fourth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper (
English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade | shō shi-i no jō | ||
Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade | shō shi-i no ge | Matsunaga Hisahide (1561) | |
Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade | ju shi-i no jō | ||
Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade | ju shi-i no ge | Taira no Tadamori |
Fifth Rank
[edit]The Fifth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade (
English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Senior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade | shō go-i no jō | ||
Senior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade | shō go-i no ge | Kusunoki Masashige | |
Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade | ju go-i no jō | Sanada Nobuyuki (1591), Yamakawa Futaba | |
Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade | ju go-i no ge | Hojo Ujinao (1575), Hayashi Narinaga (1588) |
Sixth Rank
[edit]The Sixth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade (
English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade | shō roku-i no jō | ||
Senior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade | shō roku-i no ge | ||
Junior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade | ju roku-i no jō | ||
Junior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade | ju roku-i no ge |
Seventh Rank
[edit]The Seventh Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade (
English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Senior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade | shō shichi-i no jō | ||
Senior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade | shō shichi-i no ge | ||
Junior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade | ju shichi-i no jō | ||
Junior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade | ju shichi-i no ge |
Eighth Rank
[edit]The Eighth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade (
English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Senior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade | shō hachi-i no jō | ||
Senior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade | shō hachi-i no ge | ||
Junior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade | ju hachi-i no jō | ||
Junior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade | ju hachi-i no ge |
Initial Rank
[edit]The Initial Rank (
English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Greater Initial Rank, Upper Grade | dai sho-i no jō | ||
Greater Initial Rank, Lower Grade | dai sho-i no ge | ||
Lesser Initial Rank, Upper Grade | shō sho-i no jō | ||
Lesser Initial Rank, Lower Grade | shō sho-i no ge |
Ranking system after the Meiji Restoration
[edit]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 (
English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Senior First Rank | shō ichi-i | Kusunoki Masashige (1880), Nitta Yoshisada (1882), Shimazu Nariakira (1901), Konoe Tadahiro (1904), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1915), Oda Nobunaga (1917, the last recipient)[6] | |
Junior First Rank | 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 | shō ni-i | Saisho Atsushi (1910), Nogi Maresuke (1916), Shibusawa Eiichi (1931), Ryutaro Hashimoto (2006) | |
Junior Second Rank | ju ni-i | Uesugi Kenshin (1908), Date Masamune (1918), Mori Ōgai (1922), Hideki Yukawa (1981) | |
Senior Third Rank | 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 | 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 | shō shi-i | ||
Junior Fourth Rank | ju shi-i | ||
Senior Fifth Rank | shō go-i | ||
Junior Fifth Rank | ju go-i | ||
Senior Sixth Rank | shō roku-i | Kōrō Sasaki (1978) | |
Junior Sixth Rank | ju roku-i | ||
Senior Seventh Rank | shō shichi-i | ||
Junior Seventh Rank | ju shichi-i | ||
Senior Eighth Rank | shō hachi-i | ||
Junior Eighth Rank | ju hachi-i |
Sanjo Sanetomi was the last living person who received the Senior First Rank (
The 1925 Decree on Ranks (
Today, the Junior First Rank (
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.[6]
Court positions
[edit]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 (
Council of State (太政官 , daijōkan)
[edit]- Chancellor of the Realm (
太政大臣 , 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 , sadaijin)—the highest permanent position in the Council of State. - Minister of the Right (
右大臣 , udaijin)—the second highest position next to the Minister of the Left. - Minister of the Center (
内大臣 , naidaijin)—the third highest position next to the Minister of the Right. - Senior Counselor (
大納言 , 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 大納言 , 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 , chūnagon)—a newly created position to assist Senior Counselors. The maximum number of this position was three. - Associate Counselor (
参議 , sangi)—personnel to participate in political discussions, not Senior or Middle Counselors. - Controller of the Left (
左 大 弁 , sadaiben)—controls the Ministers of the Center, Civil Service, Ceremonies, and Popular Affairs. - Controller of the Right (
右 大 弁 , udaiben)—controls the Ministers of War, Justice, the Treasury, and the Imperial Household. - Junior Counselor (
少納言 , 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 省 , hasshō)
[edit]- Minister of the Center (
中務 卿 , nakatsukasa kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of the Center (中務 省 , nakatsukasa shō). - Minister of Civil Service (
治部 卿 , jibu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of Civil Service (治部 省 , jibu shō). - Minister of Ceremonies (
式部 卿 , shikibu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of Ceremonies (式部 省 , shikibu shō). - Minister of Popular Affairs (
民 部 卿 , minbu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of Popular Affairs (民 部 省 , minbu shō). - Minister of War (
兵部 卿 , hyōbu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of War (兵部 省 , hyōbu shō). - Minister of Justice (
刑部 卿 , gyōbu kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of Justice (刑部 省 , gyōbu shō). - Minister of the Treasury (
大蔵 卿 , ōkura kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of the Treasury (大蔵省 , ōkura shō). - Minister of the Imperial Household (
宮内卿 , kunai kyō)—the highest position in the Ministry of the Imperial Household (宮 内省 , 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 )
[edit]- Chief Surveyor of Palace Apartments (
中宮 大夫 , chūgū-dayū)—the first-class officer requiring the Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade. - Palace Assistant (
中宮 亮 , chūgū-no-suke)—the second-class officer requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade.
Bureau (寮 , ryō)
[edit]- Chief Curator of the Palace (
内蔵 頭 , kura no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Curation of the Palace (内蔵 寮 , kura ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. - First Assistant Curator of the Palace (
内蔵助 , kura no suke)—the second-class officer of the Bureau of Curation of the Palace (内蔵 寮 , kura ryō), requiring the Junior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade. - Second Assistant Curator of the Palace (
内蔵 允 , kura no jō)—the third-class officer of the Bureau of Curation of the Palace (内蔵 寮 , kura ryō), requiring the Junior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade. - Alternate Curator of the Palace (
内蔵 属 , kura no sakan)—the fourth-class officer of the Bureau of Curation of the Palace (内蔵 寮 , kura ryō), requiring the Junior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade or the Greater Initial Rank, Upper Grade. - Chief Court Architect (
内匠 頭 , takumi no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Court Architect (内匠 寮 , takumi ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade. - Chief Court Musician (
雅楽 頭 , uta no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Court Musician (雅楽 寮 , uta ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade. - Chief Diplomat (
玄蕃 頭 , genba no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Diplomacy (玄蕃 寮 , genba ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade. - Director of the Bureau of Computation (
主計 頭 , kazue no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Computation (主計 寮 , kazue ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade. - Assistant Director of the Bureau of Computation (
主計 助 , kazue no suke)—the second-class officer of the Bureau of Computation (主計 寮 , kazue ryō), requiring the Senior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade. - Director of the Tax Bureau (
主税 頭 , chikara no kami)—the first-class officer of the Tax Bureau (主税 寮 , chikara ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade. - Assistant Director of the Tax Bureau (
主税 助 , chikara no suke)—the second-class officer of the Tax Bureau (主税 寮 , chikara ryō), requiring the Senior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade. - Captain of the Left Division of the Bureau of Horses (
左 馬頭 , sama no kami)—the first-class officer of the Left Division of the Bureau of Horses (左 馬 寮 , sama ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade. - Captain of the Right Division of the Bureau of Horses (
右 馬頭 , uma no kami, or migi no uma no kami)—the first-class officer of the Right Division of the Bureau of Horses (右 馬 寮 , uma ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade. - Chief Court Astrologer (
陰陽 頭 , onmyō no kami)—the first-class officer of the Bureau of Court Astrology (陰陽 寮 , onmyō ryō), requiring the Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. - Chief Court Calendar-maker (
暦 博士 , 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 博士 , 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 博士 , 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 , jidoku)—a scholar who served at the Emperor's side and taught learning.
Division of Inner Palace Guards (近衛府 , kon'e fu)
[edit]- Major Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards (
左 近衛 大将 , sakon'e no taishō) - Major Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (
右 近衛 大将 , ukon'e no taishō) - Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (
右 近衛 中将 , ukon'e no chūjō) - Provisional Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (
右 近衛 権 中将 , ukon'e no gon no chūjō) - Minor Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards (
左 近衛 少将 , sakon'e no shōshō) - Provisional Minor Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards (
左 近衛 権 少将 , sakon'e gon no shōshō) - Lieutenant of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (
右 近衛 将 監 , ukon'e no shōgen) - Lieutenant of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards (
左 近衛 将 監 , sakon'e no shōgen)
Division of Military Guards (兵衛 府 , hyō'e fu)
[edit]- Head of Left Military Guards (
左 兵衛 督 , sahyō'e no kami) - Head of Right Military Guards (
右 兵衛 督 , uhyō'e no kami) - Assistant Head of Left Military Guards (
左 兵衛 佐 , sahyō'e no suke) - Provisional Assistant Master of the Left Military Guard (
左 兵衛 権 佐 , sahyō'e gon no suke) - Assistant Head of Right Military Guards (
右 兵衛 佐 , uhyō'e no suke) - Provisional Assistant Master of the Right Military Guard (
右 兵衛 権 佐 , uhyō'e gon no suke)
Chamberlain Office (蔵人所 , Kurōdo-dokoro)
[edit]- Head Chamberlain (
蔵人 頭 , kurōdo no tō, or kurōdo no kami) - Chamberlain (
蔵人 , kurōdo)[8] - Assistant Chamberlain (
次 侍従 , ji-jijū)
Provincial Governor (地方 国司 )
[edit]- Governor (
守 , kami) - Provisional Governor (
権守 , gon no kami)
Others
[edit]- Empress Dowager (
皇太后 , kōtaigō)
Hereditary titles
[edit]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 )—the highest noble title of the court personnel. Mahito was mainly conferred to Imperial families. - Ason (
朝臣 )—the second highest noble title next to Mahito. Ason was practically the highest title for non-imperial-household clans. - Sukune (
宿禰 )—the third highest noble title. The clans with Sukune represented military and administrative officers. - Imiki (
忌 寸 )—the fourth highest noble title. It was mainly conferred to Hata and Yamato-no-Aya clans. - Michinoshi (
道 師 )—the fifth highest noble title. There is no record that this title was conferred. - Omi (
臣 )—the sixth highest noble title. It was recorded to be conferred mainly on Soga, Kose, Ki, Katsuragi, and Hozumi clans. - Muraji (
連 )—the seventh highest noble title. It was conferred on Mononobe, Nakatomi, Yuge, Otomo and Haji clans. - Inagi (
稲置 )—the eighth highest noble title. There was no precedent for this title being conferred. - Tomo no Miyatsuko (
伴 造 )—a title of gōzoku who were subordinate to nobles with Muraji. - Momoamariyaso no Tomo (
百 八 十 部 )—a lower title than Tomo no Miyatsuko. - Kuni no Miyatsuko (
国造 )—a title for officers ruling provinces. - Agatanushi (
県 主 )—a title of rulers of a smaller area than a province.
References
[edit]- ^ "
政府 、安倍 元 首相 に最高 勲章 の贈呈 決定 (共同通信 )". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-08-20. - ^ "
安倍 氏 に従 一 位 、大 勲 位 菊花 章 頸飾を授与 ". Sankai (in Japanese). 11 July 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-21. - ^
家格 . Kotobank (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024. - ^ 「
麒麟 がくる」コラム】織田 信長 はどんどん昇進 。信長 は官職 についてどう考 えていたのか. Yahoo News. 6 January 2021 - ^ NHK
大河 ドラマではスルーされた…豊臣 秀吉 が難 敵 ・徳川 家康 を自分 の配下 にするために行 った「特別 な提案 」. President Online. 17 September 2023 - ^ a b c "
叙位 最高 位 「正 一 位 」最後 に贈 られたのは1917年 の織田 信長 ". News-postseven. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2024. - ^ プレミアムカラー
国語 便覧 : ISBN 978-4-410-33912-7, pp. 56–57, 2017 (Suken Shuppan) - ^ The Tale of Genji: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)