The Five Regent Houses (五摂家; ''go-sekke'') is a collective term for the five families of the
Fujiwara clan
was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until ...
that monopolized the
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
position of ''
Sekkan'' in Japan from 1252 until 1868.
The five houses are
Konoe Konoe (written: 近衛 or 近衞) is a Japanese surname. It is sometimes spelled "Konoye" based on historical kana usage. Notable people with the surname include:
*, the 76th emperor of Japan
*, Japanese politician and journalist
*, Japanese politi ...
,
Takatsukasa,
Kujō,
Ichijō, and
Nijō, which were established during the split of the
Fujiwara Hokke
The was one of the four houses of the powerful Fujiwara clan, the other three being the Nanke, Kyōke and Shikike. The Hokke were the ''de facto'' rulers of Japan through their hereditary position as imperial regents ( ''Sesshō'' and ''Kampaku ...
. After the abolition of the regency in 1868, the Five Regent Houses were all appointed
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
under the new
hereditary peerage
The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...
.
Overview
Out of the four houses of the
Fujiwara clan
was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until ...
, the
Fujiwara Hokke
The was one of the four houses of the powerful Fujiwara clan, the other three being the Nanke, Kyōke and Shikike. The Hokke were the ''de facto'' rulers of Japan through their hereditary position as imperial regents ( ''Sesshō'' and ''Kampaku ...
monopolized the regent position of ''
Sekkan''. In the
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...
,
the Hokke split into the Five Regent Houses,
Konoe Konoe (written: 近衛 or 近衞) is a Japanese surname. It is sometimes spelled "Konoye" based on historical kana usage. Notable people with the surname include:
*, the 76th emperor of Japan
*, Japanese politician and journalist
*, Japanese politi ...
,
Takatsukasa,
Kujō,
Ichijō, and
Nijō.
[ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)]
"Go-sekke" at p. 260
These families continued to monopolize the regency from 1252
until the
Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
in 1868.
When the regency was abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration, a new
hereditary peerage
The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...
(''kazoku'') was established, and these houses were all appointed Duke.
The Fujiwara
clan also had other families, but traditionally, only these five were eligible for regency. They were the most politically powerful families among the
kuge (court nobility).
[Nussbaum]
"Kuge" at p. 570
See also
*
Hokke (Fujiwara)
The was one of the four houses of the powerful Fujiwara clan, the other three being the Nanke (Fujiwara), Nanke, Kyōke and Shikike. The Hokke were the ''de facto'' rulers of Japan through their hereditary position as imperial regents (Sesshō a ...
*
List of Kuge families
List of Kuge families include the high level bureaucrats and nobles (''kuge'') in the Japanese Imperial court. This list is based on the lineage of the family (the clan from which the family derives, such as the Fujiwara, Minamoto, or Taira) and th ...
*
Japanese clans
This is a list of Japanese clans. The old clans ('' Gōzoku'') mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki lost their political power before the Heian Period, during which new aristocracies and families, '' Kuge'', emerged in their place. After the ...
References
External links
''Sekke kamon'' at Harimaya.com
5
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