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Kōke
A during the Edo period in Japan generally referred to the position of the "Master of Ceremonies", held by certain -less samurai ranking below a daimyō. Historically, or in a more general context, the term may refer to a family of old lineage and distinction. Perhaps the most famous Master of Ceremonies in history was Kira Yoshinaka aka , the real-life model of the villain avenged in the tale of the forty-seven rōnin of Akō Domain, Akō. Overview The office of ''kōke'' is typically translated "Master of Ceremonies" or "Master of Court Ceremony". The men who ''kōke'' position performed such roles as that of the courier carrying the ''shōgun''s messages to the Imperial court in Kyoto, or one of a reception committee for hosting the Imperial Envoys at Edo. They also represented the shogun in certain functions held at Nikkō, Tochigi, Nikkō and other shrines or temples, and regulated courtly ceremonies and rites observed in the Edo Castle. The office was instituted in 1608, ...
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Kira Yoshinaka
(October 5, 1641 – January 30, 1703) was a Japanese ''kōke'' (master of ceremonies). His court title was ''Kokushi (officials), Kōzuke no suke (上野介)''. He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the forty-seven rōnin. Although his name (義央) has been long pronounced as "Yoshinaka" especially in dramas and novels, , written by an anonymous contemporary in 1703, recorded that his name was "Yoshihisa". Life Family and early life Born in 1641, he was the eldest son of Kira Yoshifuyu of the Kira clan. His mother was a member of the high-ranking Sakai clan. On the death of his father in 1668, Kira became the 17th head of the household, inheriting lands evaluated at 4,200 ''koku''. His wife was from the Uesugi clan, and his eldest son was adopted by Uesugi Tsunakatsu, the head of the Dewa Province, Dewa Yonezawa, Yamagata, Yonezawa ''Han (country subdivision), han'', taking the name Tsunanori. Kira named his second son as his heir, but when that s ...
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Rokkaku Clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)">DF 53 of 80">"Rokkaku" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 49 [PDF 53 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-4-30. History Founded by Sasaki Yasutsuna of Ōmi Province in the 13th century, the name Rokkaku was taken from their residence within Kyoto; however, many members of this family continued to be called Sasaki clan, Sasaki. Over the course of the Muromachi period, members of the clan held the high post of Constable ('' shugo'') of various provinces. During the Ōnin War (1467–77), which marked the beginning of the Sengoku period, the clan's Kannonji Castle came under assault. As a consequence of defeat in the field, the clan entered a period of decline. Like other hard-pressed ''daimyōs'', the Rokakku tried to enhance their military position by giving closer attention to improved civil administration within their domain. For instance, ...
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Kyōgoku Clan
The were a Japanese ''daimyō'' and samurai clan which rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. The clan descend from the Uda Genji through the Sasaki clan.Papinot, Jacques. (2003)''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 27–28./ref> The name derives from the Kyōgoku quarter of Kyoto during the Heian period.Iwao, Seiichi ''et al.'' (2002) ''Dictionnaire historique du Japon'', p. 1704./ref> The Kyōgoku acted as '' shugo'' (governors) of Ōmi, Hida, Izumo and Oki Provinces in the period before the Ōnin War. A period of decline in clan fortunes was mitigated with the rise of the Tokugawa clan. Members of the clan were ''daimyōs'' of territories on the islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku during the Edo period. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Kyōgoku were identified as '' tozama'' or outsiders, in contrast with the '' fudai'' or insider ''daimyō'' clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa.Appert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. ...
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Forty-seven Rōnin
The revenge of the , also known as the or Akō vendetta, was a historical event in Japan in which a band of ''rōnin'' (lordless samurai) avenged the death of their former master on 31 January 1703. The incident has since become legendary. It is among the three major vengeance (''adauchi'' 仇討ち) incidents in Japan, along with the Revenge of the Soga Brothers and the Igagoe vendetta. The story tells of a group of samurai after their ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) Asano Naganori was compelled to perform ''seppuku'' (ritual suicide) for assaulting a powerful court official (''kōke'') named Kira Yoshinaka, after the court official insulted him. After waiting and planning for a year, the ''rōnin'' avenged their master's honour by killing Kira. Anticipating the authorities' intolerance of the vendetta's completion, they were prepared to face execution as a consequence. However, due to considerable public support in their favor, the authorities compromised by ordering the rōnin ...
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Imagawa Clan
was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji by way of the Kawachi Genji. It was a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Ashikaga clan. Origins Ashikaga Kuniuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji, established himself in the 13th century at Imagawa (Mikawa Province) and took its name. Imagawa Norikuni (1295–1384) received the provinces of Tōtōmi, and later Suruga, from his cousin Shōgun Ashikaga Takauji Located at Ounami no Kori, Mikawa (modern day Nishio, Aichi) mainly Suruga Province and Tōtōmi Province during the Warring States period Crests *Two hikiryou *Yoshimoto's version of the akaitori (pictured) *Two hikiryou and a paulownia planted in white soil Major figures * Imagawa Sadayo * Imagawa Yoshitada * Imagawa Ujichika * Imagawa Ujiteru * Imagawa Yoshimoto * Imagawa Ujizane Muromachi era * Imagawa Sadayo, was a renowned Japanese poet and military commander who served as tandai ("constable") of Kyūshū under the Ashikaga bakufu from 1 ...
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Ōsawa Clan
Ōsawa, Osawa or Oosawa (written: or lit. "big swamp") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese ice hockey player * Eiji Osawa (born 1935), Japanese chemist * Itsumi Osawa (born 1966), Japanese actress, writer and singer * Kenji Osawa (born 1976), Japanese mixed martial artist *Kisaburo Osawa (1910–1991), Japanese aikidoka * Masaaki Ōsawa (born 1946), Japanese politician and governor of Gunma Prefecture *Masayo Ōsawa (1913–1945), Japanese diver *, Japanese swimmer *Reiko Ōsawa (born 1915), Japanese diver *Shigeki Osawa (born 1986), Japanese mixed martial artist *Shinichi Osawa (born 1967), Japanese musician better known as Mondo Grosso *Takao Osawa is a Japanese actor. Career Osawa starred in the 2002 film ''Filament'' and the 2007 film '' Midnight Eagle''. He has also appeared in films such as Masayuki Suo's '' A Terminal Trust'' and Takashi Miike's '' Shield of Straw''. The Newport Beac ... (born 1968), Japanese actor See also * 193 ...
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Uesugi Clan
The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi period, Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries).Georges Appert, Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its height, the clan had three main branches: the Ōgigayatsu, Inukake, and Yamanouchi. Its most well-known member is the warlord Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578). During the Edo period, the Uesugi were a ''tozama'' or outsider clan, in contrast with the ''fudai'' or insider ''daimyō'' clans which had been hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan. History The clan claims descent from the Fujiwara clan, specifically Fujiwara no Yoshikado,Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Uesugi", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 67 [PDF 71 of 80)/nowiki>]; retrieved 2013-5-11. who was a ''daijō-daijin'' during the 9th century. Uesugi Shigefusa, Kanjūji Shigefusa was a ...
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Arima Clan
The is a Japanese samurai family. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)">DF 6-7 of 80">"Arima," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 2-3 [PDF 6-7 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-5-5. From 1695 until 1871 they ruled the Maruoka Domain as daimyo. They were appointed Kazoku, Viscount after the Meiji Restoration. History The clan is called Hizen-Arima clan after its province of origin to distinguish it from other unrelated clans of the same name. The clan claimed descent from Fujiwara Sumitomo (d. 941 AD), who settled in Iyo Province after the Tengyō no Ran war.Papinot, (2003)">DF 7 of 80">"Arima," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 3 [PDF 7 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-5-5. During the late Muromachi period, Arima Haruzumi was a powerful Kashindan, retainer of the Ashikaga shogunate and controlled the Shimabara Peninsula in northern Kyushu, and thus controlled trade between Japan and Portugal. During the Sengoku period, ...
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Oda Clan
The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they reached the peak of their power under Oda Nobunaga and fell soon after, several branches of the family continued as daimyo houses until the Meiji Restoration. After the Meiji Restoration, all four heads of the houses of the clan were appointed viscounts in the new system of hereditary peerage. History Origins Oda Nobunaga first claimed that the Oda clan was descended from the Fujiwara clan, and later claimed descent from Taira no Sukemori of the Taira clan. According to the official genealogy of the Oda clan, after Taira no Sukemori was killed in the Battle of Dannoura in 1185, Taira no Chikazane, the son of Sukemori and a concubine, was entrusted to a Shinto priest at a Shinto Shrine in Otanosho in the Echizen province. This Chikazane became the founder of the Oda clan. According to modern theories, there is no evidence that t ...
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Hatamoto
A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the Shōgun, shogunates in History of Japan, Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as . However, in the Edo period, were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa house, and the were the lower vassals. There was no precise difference between the two in terms of income level, but a had the right to an audience (meeting), audience with the , whereas did not.Ogawa, p. 43. The word literally means "origin/base of the flag", with the sense of 'around the flag', it is described in Japanese as 'those who guard the flag' (on the battlefield) and is often translated into English as "bannerman". Another term for the Edo-era was , sometimes rendered as "direct shogunal ", which serves to illustrate the difference between them and the preceding generation of who served various lords. History The term originated in the Sengoku per ...
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Koku
The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before cooking), used to this day for the plastic measuring cup that is supplied with commercial Japanese rice cookers. The ''koku'' in Japan was typically used as a dry measure. The amount of rice production measured in ''koku'' was the metric by which the magnitude of a feudal domain ('' han'') was evaluated. A feudal lord was only considered ''daimyō'' class when his domain amounted to at least 10,000 ''koku''. As a rule of thumb, one ''koku'' was considered a sufficient quantity of rice to feed one person for one year. The Chinese equivalent or cognate unit for capacity is the ''shi'' or '' dan'' () also known as ''hu'' (), now approximately 103 litres but historically about . Chinese equivalent The Chinese 石 ''dan'' is equal to 10 ''d ...
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List
A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but lists are frequently written down on paper, or maintained electronically. Lists are "most frequently a tool", and "one does not ''read'' but only ''uses'' a list: one looks up the relevant information in it, but usually does not need to deal with it as a whole".Lucie Doležalová,The Potential and Limitations of Studying Lists, in Lucie Doležalová, ed., ''The Charm of a List: From the Sumerians to Computerised Data Processing'' (2009). Purpose It has been observed that, with a few exceptions, "the scholarship on lists remains fragmented". David Wallechinsky, a co-author of ''The Book of Lists'', described the attraction of lists as being "because we live in an era of overstimulation, especially in terms of information, ...
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