was a hereditary

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

title in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, used mainly between the Asuka and Heian periods. At first, it was the second highest, below '' Mahito'', which was given to members of the

Imperial family A royal family is the immediate family of monarch, monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or emperor, empress, and the term papal family describes the family of ...

, but after the Heian period it became the highest of the eight noble titles: ''Ason, Mahito,

Sukune ''Sukune'' (宿禰) is one of the hereditary noble titles of ancient Japan. In the 3rd to 5th centuries, it was used as a title to represent military and administrative officers of the Yamato court. In the 8th century, it became one of the e ...

, Imiki, Michinoshi,

Omi Omi or OMI may refer to: Organisations * Optical Mechanics, Inc., a US telescope company * Ottico Meccanica Italiana, an Italian company * Original Musical Instrument Company, manufacturers of resonator guitars * Open Music Initiative, a digital ...

Muraji (from Old Japanese: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master") was an ancient

Japan

ese hereditary title denoting rank a ...

'', and ''

Inagi 270px, Inagi City Hall is a city located in the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 92,585 in 41,592 households, and a population density of 5200 persons per km². The total area of the city ...

.''

History

The title was created as a part of the eight-''

kabane were Japanese hereditary noble titles. Their use traces back to ancient times when they began to be used as titles signifying a family's political and social status. History At first, the ''kabane'' were administered by individual clans, but ...

'' system, proclaimed in 684 during

Emperor Tenmu was the 40th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. He ascended ...

's reign, as its second highest rank. As such, ''Asomi'' was initially given to the highest-ranked noble clans whose genealogical origins were often claimed back to imperial princes. Although the clans closest to the Imperial House, that is, descendants of

Emperor Keitai (died 10 March 531) was the 26th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 継体天皇 (26)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conve ...

, were intended to be promoted to ''Mahito'', the first rank in the original eight ''kabane'' system, this fell out of favor with the nobility. In 802, Prince Yasuyo, a son of

Emperor Kammu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kammu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the scop ...

was designated Yoshimine no Ason Yasuyo, an indication that he had renounced his imperial status and became a member of the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

. Since the Heian period, ''Ason'' became the highest of the eight ''kabane'', and began to be used by imperial princes and their descendants. Eventually, all families with aristocratic lineage bore the title of ''Ason'', and the other titles fell out of favor, with ''Ason'' simply indicating a person's social status.

Notable holders

Notable ''Ason'' were: * Fujiwara no Ason, awarded by

Emperor Tenji , known first as and later as until his accession, was the 38th emperor of Japan who reigned from 668 to 671. He was the son of Emperor Jomei and Empress Kōgyoku (Empress Saimei), and his children included Empress Jitō, Empress Genmei, an ...

Nakatomi no Kamatari , also known as , was a Japanese politician and aristocrat who, together with Prince Naka no Ōe (later Emperor Tenji), carried out the Taika Reform. He was the founder of the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful aristocratic family in Japan durin ...

in 668; the origin of the

Fujiwara clan The 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 ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

* Minamoto no Ason, first awarded to his non-heir sons by

Emperor Saga was the 52nd emperor of Japan, Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign lasted from 809 to 823. Traditional narrative Saga was the second son of ...

(786–842); the origin of the

Minamoto clan was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobili ...

* Taira no Ason, awarded to his grandson by

(737–806); see also

Taira clan The was one of the four most important Japanese clans, clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period, Heian period of History of Japan, Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto clan, Minamoto, the Fujiwara clan, Fuji ...

Notable holders of ''Ason'' were: *

Kakinomoto no Ason Hitomaro was a Japanese '' waka'' poet and aristocrat of the late Asuka period. He was the most prominent of the poets included in the ''Man'yōshū'', the oldest ''waka'' anthology, but apart from what can be gleaned from hints in the ''Man'yōshū'', ...

, poet (c. 662–710) *

Isonokami no Ason Maro was a Japanese statesman of the Asuka period and early Nara period His family name was Mononobe no Muraji, later Mononobe no Ason and Isonokami no Ason. He attained the court rank of and ''sadaijin'', and posthumously . In 672 Maro supported ...

, statesman, possibly buried in

Takamatsuzuka Tomb The is an Asuka period burial mound, located in the village of Asuka, Nara in the Kansai region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1972. History The tumulus was discovered October 1970 when villagers ...

(640–717) *

Kasa no Ason Maro , was a Japanese Buddhist priest and poet. Little is known of his life except that his secular name was Kasa no Ason Maro. While serving at a temple in the north of Kyūshū, he was a member of Ōtomo no Tabito's literary coterie. His few surviving ...

, poet better known as Sami Mansei (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

720) * Ariwara no Narihira Ason, poet (825–880) *

Miyamoto no Kintada Ason Minamoto no Kintada (889–948, Japanese: 源公忠, also 源公忠朝臣 ''Miyamoto no Kintada Ason'') was a middle Heian '' waka'' poet and nobleman. Along with his son, Minamoto no Saneakira, he is designated a member of the Thirty-six Po ...

, poet (889–948) * Fujiwara no Toshiyuki Ason, poet (fl. 900) * Onakatomi no Yoshinobu Ason, poet (921–991) *

Minamoto no Muneyuki Ason Minamoto no Muneyuki (Japanese: 源宗于 also 源宗于朝臣 Minamoto no Muneyuki Ason) (?-939) was an early Heian period, Heian ''Waka (poetry), waka'' poet and nobleman. He was a grandson of Emperor Kōkō. In 894, he was reduced to being ...

, poet (d. 983) *

Fujiwara no Ason Sadaie was a Japanese anthologist, calligrapher, literary critic,"The high quality of poetic theory (''karon'') in this age depends chiefly upon the poetic writings of Fujiwara Shunzei and his son Teika. The other theorists of ''tanka'' writing, sti ...

, poet and scholar (1162–1241) * Taiganin den Taira no Ason Iga no Kami Raiodo Hon Daikoji, founder of

Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū Written as 天眞正傳香取神道流 before adoption (1946) of Tōyō kanji. is one of the oldest extant Japanese martial arts and an exemplar of ''bujutsu''. It was founded by Iizasa Ienao, who lived near Katori Shrine (Sawara, Chiba, Sawara ...

(1387–1488)

References

Japanese historical terms Classical Japan Japanese nobility {{Japan-hist-stub

History

Notable holders

See also

References