''Mahito'' (真人) was one of the 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, Grea ...

titles of ancient Japan. It was the highest in the ''Yakusa no kabane'' system of 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 As the national unification by the Yamato imperial court progressed ...

'' titles.

History

Mahito was the highest in the ''Yakusa'' ''no kabane'' system of eight ''

'' titles (the second being ''

Ason was a prestigious hereditary noble title in Japan, used mainly between Asuka and Heian periods. At first, it was the second highest, below ''Mahito'', which was given to members of the Imperial family, but after Heian period it became the h ...

'' and the third being '' Sukune''), which was established in October 684, during the reign of Emperor Tenmu. ''Mahito'' was originally a Chinese

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...

term for

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite ( adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a C ...

, ''shinjin'', but it was read as "mahito" in the ''Yakusa no kabane'' system, and was given the descendants of the

Imperial Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papa ...

after

Emperor Ōjin , also known as (alternatively spelled 譽田別命, 誉田別命, 品陀和気命, 譽田分命, 誉田別尊, 品陀別命) or , was the 15th (possibly legendary) Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. No firm d ...

. At the beginning of the enactment, the title was given to 13 clans, after which the number was increased to 60 clans. Later, it was given to members of the Imperial Family who were demoted to nobility. However, during the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara, Nara, Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remai ...

, the ''kabane'' system was abolished, and the number of clans taking the title gradually decreased.

References

{{Reflist Japanese historical terms Titles Ancient Japan Japanese nobility

History

See also

References