# Kabane

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Japanese hereditary noble titles

***Kabane*** (姓) were Japanese hereditary [noble](/source/Nobility) titles. Their use traces back to ancient times when they began to be used as titles signifying a family's political and social [caste](/source/Caste).[1]

## History

At first, the *kabane* were administered by individual clans, but eventually they came to be controlled by the [Yamato imperial court](/source/Yamato_period). As the court's national unification efforts progressed, a *kabane* was given to the most powerful families, which gradually became a hereditary noble title, and new ones were created. There were almost thirty of them in number.[2] Some of the more common *kabane* were *[Omi](/source/Omi_(title))* (臣), *[Muraji](/source/Muraji)* (連), *[Sukune](/source/Sukune)* (宿禰), *[Kuni no miyatsuko](/source/Kuni_no_miyatsuko)* (国造), *[Kimi](/source/Kimi_(kabane))* (君; or 公), *Atai* (直), *Fubito* (史), *[Agatanushi](/source/Agatanushi)* (県主), and *Suguri* (村主).

Descendants of the [Imperial House of Japan](/source/Imperial_House_of_Japan) (皇別, *kōbetsu*) were given *[Omi](/source/Omi_(title))* and the descendants of the [gods](/source/Kami) (神別, *shinbetsu*) were given *[Muraji](/source/Muraji).*[2] Of these, the most influential families were given *[Ōomi](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%C5%8Comi&action=edit&redlink=1)* and *[Ōmuraji](/source/%C5%8Cmuraji)*.[2]

The imperial [House of Yamato](/source/Imperial_House_of_Japan) became the most powerful family in the *kabane* system, although during the 6th century AD, a number of other leaders, often with high ranks of *Omi* and *Muraji,* sometimes overshadowed the Yamato rulers.[3] This power dynamic became one of the incentives of the [Taika Reform](/source/Taika_Reform) in 684.[4]

During this [reform](/source/Taika_Reform), the *kabane* was no longer tied to a specific occupation or political position, but simply began to signify a family's aristocratic lineage and social status.[1] The existing *kabane* were also reorganized into an eight *kabane* system (八色の姓, *yakusa no kabane*) consisting of *[Mahito](/source/Mahito_(title))*, *[Ason](/source/Ason)*, *Sukune*, *[Imiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imiki&action=edit&redlink=1) [[ja](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BF%8C%E5%AF%B8)]* (忌寸), *[Michinoshi](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michinoshi&action=edit&redlink=1) [[ja](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%81%93%E5%B8%AB)]* (道師), *Omi*, *Muraji*, *[Inagi](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Inagi_(title)&action=edit&redlink=1) [[ja](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A8%B2%E7%BD%AE)]* (稲置).[2] The powerful *Omi* of the time were given the *kabane* of *Ason*, which ranked second under the new system, while most of the *Muraji* were given the *kabane* of *Sukune*, which ranked third.

Later, as the clans began to devolve into individual households, the *kabane* system gradually faded from use.

## Name

It is generally believed that the name *kabane* (姓) either derived from the word "agamena" (崇名), or alternatively from the word "kyöröi" (骨), meaning "family" in Old Korean.[1]

- [Ancient Japan portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Ancient_Japan)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_1-2) *Encyclopedia Nipponica*. Japan: Shogakkan. 2001. Kabane. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [409526117X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/409526117X).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:2_2-3) Gibney, Frank (1995). *Britannica International Encyclopaedia*. Japan: TBS-BRITANNICA. Kabane. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [55231838](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/55231838).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_3-0)** ["Kabane | Japanese society"](https://www.britannica.com/topic/kabane). *Encyclopedia Britannica*. Retrieved 2020-06-02.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Hane, Mikiso; Perez, Louis G. (2014). Premodern Japan: a Historical Survey. (Second edition ed.). Boulder, CO. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8133-4970-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8133-4970-1).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kabane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabane) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabane?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.