Koke
Encyclopedia
A was a noble
ranking below a daimyo
in Japan
during the Edo period
. Their lands were assessed at less than ten thousand koku
, making them ineligible for the rank of daimyo.
Unlike hatamoto
, whose duties were military, the kōke had certain privileged missions. For example, they carried the shogun
's messages to the Imperial court
in Kyoto
; they treated the Imperial envoys at Edo
; they represented the Shogun at certain ceremonies in Nikkō
; they regulated the ceremonies to be observed in the shogunal palace.
The shogunate appointed men of ancient great dispossessed families. The office was hereditary. Most of them descended from Kamakura period
to Sengoku period
shugo
(governors), among them the Takeda, the Imagawa
, the Kyogoku
, the Rokkaku
, the Ōtomo
, and the Hatakeyama
. But some families were not so prestigious, like the Yokose, the Yura, the Ōsawa, and the Kira.
In 1700, the master of ceremonies in the shogunal palace was Kira Yoshinaka
, a descendant of Ashikaga Yoshiuji (1189–1254). Asano Naganori
, daimyo
of Ako
attempted to kill him, and the Forty-seven Ronin
successfully killed him in one of Japan's most famous vendettas.
The kōke were instituted in 1608 and in the mid-19th century they numbered 26. Some families had several branches among the kōke, like the Takeda who had two lateral branches with that title. Below the koke, about 10 families bore the title of omote-kōke.
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
ranking below a daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. Their lands were assessed at less than ten thousand koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
, making them ineligible for the rank of daimyo.
Unlike hatamoto
Hatamoto
A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
, whose duties were military, the kōke had certain privileged missions. For example, they carried the shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
's messages to the Imperial court
Imperial Court in Kyoto
thumb|left|350px|Front view of Kyoto imperial palaceImperial Court in Kyoto was the nominal ruling government of Japan from 794 AD until the Meiji Era, in which the court was moved to Tokyo and integrated into the Meiji government....
in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
; they treated the Imperial envoys at Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
; they represented the Shogun at certain ceremonies in Nikkō
Nikko, Tochigi
is a city in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Approximately 140 km north of Tokyo and 35 km west of Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, it is a popular destination for Japanese and international tourists...
; they regulated the ceremonies to be observed in the shogunal palace.
The shogunate appointed men of ancient great dispossessed families. The office was hereditary. Most of them descended from Kamakura period
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 shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
to Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
shugo
Shugo
was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan...
(governors), among them the Takeda, the Imagawa
Imagawa clan
The was a Japanese clan that claimed descent from Emperor Seiwa . 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 and took its name.Imagawa Norikuni received from his cousin the...
, the Kyogoku
Kyōgoku clan
The were a Japanese samurai kin group which rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. The clan claimed descent from the Uda Genji. The name derives from the Kyōgoku quarter of Kyoto during the Heian period....
, the Rokkaku
Rokkaku clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan which wielded considerable power in the Muromachi period under the Ashikaga shogunate.-Rise and Fall: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...
, the Ōtomo
Otomo clan
The Ōtomo clan was a Japanese clan whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū....
, and the Hatakeyama
Hatakeyama clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan and descended from Taira no Takamochi, they fell victim of political intrigue in 1205, when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, first, and his father Shigetada later were killed in battle by Hōjō forces in Kamakura...
. But some families were not so prestigious, like the Yokose, the Yura, the Ōsawa, and the Kira.
In 1700, the master of ceremonies in the shogunal palace was Kira Yoshinaka
Kira Yoshinaka
was a kōke . His court title was Kōzuke no suke. He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the Forty-seven Ronin...
, a descendant of Ashikaga Yoshiuji (1189–1254). Asano Naganori
Asano Naganori
was the daimyo of the Akō Domain in Japan . His title was Takumi no Kami . He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as Chushingura, one of the favourite themes of kabuki, joruri and Japanese books and films.He was born in Edo as the eldest son of Asano...
, daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Ako
Ako Domain
The was a domain in feudal Japan. It was located in Harima Province and coincided with the present-day cities of Akō and Aioi and the town of Kamigōri in Hyōgo Prefecture. The domain had its headquarters at Akō Castle....
attempted to kill him, and the Forty-seven Ronin
Forty-seven Ronin
The revenge of the , also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the 18th century...
successfully killed him in one of Japan's most famous vendettas.
The kōke were instituted in 1608 and in the mid-19th century they numbered 26. Some families had several branches among the kōke, like the Takeda who had two lateral branches with that title. Below the koke, about 10 families bore the title of omote-kōke.
List
- Arima clanArima clanThe was a Japanese feudal daimyo family dating to the Sengoku period. Its name "Arima," transliterates as "has horses," reflecting the samurai/cavalry origins of the family. Famous members include Arima Harunobu and Arima Naozumi....
- Isshiki clan
- Imagawa clanImagawa clanThe was a Japanese clan that claimed descent from Emperor Seiwa . 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 and took its name.Imagawa Norikuni received from his cousin the...
- Uesugi clanUesugi clanThe was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan and particularly notable for their power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods ....
- Ōsawa clan
- Ōtomo clanOtomo clanThe Ōtomo clan was a Japanese clan whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū....
- Oda clanOda clanThe was a family of Japanese daimyo who were to become an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, several branches of the family would continue on as daimyo...
- Kyogoku clanKyōgoku clanThe were a Japanese samurai kin group which rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. The clan claimed descent from the Uda Genji. The name derives from the Kyōgoku quarter of Kyoto during the Heian period....
- Kira clanKira clanThe Kira clan was a Japanese clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa , and was a cadet branch of the Ashikaga family from the Minamoto clan .Ashikaga Mitsuuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji was the first to take the name of Kira....
- Shinagawa clan
- Takeda clan
- Nagasawa clan
- Toki clanToki clanThe was a powerful clan that ruled in Japan from the Kamakura period to the Edo period. It descended from Emperor Seiwa by Minamoto no Yorimitsu from the Minamoto clan and used Toki in Mino Province as their hometown...
- Toda clan
- Chūjō clan
- Hatakeyama clanHatakeyama clanThe ' was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan and descended from Taira no Takamochi, they fell victim of political intrigue in 1205, when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, first, and his father Shigetada later were killed in battle by Hōjō forces in Kamakura...
- Hino clan
- Maeda clanMaeda clanThe was a branch of the Sugawara clan who descended from Sugawara no Kiyotomo and Sugawara no Michizane in the eighth and ninth centuries. It was one of the most powerful samurai families in Japan and they were second only to the Tokugawa clan in rice production and fief size...
- Miyahara clan
- Mogami clanMogami clanThe were Japanese daimyo, and were a branch of the Ashikaga family. In the Sengoku period, it was the Sengoku Daimyo which ruled Dewa Province which is now Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture ....
- Yura clan
- Yokose clan
- Rokkaku clanRokkaku clanThe was a Japanese samurai clan which wielded considerable power in the Muromachi period under the Ashikaga shogunate.-Rise and Fall: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...