Five regent houses

The five regent houses (五摂家; go-seike or go-sekke) is a collective term for five families of the Fujiwara clan.[1] The leaders of these families monopolized the position of Sekkan in the Japanese Imperial Court of Kyoto between the 12th and 19th century. The five houses are Konoe,[2] Takatsukasa,[3] Kujō,[4] Ichijō,[5] and Nijō.[6]

The Fujiwara clan also had other families, but traditionally only these five were eligible for regentship. They were the most politically powerful families among the kuge (court officials).[7]

As the imperial clan claimed descent from the goddess Amaterasu, in the Fujiwara tradition the clan descended from another ancient kami, Ame-no-Koyane. Apparently, only these two clans were left in the modern era to claim kami descent.

See also

References

  1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Go-sekke" at p. 260.
  2. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon; Papinot, (2003). "Konoe," Nobiliare du Japon, p. 24; retrieved 2013-8-13.
  3. Papinot, (2003). "Takatsukasa" at p. 58; retrieved 2013-8-13.
  4. Papinot, (2003). "Kujō" at p. 25; retrieved 2013-8-13.
  5. Papinot, (2003). "Ichijō" at p. 13; retrieved 2013-8-13.
  6. Papinot, (2003). "Nijō" at p. 42; retrieved 2013-8-13.
  7. Nussbaum, "Kuge" at p. 570.
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