was a prestigious hereditary
noble title in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
, 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 highest of the eight noble titles:
''Ason, Mahito,
Sukune,
Imiki,
Michinoshi,
Omi
is a hereditary noble title ('' kabane'') of ancient Japan. It was given to the descendants of the Imperial Family before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''Muraji'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the Kofun period ...
,
Muraji
(from Old Japanese: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master" '', and ''
Inagi
270px, Inagi City Hall
is a city located in the western portion of 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 was . ...
.''
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
As the national unification by the Yamato imperial court progressed ...
'' 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.
Tenmu's rei ...
'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 legendary 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 ...
, 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 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 non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks.
Peerages include:
Australia
* Australian peers
Belgium
* Be ...
. 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, and ''Ason'' simply became a title indicating a person's social status.
Notable holders
Notable ''Ason'' were:
* Fujiwara no Ason, awarded by
Emperor Tenji
, also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')天智天皇 (38)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 52 ...
to
Nakatomi no Kamatari in 668; the origin of the
Fujiwara clan
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 the 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 spanned the years from 809 through 823.
Traditional narrative
Saga was the ...
(786–842); the origin of the
Minamoto clan
was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during th ...
* Taira no Ason, awarded to his grandson by
Emperor Kammu (737–806); see also
Taira clan
The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divide ...
Notable holders of ''Ason'' were:
*
Kakinomoto no Ason Hitomaro
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (柿本 人麻呂 or 柿本 人麿; – ) 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 a ...
, poet (c. 662–710)
*
Isonokami no Ason Maro, statesman, possibly buried in
Takamatsuzuka Tomb
The or "Tall Pine Tree Ancient Burial Mound" in Japanese is an ancient circular tomb in Asuka village, Nara Prefecture, Japan.
History
The tomb is thought to have been built at some time between the end of the 7th century and the beginning of t ...
(640–717)
*
Kasa no Ason Maro, poet better known as Sami Mansei (
fl.
''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they 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 indicatin ...
720)
*
Miyamoto no Kintada Ason, poet (889–948)
*
Fujiwara Toshiyuki no Ason
Fujiwara no Toshiyuki (birthdate unknown – 901 or 907, Japanese: 藤原 敏行, also 藤原 敏行 朝臣 ''Fujiwara Toshiyuki no Ason'') was a middle Heian '' waka'' poet and Japanese nobleman. He was designated a member of the Thirty-six P ...
, poet (fl. 900)
*
Onakatomi no Yoshinobu Ason, poet (921–991)
*
Minamoto no Muneyuki Ason, poet (d. 983)
*
Fujiwara no Ason Sadaie, 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''. The Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū was founded by Iizasa Ienao, born in ...
(1387–1488)
See also
* ''
Sukune''
*
''Mahito''
* ''
Muraji
(from Old Japanese: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master" ''
References
Japanese historical terms
Classical Japan
Japanese nobility
{{Japan-hist-stub