1.
court noble, court aristocrat
A member of the imperial court nobility in pre-modern Japan. The kuge held positions at the imperial court and were distinguished from the buke (warrior class). Their influence peaked during the Heian period and gradually declined as warrior governments took power.
公家は朝廷に仕えた。
The court nobles served the imperial court.
平安時代の公家は和歌や雅楽を嗜んだ。
Heian-period court nobles cultivated waka poetry and gagaku court music.
武家が政権を握ると、公家の政治的な影響力は大きく低下した。
When the warrior class took power, the political influence of the court nobles declined significantly.
USAGE:
公家 is contrasted with 武家 (warrior/samurai class). The 公家 tradition was centered in Kyoto around the imperial court, while 武家 power was based in Kamakura and later Edo.
After the Meiji Restoration, many 公家 families were incorporated into the new 華族 (peerage) system.
The word is sometimes read as こうけ, but くげ is the standard reading.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 公家と武家: court nobles and warrior class
- 公家社会: court noble society
- 公家文化: court culture
- 公家屋敷: court noble's mansion