List of Japanese court ranks, positions and hereditary titles
The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ikai, are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state. Ikai as a system was the indication of the rank of bureaucrats and officials in countries that inherited.
Currently, the Japanese court ranks and titles are among the types of honours conferred to those who have held government posts for a long time and to those who have made distinguished achievements. In recent times, most appointments, if not all, are offered posthumously. A notable recipient of such a court rank is the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who received Junior First Rank on 8 July 2022.
Court ranks
The national system for ranking politicians and officials who served the Japanese dynasty began in 603 when Empress Suiko enacted the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System. Each rank was identified by the color of a crown the person with the rank wore. There were twelve ranks: Greater Virtue, Lesser Virtue, Greater Benevolence, Lesser Benevolence, Greater Propriety, Lesser Propriety, Greater Sincerity, Lesser Sincerity, Greater Justice, Lesser Justice, Greater Knowledge, and Lesser Knowledge, from top to bottom.The ranking system underwent several amendments and was developed by the Taiho Code enacted in 701. Under this system, ranks were established for the Imperial family members and vassals like the following:
Ranks for Imperial family members
An Emperor was not ranked.Princes, princesses, and other Imperial family members were ranked depending on the extent of their contribution to the nation or other factors as follows:
| English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
| First Rank | 一品 | ip-pon | |
| Second Rank | 二品 | ni-hon | |
| Third Rank | 三品 | san-bon | |
| Fourth Rank | 四品 | shi-hon |
Ranks for subjects
Under the Taiho Code, politicians and officials other than Imperial family members were graded according to the following ranking system.First to Third Ranks
Each of the First to Third Ranks is divided into Senior and Junior. The Senior First Rank is the highest in the rank system. It is conferred mainly on a very limited number of persons recognized by the Imperial Court as most loyal to the nation during that era.The Junior First Rank is the second highest rank, conferred in many cases on the highest ministers, premier feudal lords, and their wives.
Nobles with the Third Rank or upper were called kugyō.
Successive Tokugawa shoguns held the highest or near-highest court ranks, higher than most court nobles. They were made of court rank upon assuming office, then, and the highest rank of was conferred upon them upon their death. The Tokugawa shogunate established that the court ranks granted to daimyo by the imperial court were based on the recommendation of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the court ranks were used to control the daimyo.
Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were and respectively, but both were elevated to in the Taisho era, about 300 years after their deaths.
| English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Selected recipients |
| Senior First Rank | 正一位 | shō ichi-i | Fujiwara no Fuhito, Sugawara no Michizane, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Lady Saigō, Tokugawa Hidetada, Tokugawa Iemitsu |
| Junior First Rank | 従一位 | ju ichi-i | Isonokami no Maro, Taira no Kiyomori, Ashikaga Takauji, Ōmandokoro, Nene, Maeda Toshiie, Oeyo, , , Iso no Miya Tomoko, Shimazu no Shigehime |
| Senior Second Rank | 正二位 | shō ni-i | Minamoto no Yoritomo, Toyotomi Hideyori, Konoe Tadahiro |
| Junior Second Rank | 従二位 | ju ni-i | Taira no Tokiko, Hōjō Masako, Toyotomi Hidenaga, Tokugawa Muneharu, Lady Kasuga |
| Senior Third Rank | 正三位 | shō san-mi | Fujiwara no Matate, Takano no Niigasa, Kitabatake Tomonori |
| Junior Third Rank | 従三位 | ju san-mi | Asa no Miya Akiko, Tenshō-in |
Fourth Rank
The Fourth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade is the highest Fourth Rank and the Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade the lowest.| English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
| Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade | 正四位上 | shō shi-i no jō | |
| Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade | 正四位下 | shō shi-i no ge | Matsunaga Hisahide |
| Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade | 従四位上 | ju shi-i no jō | |
| Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade | 従四位下 | ju shi-i no ge | Taira no Tadamori |
Fifth Rank
The Fifth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade is the highest Fifth Rank and the Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade the lowest.| English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
| Senior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade | 正五位上 | shō go-i no jō | |
| Senior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade | 正五位下 | shō go-i no ge | Kusunoki Masashige |
| Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade | 従五位上 | ju go-i no jō | Sanada Nobuyuki, Yamakawa Futaba, Sakamoto Tenzan |
| Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade | 従五位下 | ju go-i no ge | Hojo Ujinao, Hayashi Narinaga |
Sixth Rank
The Sixth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade is the highest Sixth Rank and the Junior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade the lowest.| English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
| Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade | 正六位上 | shō roku-i no jō | |
| Senior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade | 正六位下 | shō roku-i no ge | |
| Junior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade | 従六位上 | ju roku-i no jō | |
| Junior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade | 従六位下 | ju roku-i no ge |
Seventh Rank
The Seventh Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade is the highest Seventh Rank and the Junior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade the lowest.| English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
| Senior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade | 正七位上 | shō shichi-i no jō | |
| Senior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade | 正七位下 | shō shichi-i no ge | |
| Junior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade | 従七位上 | ju shichi-i no jō | |
| Junior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade | 従七位下 | ju shichi-i no ge |
Eighth Rank
The Eighth Rank is divided into Senior and Junior, subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Senior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade, is the highest, and the Junior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade, is the lowest.| English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
| Senior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade | 正八位上 | shō hachi-i no jō | |
| Senior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade | 正八位下 | shō hachi-i no ge | |
| Junior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade | 従八位上 | ju hachi-i no jō | |
| Junior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade | 従八位下 | ju hachi-i no ge |
Initial Rank
The Initial Rank is divided into Greater and Lesser, and each is subdivided into Upper and Lower Grades. The Greater Initial Rank, Upper Grade is the highest Initial Rank, and the Lesser Initial Rank, Lower Grade the lowest.| English translation | Japanese text | Romanized Japanese | Notes |
| Greater Initial Rank, Upper Grade | 大初位上 | dai sho-i no jō | |
| Greater Initial Rank, Lower Grade | 大初位下 | dai sho-i no ge | |
| Lesser Initial Rank, Upper Grade | 少初位上 | shō sho-i no jō | |
| Lesser Initial Rank, Lower Grade | 少初位下 | shō sho-i no ge |
Ranking system after the Meiji Restoration
The 1887 Ordinance on Ordination reorganized the ranking system. It abolished the Initial Ranks and the Grades of Upper and Lower of Fourth and lower Ranks. The relationships between ikai and court positions were also abolished. There were then a total of 16 ranks, ranging from the Senior First Rank to the Junior Eighth Rank, as shown below:Sanjo Sanetomi was the last living person who received the Senior First Rank in 1891, and all subsequent recipients were posthumously received. No persons have been awarded this rank since 1917 when Oda Nobunaga was posthumously awarded.
The 1925 Decree on Ranks restricted ordination exclusively to the purpose of conferring honors.
Since the current Constitution came into effect in 1947, the presentation of ranks has been limited to those who have already died, with the idea of abolishing the privileges associated with conferring honors, and ranks have been presented posthumously.
Today, the Junior First Rank is the highest available rank, which is posthumously conferred primarily on persons deemed being served most to the nation out of former prime ministers.
The Senior Second Rank is conferred on many former prime ministers, and the Junior Second Rank on top-class politicians, such as former speakers of the National Diet and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
The Senior Third Rank is posthumously conferred mainly on civilians who are recognized as having done the most for the nation's development, such as founders of large companies and the novelists and artists who represented Japan. The Junior Third Rank is in many cases conferred on artists who created Japan's famous masterpieces.
The Junior First Rank is bestowed directly by the incumbent Emperor. The Second through Fourth Ranks are awarded by Imperial decree.
The awarding of the Fifth Ranks or lower is decided by a hearing from the Cabinet and a decision by the Emperor to the hearing.