Family background - Iegara

Japanese: 家柄 - いえがら

The ranking of a family is determined by the quality of its genealogy. The criteria vary from era to era, but basically, it is considered good if one's ancestors are related to the ancient emperors or aristocrats, and the surnames Minamoto, Taira, Fujitachibana are typical examples. Within the same family, direct descendants are considered better than collateral descendants, and older families are considered better than newer families. Family lineage does not correspond to the family's actual social position, but families that achieved a high social position often created family trees in an attempt to make their lineage look good.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

系譜のよしあしによる家の位置づけ。その基準は時代により異なるが，基本的には古代の天皇，貴族に先祖がつながるものがよいとされ，姓を源平藤橘とするのはその代表。同一の家系では傍系よりも直系，新しい家よりも古い家がよいとされた。家柄は現実の家の社会的位置とは対応しないが，高い社会的位置を得た家はしばしば家柄もよくしようとして，系図を創作することもあった。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

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