Last name - Kabane

The ancient nobles and powerful families used this name to indicate their lineage. There are two theories about the origin of the word: one is that it comes from "agamena" (revered name) or "kabane" (bone), which is a Japanese interpretation, and the other is that it comes from the pronunciation of the ancient Korean word "kyöröi," which means "bone," or clan, but the latter is more likely.

The origin of surnames goes back to honorific titles such as Hiko, Mimi, Nushi, Tama, Neko, and Wake given to chiefs and tribal leaders, and these are sometimes called primitive surnames; however, primitive surnames are private titles and are different in nature from surnames granted or approved by the Emperor and inherited by the clan.

Originally, there was no distinction between high and low among primitive surnames, but as the Yamato court's unified rule progressed, many of the powerful clans were organized into political groups called clans, and the hereditary succession of occupations through the clan and the status and ranking of each clan at court naturally became established, and the surname system was established accordingly, and the hierarchy between surnames was also roughly determined.

There were about 30 different surnames that indicated the hereditary occupation, political status, and family background of clans in the Imperial Court, but the system that had a major impact on the formation of the surname system was the bemin system, which was imported from Baekje. The introduction of the bemin system dramatically advanced the ruling structure of the Yamato Court, and the division of duties at the Court, hereditary succession, and subordinate relationships among the clans became even clearer, and accordingly surnames such as muraji and miyatsuko were bestowed on the clans of tomo no miyatsuko, who led the bemin. The establishment of the title okimi (great king) is also closely related to the emergence of the surname system.

The ruler of the Yamato court was called Emperor from the 7th century onwards, but before that he was called Daio, and even earlier he bore the same title as ordinary powerful clans, and was no different from ordinary powerful clans in terms of titles and honorifics. However, from around the mid-5th century, he began to use the superior title of Daio to distinguish himself from the titles and honorifics of ordinary powerful clans, and eventually Daio established surnames and became a transcendental figure who bestowed them on various powerful clans. The reason why the ruler of the Yamato court only had the titles Daio and Tenno, but did not have a clan name or surname, was because he was the only transcendental figure outside the surname system who could bestow and take away surnames.

At first, surnames such as Muraji and Miyatsuko were bestowed on clans of Tomo no Miyatsuko who bore hereditary job titles or clan names, such as the Otomo and Mononobe clans. Later, clans that took the place names of their places of residence as their clan names, such as Katsuragi, Heguri, Kose, and Soga, were given the title of Omi, and local kuni no Miyatsuko and powerful clans were also given surnames such as Atai and Kimi, and the surname system was almost complete as the ruling organization of the Yamato Imperial Court by the 6th century.

The approximately 30 surnames can be broadly divided into three categories based on their characteristics. One type was given to clans of Tomo no Miyatsuko, such as Muraji and Miyatsuko, one type was given to independent powerful clans in the central and local areas, such as Omi and Kimi, and one type was derived from official positions such as Kuni no Miyatsuko, Agata no Nushi, Fuhito and Kusushi, and titles such as Wake and Sukune. Among the surnames before the Taika era, Omi and Muraji were the most highly valued, and the most powerful members of these surnames were appointed as Ministers (Oomi) and Dai Muraji (Omuraji), who assisted the Emperor and played key roles in national politics.

The Taika Reforms abolished the Daijin system and the Tomo no Miyatsuko system, and severed the connection between surnames and politics or occupations. As a result, surnames became simply symbols of family lineage and origin. Furthermore, with the establishment of the eight ranks of surnames (Yakusa no Kabane) during the reign of Emperor Tenmu, the highest surnames, Omi and Muraji, were placed in sixth and seventh place, respectively, and thus the surname system before the Taika Reforms was significantly revised. Then, from the mid-Heian period onwards, as clans split into many families and each family took on a surname (Myouji) and stopped using the clan name, the use of surnames gradually fell into disuse.

[Maenozono Ryoichi]

"A Study of Social Organization in Ancient Japan, Revised Edition" by Ryo Ohta (1929, Isobe Koyodo) " "Clan Names and Family Names" by Takehiko Abe (1966, Shibundo)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代の豪族・貴族が、その氏(うじ)の名に添えて家柄を示したもの。語源については、「あがめな（崇名）」「かばね（骨）」などからきているとして国語で解する説と、古代朝鮮語の「骨」すなわち族の意味をもつkyöröiの音をとったとする説があるが、後者が有力である。

　姓の起源は、首長(しゅちょう)や部族の長に対する尊称である彦(ひこ)、耳(みみ)、主(ぬし)、玉(たま)、根子(ねこ)、別(わけ)などにさかのぼり、これらは原始的姓とよばれることもあるが、原始的姓は私的な称号であり、天皇から授与ないしは承認され氏によって世襲された姓とは性格を異にする。

　原始的姓の間にはもともと上下尊卑の別はなかったが、大和(やまと)朝廷の統一支配の進展につれて、豪族の多くが氏という政治的な集団に編成されてくると、氏による職業の世襲と氏々の朝廷における地位・序列がおのずから定まり、それに伴って姓の制度が整えられ、姓間の尊卑もおよそ定まった。

　姓は朝廷における氏々の世襲の職業、政治的地位、家柄を示すものとして約30の種類があったが、姓の制度の形成に大きな影響を与えたのが百済(くだら)から輸入された部民(べみん)制である。部民制の導入によって大和朝廷の支配組織は飛躍的に進展し、氏々の朝廷の職務の分担・世襲や統属関係がいっそう明確となり、それに応じて部民を統率する伴造(とものみやつこ)の氏々に連(むらじ)・造(みやつこ)などの姓が授与されていった。また、大王(おおきみ)という称号の成立も、姓制度の発生に密接なかかわりを有している。

　大和朝廷の君主は7世紀以後天皇とよばれたが、それ以前は大王といい、さらに古くは一般の豪族と同じ称号を称し、称号や尊称の点で一般の豪族と違いがなかった。ところが5世紀中葉ころより大王という優越的な称号を称して、一般の豪族の称号や尊称と区別し、やがて大王は姓を制定して、これを諸豪族に授与する超越的な存在となっていった。大和朝廷の君主が大王や天皇という称号を有するのみで氏の名も姓ももっていないのは、姓制度の外にあって、姓を与奪できる唯一の超越的な存在であったからである。

　姓は、初めは大伴(おおとも)・物部(もののべ)氏など世襲の職名や部名を名のる伴造の氏々を対象にして連や造などの姓が賜与された。その後、居住地の地名を氏の名とする葛城(かつらぎ)、平群(へぐり)、巨勢(こせ)、蘇我(そが)氏などに臣(おみ)が授けられ、地方の国造(くにのみやつこ)や豪族も直(あたい)や君(きみ)などの姓が与えられて、姓の制度は6世紀のころまでに大和朝廷の支配組織としてほぼ完成された。

　約30種に及ぶ姓は、その性格によって三つに大別できる。一つは連・造など伴造の氏々に与えられたもの、一つは臣・君など中央・地方の自立的な有力豪族に授けられたもの、一つは国造・県主(あがたぬし)・史(ふひと)・薬師(くすし)などの官職や、別・宿禰(すくね)などの称号が姓化したものである。大化(たいか)以前の姓のなかでは臣と連がもっとも重んじられ、それぞれの姓を有する諸氏の最有力者が大臣(おおおみ)・大連(おおむらじ)に任命されて天皇を補佐し、国政の枢要にあずかった。

　大化改新によって大臣・大連制や伴造制が廃止されて、姓と政治・職業との結び付きが断ち切られた結果、姓は単に家柄や出自を示す標識となった。さらに天武(てんむ)朝における八色姓(やくさのかばね)の制定によって、最高の姓であった臣・連はそれぞれ第六位・第七位に位置づけられ、こうして大化改新以前の姓制度は大きく改められていった。そして平安中期以降、氏が多くの家に分かれ、おのおの苗字(みょうじ)を唱えて氏の名を用いなくなると、姓を称することもしだいに廃れていった。

［前之園亮一］

『太田亮著『全訂日本上代社会組織の研究』（1929・磯部甲陽堂）』▽『阿部武彦著『氏姓』（1966・至文堂）』

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