Family tree - Kafu

A genealogy for each family. Also called a family tree or a genealogy. A document that organizes the relationships of ancestors in the form of a family tree, with brief biographical notes as necessary. Documents that do not take the form of a family tree and focus mainly on brief biographical information are called family histories, ancestral records, or history books. Family genealogies for nobles have been created since ancient times. In the early modern period, the Edo Shogunate often ordered various families to submit their genealogies in order to compile genealogical collections for daimyo and hatamoto, such as the Kan'ei Shoka Keizuden and Kansei Choshu Shokafu, and as a result, many samurai family genealogies were compiled, and their contents gradually became more accurate and detailed. In the early Meiji period, the government also required the submission of family histories for the nobility.

In China and other Oriental countries, there is a tradition of compiling family trees to serve as materials for the appointment of government officials and for controlling clans; these are called 'family trees', 'general trees', or 'generation trees'.

[Fukui Tamotsu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

家ごとの系譜。系図、系譜ともいう。先祖代々の続柄を系統図の形に整理し、必要に応じて略歴を注記した書類である。系統図の形をとらず、略歴を主としたものを家伝、家記、先祖書、由緒書(ゆいしょがき)などとよぶ。公卿(くぎょう)の家譜は古代からつくられていた。近世になって江戸幕府は『寛永諸家系図伝』『寛政重修(ちょうしゅう)諸家譜』など、大名や旗本の系図集を編集するため、しばしば諸家に命じて家譜を提出させたので、武家の家譜が多数調製され、しだいに内容が正確、詳細になった。明治初期にも政府は華族の家記を提出させた。

　中国をはじめ東洋諸国にも、家譜をつくって官吏の任用や一族統制の資料とする伝統があり、これを「宗譜」「族譜」「世譜」などと称する。

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