Private part - Kisaibe

Japanese: 私部 - きさいべ

The private servants of the empress in ancient Japan. "Private" means a person who receives a favorite, and in the Han dynasty in China, the officials attached to the empress were called "private officials." The first appearance of this system was in the entry for February in the 6th year of the Bidatsu era (577) in the "Nihon Shoki," which states, "By imperial decree, the Himatsuribe and private servants were established." It was abolished during the Taika Reforms. Initially, the private bento of the empresses and concubines were called by their palace titles, such as Osakabe for Emperor Ingyaku's Empress Oshisaka no Ochuhime, Fujiwarabe for Sotoori no Iratsume, another empress who lived at Fujiwara Palace, and Kusakabe for Emperor Yuryaku's Empress Kusakahatahihime. However, as the status of the empresses and concubines was institutionally established and they were given a certain number of bento, it is thought that the term was unified into the common noun ``shibe.''

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

日本古代における后妃の私有部民。〈私〉は寵愛を受ける人の意で，中国漢代には皇后に付属する官を〈私官〉といった。《日本書紀》敏達6年(577)2月条に〈詔して日祀部（ひまつりべ）･私部を置く〉とあるのが初見で，大化改新に廃止された。はじめ后妃の私有部民は允恭天皇の皇后忍坂大中姫のための刑部（おさかべ），同じくその皇妃で藤原宮にいた衣通郎姫（そとおりのいらつめ）のための藤原部，雄略天皇の皇后草香幡梭姫（くさかはたひひめ）のための日下部（くさかべ）などのように，宮号を付して呼んだが，大王の多くの后妃のうちから正妻として1人の大后（おおきさき）が定められるなど，后妃の地位が一定の部民を与えられるまでに制度的に確立化されるとともに，普通名詞的な〈私部〉という称呼に統一されたものと考えられる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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