Koke
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
A kōke (高家) was a noble ranking below a daimyo in Japan during the Edo period. Their lands were assessed at less than ten thousand koku, making them ineligible for the rank of daimyo. Unlike hatamoto, whose duties were military, the kōke presided over ceremonies and acted as liaisons with the Imperial court in Kyoto.
The shogunate appointed men of ancient families such as the Ashikaga clan. The office was hereditary. The highest-ranking kōke was Kira Yoshinaka, whom Asano Naganori attempted to kill, and whom the Forty-seven Ronin successfully killed in one of Japan's most famous vendettas. Kira was of Ashikaga lineage. Others descended from Muromachi period notables such as the Takeda clan, the Otomo clan, and the Hatakeyama clan also served as kōke during the Edo period.
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