Uji

• Japanese: 氏 (uji)

Often translated as "clans," uji were the basic unit of elite society in Japanese society from the beginnings of the Yamato period up into the Heian period. In contrast to "houses" or "families" (ie), uji were considerably larger, and fewer in number. In later periods, as ie became the dominant societal unit, uji grew less directly prominent, but retained considerable symbolic importance, as a mark of prestigious lineage. Numerous samurai houses, for example, including the Ashikaga and Tokugawa shoguns, and the Shimazu family, claimed descent from and membership in the Minamoto clan, or uji.

References

• Albert M. Craig, The Heritage of Japanese Civilization, Second Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 7.