Meike (important noble family) (kuge (court noble)) (名家 (公家))
Meike (also pronounced Meika) was one of the kakaku (family status) of kuge (court noble) established after the Kamakura period and it was of equal rank to the House of Urin and positioned in a higher rank than hanke (a kind of family status of the Court nobles) (kuge).
It was same as the House of Urin in that Dainagon (chief councilor of state) was kyokkan (the highest rank one could be appointed).
However, in the case of the House of Urin, one was promoted to Dainagon after the posts of military officers such as Konoefu (the Headquarters of the Inner Palace Guards), while in the case of Meike, one was promoted to Chunagon (vice-councilor of state) and Dainagon after the posts of civil officers and administrative officers such as jiju (a chamberlain) and benkan (a controller of the Oversight Department) (also served as kurodo (chamberlain) and Kurodo no to (Head Chamberlain) at the same time). As an exception, there were some people who were promoted to Sadaijin (Minister of the left) in the Hino family, Jun-daijin (Vice Minister) in the Yanagihara family, Naidaijin (Minister of the Center) in the Karasumaru family and the Madenokoji family. In addition, in most cases, the starting rank was jiju in the Hino line while it was Emonfu (Headquarters of the Outer Palace Guards) in the Kajuji line. In the case of new families, one was appointed to benkan and he didn't served as kurodo at the same time, and depending on families, one was appointed to Sangi (councillor) after the posts of Shifunosuke (left and right divisions of the Inner and the Middle Palace Guards) and senior and junior assistants of Hassho (eight ministries and agencies) in the middle of his career. Thus, families could have a difference in promotion.
At the end of Edo period, there were a little less than thirty Meike and most of them were families of the Hino line of the Fujiwara clan and the Kajuji line of the Fujiwara clan. Above all, the Hino family, the Hirohashi family, the Karasumaru family, the Yanagihara family, the Takeya family, the Uramatsu family, the Kanroji family, the Hamuro family, the Kajuji family, the Madenokoji family, the Seikanji family, the Nakanomikado family, the Bojo family were called thirteen important noble families.
The Fujiwara clan (the Hino line of the Northern House, eleven families)
The Hino family: main branch of the Hino Family. The founder was Sukezane HINO, the child of Kanemitsu HINO, a descendant of FUJIWARA no Manatsu. Old family. Family business was Confucianism and kado (waka poetry).
The Hirohashi family: branch family of the Hino clan. The founder was Yorisuke HIROHASHI, the fifth son of Kanemitsu HINO. Old family. Family business was literary art.
The Yanagihara family: branch family of the Hino clan. The founder was Sukeakira YANAGIWARA, the fourth son of Toshimitsu HINO. Old family. Family business was literary art.
The Karasumaru family: branch family of the Hino clan. The founder was Toyomitsu KARASUMARU, the third son of Sukeyasu HINO. Old family. Family business was waka poetry.
The Takeya family: branch of the Hirohashi family. The founder was Kanetoshi TAKEYA, the third son of Nakamitsu HIROHASHI. Old family.
The Kadenokoji family (the Fujiwara lineage) the Kadenokoji family: branch of the Karasumaru family. The founder was Suketada KADENOKOJI, the second son of Mitsuhiro KARASUMARU. New family. Family business was Confucianism.
The Uramatsu family: branch of the Karasumaru family. The founder was Sukekiyo URAMATSU, the second son of Mitsukata KARASUMARU. New family.
The Toyama family: branch of the Hino family. The founder was Mitsuaki TOYAMA, the second son of Hirosuke HINO. New family.
The Toyooka family: branch of the Hino family. The founder was Arihisa TOYOOKA, the third son of Hirosuke HINO. New family.
The Mimurodo family: branch of the Yanagihara family. The founder was Tomomitsu MIMURODO, the child of Sukeyuki YANAGIWARA. New family.
The Kitakoji family: branch of the Yanagihara family. The founder was Tokumitsu KITAKOJI, the child of Tomomitsu MIMURODO. New family.
The Fujiwara clan (the Kajuji line of the Northern House, thirteen families)
The Kanroji family: main branch of Kajuji. The founder was FUJIWARA no Tamesuke, the great-grandchild of FUJIWARA no Takafuji. Old family. Family business was fue (Japanese flute) and Confucianism.
The Hamuro family: Kanroji branch. The founder was HAMURO no Akitaka, the child of FUJIWARA no Tamefusa. Old family.
The Kajuji family: Kanroji branch. The founder was Tsunetoshi KAJUJI, the child of Suketsune KANROJI. Old family. Family business was Confucianism.
The Madenokoji family: Kanroji branch. The founder was Sukemichi MADENOKOJI, the child of Suketsune KANROJI. Old family.
The Seikanji family: Kanroji branch. The founder was Sukefusa SEIKANJI, the child of Tsunenaga KANROJI. Old family.
The Nakanomikado family: branch line of the Kajuji family. The founder was Tsunetsugu NAKAMIKADO, the child of Tsunetoshi KAJUJI. Old family.
The Bojo family: branch line of the Kajuji family
The founder was Toshizane BOJO, the child of Sadasuke KAJUJI. Old family.
Family business was Kidendo (the study of the history.)
It was commonly called Ogawabojo.
The Shibayama family: branch line of the Kajuji family. The founder was Nobutoyo SHIBAYAMA, the child of Mitsutoyo KAJUJI. New family.
The Ikejiri family: branch line of the Seikanji family. The founder was Tomotaka IKEJIRI, the child of Tomofusa SEIKANJI. New family.
The Umegakoji family: branch line of the Seikanji family. The founder was Sadanori UMEKOJI, the child of Tomofusa SEIKANJI. New family.
The Okazaki family: branch line of the Nakamikado family. The founder was Nobumochi OKAZAKI, the child of Hisayoshi NAKAMIKADO. New family.
The Honami family: branch line of the Kajuji family. The founder was Tsunehiro HONAMI, the child of Tsunehiro KAJUJI. New family. It was originally called Kaijusen.
The Tsutsumi family: branch line of the Kanroji family. The founder was Sadanaga NAKAGAWA, the child of Tsugunaga KANROJI. The family name was changed to Tsutsumi when the family head was Terunaga TSUTSUMI, the child of Sadanaga NAKAGAWA. New family.
Kanmu-Heishi (Taira clan) (Takamune line, three families)
The Hiramatsu family: branch line of the Nishinotoin family. The founder was Tokitsune HIRAMATSU, the child of Tokiyoshi NISHINOTOIN. New family.
The Nagatani family: branch line of the Nishinotoin family. The founder was Tadayasu NAGATANI, the child of Tokiyoshi NISHINOTOIN. New family.
The Katano family; branch line of the Nishinotoin family. The founder was Tokisada KATANO, the child of Tokiyoshi NISHINOTOIN. New family.