Kuge

The kuge (公家?) was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto from its establishment as the capital in the late 8th century until the rise of the Shogunate in the 12th century, at which point it was eclipsed by the daimyo. The kuge still provided a weak court around the Emperor right up until the Meiji Restoration, when they merged with the daimyo, regaining some of their status in the process, and formed the kazoku (peerage), which lasted until shortly after World War II (1947), when the Japanese peerage system was abolished. Though there is no longer an official status, members of the kuge families remain influential in Japanese society, government, and industry.