Kazoku

The Kazoku (華族, "Magnificent/Exalted lineage") was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords (daimyō) and court nobles (kuge), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution.

Kazoku (華族) should not be confused with "kazoku (家族)", which is pronounced the same in Japanese, but with a different character reading that means "immediate family" (as in the film Kazoku above).