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A during the Tokugawa Shogunate (or Edo period) in Japan generally referred to the position of the "Master of Ceremonies," held by certain -less samurai ranking below a daimyō. Historically, or in a more general context, the term may refer to a family of old lineage and distinction. Perhaps the most famous Master of Ceremonies in history was Kira Yoshinaka aka , the real-life model of the villain avenged in the tale of the Forty-seven Ronin of Akō. ==Overview== The office of ''kōke'' is typically translated "Master of Ceremonies" or "Master of Court Ceremony" The men who ''kōke'' position performed such roles as that of the courier carrying the shogun's messages to the Imperial court in Kyoto,〔 or one of a reception committee for hosting the Imperial Envoys at Edo.〔 They also represented the shogun in certain functions held at Nikkō〔 and other shrines or temples,〔 and regulated courtly ceremonies and rites observed in the Edo Castle. The office was instituted in 1608,〔 when the shogunate selected certain ancient great dispossessed families〔 to fill the hereditary office.〔 Most of these families claimed descent from ''shugo'' (governors) of the Kamakura period to Sengoku period, among them the Takeda, the Imagawa, the Kyogoku, the Rokkaku, the Ōtomo, and the Hatakeyama (a full #List is given below). Some families were less prestigious, like the Yokose, the Yura, the Ōsawa, and the Kira. By the end of the shogunate in the mid-19th century, the occupancy of the office numbered 26.〔 Some families had several branches among the ''kōke,'' like the Takeda who had two lateral branches with that title. The ''kōke'' families had land income assessed at less than ten thousand koku which ranked them below a daimyō lord,〔 but were higher ranked than the run-of-the-mill hatamoto (Tokugawa bannermen). Unlike the ordinary hatamoto whose duties were military, the ''kōke'' had certain privileged missions. (Note that ''kōke'' is still treated as part of the hatamoto in some sources.〔(Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan (1937) ) quote: Among the " hatamoto," there were certain retainers accorded special treatment by the Shogun owing to their high rank, who were known as the " koke " and " kotai-yoriai."〕 Below the ''kōke'', about 10 families bore the title of . Actually, those who were already serving office were called as opposed to the ''omote-kōke'' who were either unappointed or on standby (including minors still not old enough). Although the ''omote-kōke'' who has not been appointed were not given any courtly ranks, the appointed ''oku-kōke'' was promoted or higher This was necessitated in order to grant them privileges to attend the Emperor's Court. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kōke」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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