Twelve Level Cap and Rank System
{{Short description|Cap and rank systems established during the Asuka period}}
{{nihongo|The Twelve Level Cap and Rank System|冠位十二階|Kan'i Jūnikai}}, established in 603, was the first of what would be several similar cap and rank systems established during the Asuka period of Japanese history.{{cite web |url=http://wiki.samurai-archives.com/index.php?title=Court_Ranks |title=Court ranks }} It was adapted from similar systems that were already in place in Sui dynasty China, Paekche and Goguryeo. The officials wore silk caps that were decorated with gold and silver, and a feather that indicated the official's rank. The ranks in the twelve level cap and rank system consisted of the greater and the lesser of each of the six Confucian virtues: {{nihongo|virtue|徳|toku}}, {{nihongo|benevolence|仁|jin}}, {{nihongo|propriety|禮|rei}}, {{nihongo|sincerity|信|shin}}, {{nihongo|justice|義|gi}} and {{nihongo|knowledge|智|chi}}.
Innovations
The primary distinction between this new system and the old kabane system by which a person's rank was determined based on heredity, was that the cap and rank system allowed for promotion based on merit and individual achievement. One of the more well known examples of promotion within the cap and rank system is that of Ono no Imoko. When Imoko was first sent as an envoy to the Sui court in 607, he was ranked Greater Propriety (5th rank), but he was eventually promoted to the top rank of Greater Virtue because of his achievements, particularly during his second trip to Sui in 608.
Ranks and colors
The following table lists the various ranks and the colors that were believed to have been assigned to each one.Yoshimura, Takehiko: 'Kodai Ōken no Tenkai (古代王権の展開)', p. 126. Shūeisha, 1999.
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#FFFFFF; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#FFFFFF;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#000000" | Rank | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Kanji | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Romaji | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | English | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Color |
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#800080; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#800080;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF" | 1 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 大徳 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Daitoku | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Greater Virtue | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Deep Purple |
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#CC99FF; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#CC99FF;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF" | 2 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 小徳 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Shōtoku | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Lesser Virtue | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Light Purple |
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#333399; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#333399;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF" | 3 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 大仁 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Daijin | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Greater Benevolence | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Deep Blue |
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#3366FF; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#3366FF;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF" | 4 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 小仁 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Shōjin | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Lesser Benevolence | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Light Blue |
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#FF0000; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#FF0000;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF" | 5 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 大礼 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Dairei | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Greater Propriety | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Deep Red |
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| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#FF6600;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF" | 6 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 小礼 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Shōrei | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Lesser Propriety | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Light Red |
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#FFFF00; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#FFFF00;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#000000" | 7 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 大信 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Daishin | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Greater Sincerity | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Deep Yellow |
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#FFFF99; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#FFFF99;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#000000" | 8 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 小信 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Shōshin | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Lesser Sincerity | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Light Yellow |
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#FFFFFF; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#FFFFFF;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#000000" | 9 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 大義 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Daigi | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Greater Justice | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Deep White |
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| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#DDDDDD;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#000000" | 10 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 小義 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Shōgi | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Lesser Justice | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Light White |
| cellspacing="0" style="width:290px;background:#000000; border:1px solid gray"
| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#000000;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF" | 11 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 大智 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Daichi | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Greater Knowledge | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Deep Black |
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| style="width:40px;height:30px;background:#808080;text-align:center;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF" | 12 | style="width:40px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | 小智 | style="width:70px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Shōchi | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Lesser Knowledge | style="width:140px;font-size:10pt;color:#FFFFFF;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | Light Black |