gōzoku

thumb|Mononobe no Arakabi, a government minister and gōzoku of the Yamato period , in Japanese, refers to powerful regional families. In historical context, it can refer to powerful non-royal families regardless of their area of influence, in contrast to the Imperial Family. The most powerful gōzoku families of the Yamato period included the Soga clan, Mononobe clan and Katsuragi clan.

== History == In the Yamato period prior to the ritsuryō system, the powerful clans based in Yamato Province and Kawachi Province were referred to as the chūō gōzoku (central gōzoku), while the term chihō gōzoku (regional gōzoku) referred to powerful clans outside the immediate vicinity of the capital who served as kuni no miyatsuko and agatanushi. The central gōzoku held kabane titles such as omi and muraji, while the regional gōzoku held titles such as atai and kimi. The most powerful daigōzoku ("great gōzoku") included the Katsuragi clan, Ōtomo clan, Mononobe clan, and Soga clan.