[Soul Society: Nobility]
What is a noble?
A noble is an individual who owns or controls land and has absolute legal authority on those lands.
Who are the nobles?
The nobles are individuals who have been given ownership or control of lands by the Central Forty-Six, or in the case of the lowest rung of the nobility, by other nobles. Nobles are usually appointed based upon actions they perpetrated which have benefited Soul Society.
How does one become noble?
The nobility accepts new members in three ways:
Appointment by the Central Forty-Six is the only way for an entire family to be officially recognized as Seireitei level of nobility. The Central Forty-Six rarely appoints nobles.
Adoption by a noble family or marriage into one is another way for someone to be officially recognized as nobility. Existing members of the nobility may adopt individuals into their family. Adopted nobles are legally considered, upon adoption, to be genuine members of their new family.
Appointment by another noble is the last way to be recognized as nobility. Nobility in districts twenty and beyond of Rukongai is only ever appointed by this method. Nobles appointed by this method are not higher nobility, but hold similar status and can own land.
What nobles are there?
The nobility consists of five rungs. The first rung is the Royal House of Soul Society [1]. The second rung is the Four Noble Houses of Soul Society [2]. The third rung is the Noble Houses of Seireitei [3]. The fourth rung is the Noble Houses of Nearer Rukongai [4]. The fifth rung is the Noble Houses of Further Rukongai [5].
The Royal House of Soul Society [1]
Royalty in Soul Society is legendary. The royal family may or may not actually exist and there is no proof of a spirit king existing in the flesh. The royal palace is maintained in an undisclosed location by trusted former shinigami who have proved themselves completely reliable and extremely competent. The group of maintainers charged with maintaining the royal palace is sometimes called ‘Zero Division’ because of its relationship with the other guard divisions, but it is officially the Royal Guard.
The Four Noble Houses of Soul Society [2]
The Four Noble Houses represent the highest authorities within the nobility. As a group the Four Noble Houses wield power and authority roughly comparable to the Central Forty-Six, but due to their constant feuding they seldom pose any threat to the governing body of Soul Society. The Four Noble Houses are the oldest and most revered of all the nobility, though their reputation has been tarnished in more recent memory by actions of certain individuals.
The Four Noble Houses are each represented by a cardinal direction; north, east, south, and west Seireitei are the traditional holdings of the Four Noble Houses. As a group, the Four Noble Houses control more than eighty percent of Seireitei, with the remainder falling under ownership to the Central Forty-Six, Onmitsu Kidou, Kidoushuu, or Gotei Juusantai. The Four Noble Houses are an aristocratic class comparable to the Seigake of the Kuge.
The Noble Houses of Seireitei [3]
The Noble Houses of Seireitei represent major authorities within the nobility. The Noble Houses of Seireitei are a group of branch houses, vassals, and allies to the Four Noble Houses. The Noble Houses of Seireitei cannot own lands in Seireitei, but tradition dictates that the Central Forty-Six can request that the Four Noble Houses cede property within Seireitei to the control of the Noble Houses of Seireitei. The cession of property is usually never questioned or reverted, giving the illusion that the Noble Houses of Seireitei own the land on which they live and manage their vast fortunes.
The Noble Houses of Seireitei are always in a delicate position. The control of lands on which they live can be rescinded at any time and, as a group, the Noble Houses of Seireitei habitually avoid retaining any property in Rukongai. The Noble Houses of Seireitei are seldom more than figureheads with large quantities of money. The Noble Houses of Seireitei are an aristocratic class comparable to the Daijinke of the Kuge.
The Noble Houses of Nearer Rukongai [4]
The Noble Houses of Nearer Rukongai represent minor authorities within the nobility. The Nearer Houses are a group of minor noble houses who own and control productive lands and residential areas in the nearer twenty districts of Rukongai. The Nearer Houses are appointed from the Onmitsu Kidou, Kidoushuu, and Gotei Juusantai by the Central Forty-Six and may be stripped of their position by the same body.
The Noble Houses of Nearer Rukongai are the major governing body in Rukongai. The Nearer houses are the only recognized authority outside Seireitei and are often the only civic leaders present to manage disputes and enforce law. The Noble Houses of Nearer Rukongai are an aristocratic class comparable to the Urinke of the Kuge.
The Noble Houses of Further Rukongai [5]
The Noble Houses of Further Rukongai are insignificant within the nobility. The Further Houses are a group of minor noble houses who own and control lands and residential areas in the thirty districts of Rukongai further than the twentieth district (21-50). A further noble house is not expected to produce anything of value. The Further Houses are appointed from the civilians by higher nobles and have no legally official status or recognition.
The Noble Houses of Further Rukongai are a minor governing body in Rukongai. The Further Houses are the only authorities present in the further districts and are the only civic leaders present to enforce any semblance of order. The Noble Houses of Further Rukongai are an aristocratic class comparable to the Meika of the Kuge.
What are branch houses and vassals?
Branch houses are noble houses created under different names, but within existing noble houses, because the titular head of the family has produced multiple children. The children form branch houses if they intermarry with non-nobles and take the names of those non-nobles. A branch households similar authority to the houses from which they are created, but are bound by filial duty to the main house.
Vassals are noble houses who have pledged allegiance to other, more powerful noble houses. A vassal house receives the benefit of social and fiscal security because of their alliance with a more powerful house, but they have a duty to support their benefactors politically. A noble house usually becomes a vassal to increase status, since allegiance to a powerful house creates a political association between them.
How does a noble house measure its status?
The amount of land controlled or owned, the vastness of their fortune, the political influence they possess, and the number and status of their allies are the measure of a noble house’s status. Certain noble houses are such powers in their own rights that the opinions of others no longer figure into their measure of themselves, but the houses which can survive in such a manner are rare and occupy the highest statuses by default.
What houses have hereditary titles?
Hereditary titles, such as Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsu Kidou, have largely ceased to exist. Noble houses which once possessed such titles have since rescinded their rights to them, though many houses retain greater authority within bodies such as the Onmitsu Kidou and Kidoushuu than they are officially recognized to have. Noble houses sometimes attempt to obtain hereditary titles for their posterity, but it seldom lasts.
How much power do nobles possess?
A noble on the land which belongs to him holds nearly absolute power. The Central Forty-Six cannot interfere with noble houses unless that noble house has been proven ‘beyond a shadow of a doubt’ to have committed a treasonous offense. So long as they retain their power, their lands are theirs to rule as they see fit, even to the extent of apprehending, imprisoning, or even executing prisoners.
Why does the Central Forty-Six allow feudal nobility?
Short answer – the Central Forty-Six does not have the political power or legal authority to disband the nobility, only to seize their land.
The nobility hold enormous sway within the Onmitsu Kidou, Kidoushuu, and to some extent the Gotei Juusantai. The legal authority of the Four Noble Houses working as a group, with the support of their vassals and while fully exerting their authority over the other nobles, is comparable to that of the Central Forty-Six. While neither body can be definitely said to be more legally (or illegally) powerful than the other, the organizations tolerate one another due to the mutual threat they pose to the other.
Additionally, many influential members of the Central Forty-Six body are also members of the nobility, and they are frequently the patrons of other members of the Central Forty-Six. The nobility may not control the Central Forty-Six or even form a majority within it, but they still hold considerable influence within that body. One of the many things the nobility within the Central Forty-Six has accomplished is the establishment of a law which very clearly protects nobles from action by the Central Forty-Six.
Why do people live on noble-controlled land?
Rukongai is a lawless place. The shinigami rarely patrol outside Seireitei and seldom have the manpower to enforce laws there. The general effect is that the further from Seireitei a person travels, the more likely they are to be robbed, assaulted, raped, or murdered. Outside the nearest thirty districts, it can be almost guaranteed that robbery and assault is a constant worry. Outside the nearest fifty districts, it can be almost guaranteed that robbery, assault, and rape are a constant worry. Outside the nearest seventy districts, there is no guarantee for what horrors can be expected.
The lands owned or controlled by feudal nobles, while they may carry with them a requirement to produce for Seireitei and can be difficult, are infinitely safer and more secure. Nobles enforce laws on their land and do not tolerate disobedience, and as such criminal elements tend to avoid noble lands lest they be captured and killed for their crimes. While living on noble-controlled land may seem restrictive, souls congregate to those lands for the benefits they offer. Depending on the house, even lands in the eightieth districts can be livable.
Is this canon?
This is not canon. Although it is based on what we know of nobility, Seireitei, and Rukongai in canon, what we do with nobility is unique to our site.
How can someone join the nobility?
Refer to the
Noble Submission Thread.