noun
court nobility; high-ranking courtier
Archaic term for high-ranking court officials in the Heian period and earlier, roughly equivalent to 公家 (くげ). The reading かんだちめ is standard; かんだちべ and かむだちめ are historical variants.
See also: 公家 (くげ)
上達部は平安時代の宮廷で重要な役割を果たした。
The court nobility played an important role in the Heian-period imperial court.
「上達部」は古い呼び方で、のちに「公家」と呼ばれるようになった。
上達部 is an old term; later they came to be called 公家.
公家 is the more common and broader term for court nobility, while 上達部 is an archaic synonym specifically for high-ranking officials.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 上達部 literally suggest 'those who have attained high rank'.