noun
declining aristocracy; impoverished former upper class
Coined after the novel 斜陽 (The Setting Sun) by Dazai Osamu; refers to formerly wealthy or noble families who have fallen into decline, especially after WWII. Often used in a historical or literary context.
戦後、多くの華族が斜陽族となった。
After the war, many former nobles became part of the declining aristocracy.
彼の家は斜陽族で、昔は大きな屋敷に住んでいた
His family is of the declining aristocracy; apparently they used to live in a large mansion.
華族 refers to the pre-war Japanese peerage; 斜陽族 describes those among them who fell into poverty after the war.
Coined from 斜陽 (setting sun, decline) + 族 (tribe, group), inspired by Dazai Osamu's novel 斜陽 (The Setting Sun, 1947), which depicted the decline of an aristocratic family.