noun
Atai (hereditary title)
Historical term for a hereditary title (kabane) used after the Taika Reform, often granted to regional administrators (kuni no miyatsuko). Rare in modern Japanese outside historical contexts.
直は、大化の改新後に国造などに与えられた姓の一つである。
Atai is one of the kabane titles given to regional administrators after the Taika Reform.
Alternate kanji form; less common than 直.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 直 (straight, direct) is conventionally associated with this historical title.