Refers to a lineage or family line continuing over multiple generations. Often used in historical contexts.
That family is known as a lineage of successive generations.
hereditary daimyo (Tokugawa-era)
Historical abbreviation of 譜代大名. Refers to daimyo whose families had served Tokugawa Ieyasu before the Battle of Sekigahara.
See also: 譜代大名
Fudai refers to daimyo who had served the Tokugawa family since before the Battle of Sekigahara.
Tozama daimyo were those who submitted to Tokugawa rule after Sekigahara, in contrast to fudai.
Standard kanji spelling for both senses.
Alternate kanji form; less common than 譜代.
The kanji 譜 (record, genealogy) and 代 (generation) combine to convey the idea of a recorded lineage. The historical daimyo sense is an abbreviation of 譜代大名.