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)
The court nobility played an important role in the Heian-period imperial court.
上達部 is an old term; later they came to be called 公家.
Standard kanji form for this historical term.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 上達部 literally suggest 'those who have attained high rank'.