title for high-ranking court ladies
Archaic title used in the Heian period and earlier for women of the fifth rank or above serving at the imperial court. Not used in modern Japanese outside historical contexts.
『源氏物語』には、命婦と呼ばれる女官が登場する。
In The Tale of Genji, court ladies called myōbu appear.
A title inherited from Chinese 命婦, referring to a woman granted official rank or an honorific title by the sovereign; in Japan it was used for ranked court ladies under the律令 system.