Yamato period
was the name of an ancient title of nobility in the "kabane" system of Yamato period Japan from the 4th through 6th century AD, before the introduction of the "Ritsuryō" system. The word is a combination of the "kanji" for with , a political unit smaller than a province, and the "agatanushi" ranked below the title of . It is thought that the "agatanushi" were originally chieftains of small Kofun period tribal states which had been annexed by the Yamato state.