[noun] the five ranks of 爵(shaku, “peerage”) in feudal China, bestowed on 諸侯(shokō, “princes”) (sons, brothers, nephews, male cousins, etc.) of the 皇帝(kōtei, “huangdi; emperor”), later used as East Asian equivalents to European ranks
(This term, ごしゃく(goshaku), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)