Japanese Clan Succession

by ParchStanton

I'm writing a contemporary fantasy story where the topic of Japanese clan succession in the modern era is driving the overall narrative. I have some specific questions I can't seem to find the definitive answer to. Forgive me if these have already been answered in another thread or if this the wrong sub to post thees question though I figured modern practices would have some corollary with those of the distant past. Here goes:

  1. How exactly is the clan succession determined in normal circumstances?
  2. What happens in the event the successor is unnamed by their predecessor?
  3. Can there be, or have there been, any female clan leaders?
  4. Can a rightfully chosen/determined heir forfeit his succession?
  5. Are there any spiritual/ritualistic aspects to a succession ceremony?
  6. Does the successor need to renew his/her pact with the ujigami or anything of the sort?
  7. Does the ujigami determine if the successor is worthy?
  8. Can an outsider (gaijin/non-Japanese) become a Japanese clan leader and if so, what are the requirements or restrictions, if any? 
  9. Can anyone just decide to start a clan? What is necessary to do so? How would they determine a ujigami to worship?
  10. What are some traditional heirlooms/body mods/etc. that bear proof that an individual is the rightful clan leader? Do these need to be blessed in some way?
  11. What conditions could lead a clan to completely die out (no true successor)?

Apologies for the deluge of questions, and thanks in advance!

AncientHistory

Hi there - we're happy to approve your question related to your novel, and we are happy for people to answer. However, we should warn you that many flairs have become reluctant to answer questions for aspiring novelists, based on past experience: some aspiring novelists have a tendency to try to pump historians for trivia while ignoring the bigger points they were making, while others have a tendency to argue with historians when the historical reality does not line up with what's needed for a particular scene or characterization. Please respect the answers of people who have generously given you their time, even if it's not always what you want to hear.

Additionally, as amazing as our flair panel is, we should also point out that /r/AskHistorians is not a professional historical consultation service. If you're asking a question here because you need vital research for a future commercial product such as a historical novel, you may be better off engaging a historical consultant at a fair hourly rate to answer these questions for you. We don't know what the going rate for consultancy work would be in your locality, but it may be worth looking into that if you have in-depth or highly plot-reliant questions for this project. Some /r/AskHistorians flairs could be receptive to working as a consultant in this way. However, if you wish for a flair here to do this work for you, you will need to organize this with them yourselves.