Gōzoku (豪族) translating to "local ruling family" were clans of powerful individuals during the Yamato Period of Japan. Often ruling in their own right, albeit in the name of their Okimi (大王) "Great King", these families were granted positions of authority in the Yamato Court and often possessed considerable autonomy despite the fairly rapid process of centralisation during the period. Gōzoku was likely a title that was merely an affirmation of a powerful clan that already existed in a particular region but were slowly annexed by the Yamato Court.
Examples of the Gōzoku include the Soga, Mononobe, Heguri and Kose Clans. After the introduction of the Ritsuryō (律令), the Gōzoku class vanished, replaced by the Gunji (郡司), local magistrates monitored by the Kokushi (国師), or "provincial governors". Gōzoku could be considered the pregenitors to the rebellious samurai clans of the late Heian Period, as well as the daimyō of the Sengoku Period.