Whilst these classifications were set forth in ritsuryo codes, boasted about and strived for, it's another question altogether whether they were actually realized in the relationship with Tang and the Korean kingdoms.
もちろん律令にそう規定し、それを自負したり目指したことと、とりわけ唐や朝鮮諸国との関係に実態がともなったかどうかは別の問題である。