It was conferred mainly on daimyo (Japanese feudal lord), powerful hatamoto, gosanke (three privileged branches of Tokugawa Family), gosankyo (three branches of Tokugawa family, which was established by the eighth shogun Yoshimune TOKUGAWA), the Honda clan serving as Karo (chief retainer) of the Fukui Domain ruled by Tokugawa's relatives of the highest rank or the Kaga Domain, and the Kikkawa clan, a branch family of the Choshu clan, at the time when the Kikkawa clan was allowed to found the Iwakuni Domain.
主に大名・有力旗本、ないし御三家・御三卿及び家門筆頭の福井藩の家老及び加賀藩の家老本多氏、長州藩の支族吉川氏が岩国藩として立藩を認められた際に叙せられた。