跡目|あとめatome[3]odaka (tail-high)

1. nounheadship of a family; family property

• Related世継ぎよつぎWrittenWritten/formal prose. The heir of a feudal lord or noble — the person, with a historical flavor, whereas 「跡目」 is the headship itself.
• Related世子せいしWrittenWritten/formal prose. A lord's legitimate son and heir; a historical term, more formal than 「世継ぎ」.
• Related継嗣けいしWrittenWritten/formal prose and rare. An heir to the family line — stresses the person who continues it, not the position 「跡目」 names.
• Related継承者けいしょうしゃNeutralNeutral. Someone who inherits something — not limited to a family business; a craft or a tradition works too.
• Related後釜あとがまCasualColloquial. The one who takes over after a predecessor steps down, with a nuance of filling their spot; also a second wife.
• Related後継者こうけいしゃNeutralNeutral. The everyday modern word for a successor — usable for companies, enterprises and more.
• Related後嗣こうしWrittenWritten/formal prose and rare. An heir or descendant — the person, not the headship 「跡目」 denotes.
• Related嗣子ししWrittenWritten/formal prose. An old legal term for the one who inherits a family; rare today but closely tied to 「跡目」.
• Related嗣しWrittenWritten/formal prose, very rare. Succession or a successor; today mostly a component inside compounds.

For a modern successor, 「後継者」 is the default. Use 「跡目」 for inheriting a family business or a group's headship — even a crime syndicate's — as in 「跡目争い」; for a colloquial fill-in after someone leaves, 「後釜」. 「継承者」 works for inheriting anything, not just a family. The rest are written or historical terms for heirs.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 家督かとく。また、それを継つぐこと。
2. 前任ぜんにんから業務ぎょうむを引き継ひきつぐこと。