Daijō Daijin

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Pre-modern Japan

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Pre-modern Japan

Asuka Period • Nara Period • Heian Period • Kamakura period • Kemmu restoration • Muromachi period • Nanboku-chō period • Sengoku period • Azuchi-Momoyama period

Edo Period, 1603–1868

Daijō-kan
The Great Council of State

  • Chancellor or Chief Minister (Daijō daijin)
  • Minister of the Left (Sadaijin)
  • Minister of the Right (Udaijin)
  • Minister of the Center (Naidaijin)
  • Major Counselor (Dainagon)
  • Middle Counselor (Chūnagon)
  • Minor Counselor (Shōnagon)

The Eight Ministries

Meiji Period,1868–1912 1868–1871
1871–1875

  • Chancellor or Chief Minister (Daijō daijin)

1875–1881
1881–1885

1885–1889
Taishō period, 1912–1926 Shōwa period, 1926–1989 1947

Heisei period, 1989–present

The Daijō daijin (太政大臣?) or Chancellor of the Realm was the head of the Daijō-kan, or Department of State in Heian Japan and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. The position, along with the rest of the Daijō-kan structure, was initially created by the Code of Taihō in 702.

The Chancellor presided over the Great Council of State, and controlled the officers of the state, in particular the minister of the left (左大臣, Sadaijin) and minister of the right (右大臣, Udaijin) , as well as four great councillors and three minor councillors. The ministers in turn controlled other elements of the government.

As the Fujiwara clan, which dominated the regency, gained influence, the official government offices diminished in power. By the 10th century, chancellors had no power to speak of unless they were simultaneously regent, or otherwise supported by the Fujiwara. Although the position continued in name until 1885, by the beginning of the 12th century, the office was essentially powerless, and was often vacant, as the regents, who sometimes acted as minister of the left or right, held all the administrative power over the government.

This prominent office was briefly resurrected under the Meiji Constitution with the appointment of Sanjo Sanetomi in 1871, before being abolished completely in 1885.

Contents

[edit] A revealing framework

Any exercise of meaningful powers of court officials in the pre-Meiji period reached its nadir during the years of the Tokugawa shogunate, and yet the structure Council of State (Daijō-kan) did manage to persist. It is not possible to evaluate any individual office without assessing its role in the context of a durable yet flexible network and hierarchy of functionaries.[1]

The highest positions in the court hierarchy can be cataloged.[2] A dry list provides a superficial glimpse inside the complexity of the court structure:[3]

  • 1. Chancellor of the Realm or Chief Minister (太政大臣 Daijō daijin?)[4]
    • See also, Acting Great Minister of the Council of State (知太政官事 Chi-daijōkanji?).[5]
  • 2. Minister of the Left (左大臣 Sadaijin?).[4]
  • 3. Minister of the Right (右大臣 Udaijin?).[4]
  • 4. Minister of the Center (内大臣 Naidaijin?).[4]
  • 5. Major Counselor (大納言 Dainagon?). There are commonly three Dainagon,[4] sometimes more.[6]
  • 6. Middle Counselor (中納言 Chūnagon?).[4]
  • 7. Minor Counselor (少納言 Shōnagon?). There are commonly three Shōnagon.[4]
  • 8. Director of palace affairs (参議, "Sanghi"?). This office functions as a manager of activities within the palace.[7]
  • 9. External Secretariat (外記 Geki?). These are specifically named men who act at the sole discretion of the emperor.[7]
  • 10. Major Controller of the Left (左大弁 Sadaiben,?)[5] This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries: Center, Civil Services, Ceremonies, and Taxation.[7]
  • 11. Major Controller of the Right (右大弁 Udaiben?)[5] This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries: Military, Justice, Treasury and Imperial Household.[7]
  • 12. First Assistant Controller of the Left (左中弁, Satchūben?).[7]
  • 13. First Assistant Controller of the Right (右中弁, Utchūben?).[7]
  • 14. Second Assistant Controller of the Left (左少弁, Sashōben?).[7]
  • 15. Second Assistant Controller of the Right (右少弁, Ushōben?).[7]
  • 16. First Secretary of the Left (左大史, "Sadaishi"?).[7]
  • 17. First Secretary of the Right (右大史, "Oudaishi"?).[7]
  • 18. Assistant Secretaries of the Left or Right (史少丞, Shi shō-shō?). There are twenty officials with this title.[7]

[edit] The Eight Ministries

A mere list of the court titles cannot reveal nearly enough about the actual functioning of the Daijō-kan; but at least the broad hierarchical relationships become more readily identified:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ozaki, Yukio. (2001). The Autobiography of Ozaki Yukio: The Struggle for Constitutional Government in Japan pp. 10-11.
  2. ^ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, pp. 425-426.
  3. ^ NOTE: In this terse listing, the numbers are an arbitrary addition, intended only to assist in grasping the relative relationships. If these ordinals are perceived as unhelpful, they can be disregarded.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Titsingh, p. 425.
  5. ^ a b c Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, p.272.
  6. ^ Unterstein (in German): Ranks in Ancient and Meiji Japan (in English and French), pp. 6, 27.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Titsingh, p. 426.
  8. ^ a b Titsingh, p. 427.
  9. ^ Titsingh, p. 429.
  10. ^ a b Titsingh, p. 430.
  11. ^ Titsingh, p. 431.
  12. ^ Titisngh, p. 432.
  13. ^ Titsingh, p. 433.


[edit] See also