Kugyō

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

The Eight Ministries

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

1875–1881
1881–1885

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

Heisei period, 1989–present

Kugyō (公卿?) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras. In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were individuals whose experience and background have brought each one of them to the pinnacle of a life's career.

The pre-Meiji emperors were surrounded by a highly organized court structure which is somewhat different than today. The Imperial Household Agency now performs only a small part of the functions which would have been considered essential elements of what were once Daijō-kan or kugyō activities.

As part of the westernizing Meiji reforms, a single aristocratic class was created in 1869 by merging the kuge (the court nobility in Kyoto) and the daimyo (the feudal land holders and warriors). In the 1870s, the organizational structure of the court itself was modernized as well.

During the Nara and Heian periods, the formal court exercised considerably more actual power than would become evident in later years. And yet, even as the impact of kugyō decision-making does demonstrably wane after the 11th century, there was very little change in the overall framework in which courtiers came to construe their relationships with each other. The hierarchy itself suggests something about the mind-set of the courtiers individually and as a composite institution.

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 (中大臣 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, Sangi?). 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, Udaishi'?).[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 which are drawn here amongst these court offices become more readily identified.

  • I. Ministry of the Center (中務省, Nakatsukasa-shō?).[8]
  • II. Ministry of the Civil Services (式部省, Shikibu-shō?); also known as the "Ministry of Legislative Direction and Public Instruction".[8]
  • III. Ministry of the Ceremonies (治部省, Jibu-shō?); also known as the "Ministry of the Interior".[9]
  • IV. Ministry of Taxation (治部省, Minbu-shō?).[10]
  • V. Ministry of Military (兵部省, "Hyōbu-shō"?).[10]
  • VI. Ministry of Justice (刑部省, Gyōbu-shō?).[11]
  • VII. Ministry of the Treasury (大蔵省, Ōkura-shō?).[12]
  • VIII. Ministry of the Imperial Household (宮内省, Kunai-shō?).[13]

[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

 This Japanese history-related article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.
Languages