Chūnagon

Chūnagon
Pre-modern Japan

This article is part of the series:
Daijō-kan
Council of State

Eight Ministries

_____________________

Meiji government

_____________________

Postwar Shōwa period

Chūnagon (中納言?) was a counselor of the second rank in the Imperial court of Japan.[1] The role dates from the 7th century.

The role was eliminated from the Imperial hierarchy in 701, but it was re-established in 705. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.[2]

This became a Taihō Code office in the early feudal Japanese government or daijō-kan.

In the ranks of the Imperial bureaucracy, theChūnagon came between the Dainagon (major counselors) and the Shōnagon (minor counselors).[3] Imperial honors included the sometimes creation of a temporary or "acting middle counselor" (権中納言 gon-chūnagon?).[4]

The number of Chūnagon has varied, from three in 705 to four in 756. There were eight in 1015; and in later years, there were up to ten Chūnagon at one time.[2]

Contents

Chūnagon in context

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 core structures of ritsuryō government did manage to endure for centuries.[5]

In order to appreciate the office of Chunagon, it is necessary to evaluate its role in the traditional Japanese context of a durable yet flexible framework. This was a bureaucratic network and a hierarchy of functionaries. The role of Chunagon was an important element in the Daijō-kan (Council of State). The Daijō-kan schema proved to be adaptable in the creation of constitutional government in the modern period.[6]

Highest Daijō-kan officials

The highest positions in the court hierarchy can be cataloged.[7] A dry list provides a superficial glimpse inside the complexity and inter-connected relationships of the Imperial court structure.

The next highest tier of officials were:

  • Dainagon (Major counselor). There are commonly three Dainagon;[8] sometimes more.[9]
  • Chūnagon (Middle counselor).[10]
  • Shōnagon (Minor counselor); there are commonly three Shōnagon.[8]

Other high ranking bureaucrats who function somewhat flexibly within the Daijō-kan were;

  • Sangi (Associate counselor).[11] This office functions as a manager of Daijō-kan activities within the palace.[3]
  • Geki (外記?) (Secretariat). These are specifically named men who act at the sole discretion of the emperor.[3]

The Eight Ministries

The government ministries were eight semi-independent bureaucracies. A list alone cannot reveal much about the actual functioning of the Daijō-kan, but the broad hierarchical categories do suggest the way in which governmental functions were parsed:

Left
  • Ministry of the Center.[12]
  • Ministry of Civil Services; also known as the "Ministry of Legislative Direction and Public Instruction".[12]
  • Ministry of Ceremonies; also known as the "Ministry of the Interior".[13]
  • Ministry of Taxation.[14]
Right
  • Ministry of the Military.[14]
  • Ministry of Justice.[15]
  • Ministry of the Treasury.[16]
  • Ministry of the Imperial Household.[17]

The specific ministries above are not grouped arbitrarily. The two court officials below had responsibility for them as follows:

  • Major Controller of the Left (左大弁 Sadaiben?)[18] This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries: Center, Civil Services, Ceremonies, and Taxation.[3]
  • Major Controller of the Right (右大弁 Udaiben?)[18] This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries: Military, Justice, Treasury and Imperial Household.[3]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Nagon" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 685 at Google Books
  2. ^ a b Nussbaum, "Chūnagon" at p. 128 at Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d e Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 426. at Google Books
  4. ^ Kodansha. (1983). "Ukita Hideie," in Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, Vol. 8, pp. 137-138.
  5. ^ Dickson, Walter G. et al. (1898). "The Eight Boards of Government" in Japan, pp. 55-78. at Google Books; excerpt at p. 56, "Klaproth has given in his "Annals of the Emperors" a sketch of these eight boards, with the offices under each. It is ... a concise account of the government of Japan. The study of such a subject is rather dry and uninteresting, but it is necessary for any one who wishes to make himself acquainted with Japanese history, either of the past or of the present day...."
  6. ^ Ozaki, Yukio. (2001). The Autobiography of Ozaki Yukio: The Struggle for Constitutional Government in Japan pp. 10–11. at Google Books
  7. ^ Titsingh, pp. 425-426. at Google Books
  8. ^ a b c d e f Titsingh, p. 425 at Google Books; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, p.272.
  9. ^ Unterstein (in German): Ranks in Ancient and Meiji Japan (in English and French), p. 6.
  10. ^ Dickson, p. 60. at Google Books
  11. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Sangi" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 817 at Google Books.
  12. ^ a b Titsingh, pp. 427. at Google Books
  13. ^ Titsingh, pp. 429. at Google Books
  14. ^ a b Titsingh, pp. 430. at Google Books
  15. ^ Titsingh, pp. 431. at Google Books
  16. ^ Titsingh, pp. 432. at Google Books
  17. ^ Titsingh, pp. 433. at Google Books
  18. ^ a b Varley, p. 272.

References

Further reading

  • Dickenson, Walter G. (1869). Japan: Being a Sketch of the History, Government and Officers of the Empire. London: W. Blackwood and Sons. OCLC 10716445

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chūnagon — (中納言, Chūnagon?), a veces traducido como Consejero, fue una posición en el Daijō kan, un antiguo gobierno feudal japonés. Su autoridad y responsabilidad se encuentran entre el dainagon (Gran Consejero) y el shōnagon (Consejero Menor). Esta… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari — Woodcut of a scene from Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari. Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari (浜松中納言物語?), also known as Mitsu no Hama …   Wikipedia

  • Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari — is a post late Heian period Japanese collection of short stories.AuthorshipWith the exception of one story, the authorship is unknown. It is likely each story was written by different authors at various times and later collected together into a… …   Wikipedia

  • Ōtomo no Yakamochi — Chūnagon Yakamochi by Kanō Tan yū, 1648 …   Wikipedia

  • Ōtomo no Yakamochi — Chūnagon Yakamochi, Gemälde von Kanō Tan’yū, 1648 Ōtomo no Yakamochi (jap. 大伴 家持; * 718; † 5. Oktober 785) war einer der bedeutendsten Dichter in …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Konoe (Familie) — Die derer von Konoe (jap. 近衛家, Konoe ke) sind ein japanisches hochadliges Geschlecht, das, als Teil der Fujiwara, seit der Heian Zeit über Jahrhunderte immensen politischen Einfluss bei Hofe hatte und zahlreiche Sesshō und Kampaku (Regenten)… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Takatsukasa (Familie) — Die derer von Takatsukasa (jap. 鷹司, Takatsukasa ke) sind ein japanisches hochadliges Geschlecht, das, als Zweig der Fujiwara, seit der Heian Zeit über Jahrhunderte politischen Einfluss bei Hofe hatte und zahlreiche Sesshō und Kampaku (Regenten)… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der Dichter im Ogura Hyakunin Isshu — Die Liste der Dichter im Ogura Hyakunin Isshu umfasst 100 Poeten von der altertümlichen bis zur frühen mittelalterlichen Literatur Japans, ein Zeitraum von ca. fünf bis sechshundert Jahren. Die meisten von ihnen lebten in der Heian Zeit… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Fujiwara no Atsutada — Este artículo está titulado de acuerdo a la onomástica japonesa, en que el apellido precede al nombre. Fujiwara no Atsutada, del Ogura Hyakunin Isshu. Fujiwara no Atsutada (藤原敦忠 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ōtomo no Yakamochi — Este artículo está titulado de acuerdo a la onomástica japonesa, en que el apellido precede al nombre. Chūnagon Yakamochi, tomado del Hyakunin Isshu …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”