Gaikoku bugyō

("magistrates of foreign affairs") were the commissioners appointed at the end of the Edo era by the Tokugawa shogunate to oversee trade and diplomatic relations with foreign countries. In essence this was the beginning of the creation of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs after Japan's long period of isolation (sakoku).

Historical Background

The "Gaikoku bugyō" system began just prior to the negotiations which resulted in the Harris Treaty. [Cullin, L.M. (2003). "A History of Japan, 1582-1941," p. 185.] First appointed in August 1858, the "gaikoku-bugyō" were bakufu officials who were charged with advising the government on foreign affairs and who were tasked with conducting negotiations with foreign diplomats both in Japan and abroad. This was a high ranking office, in status roughly equivalent to that of "kanjō-bugyō" or expressed differently, the status of this office ranked slightly below that of "daimyo". The number of "gaikoku bugyō" varied, from five in 1858 to a maximum of 13, with wide variations in the numbers of officials who were appointed across the span of years.Beasley, W.G. (1955). "Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853-1868," p. 322.]

The office was often held concurrently with that of "kanjō-bugyō" or the office was held concurrently by those serving the "bakufun" as governor of one of the great ports (Nagasaki "bugyō" or Kanagawa "bugyō"). [see above}]

The "Gaikoku bugyō" system ended in 1868 when the new Meiji government was formed; but some of the foundational work of this period proved useful to the nascent Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Some 70 "Gaikoku bugyō" commissioners were named during this significant period.Hotta succeeded Abe Masahiro, and in his short years at the post had to address the issue of the Harris Treaty of 1858.

The genesis of the "gaikoku-bugyō" pre-dates the actual creation of the office.

"Kaibō-gakari"

The prefix "kaibō-gakari" meaning "in charge of maritime defense" was used with the titles of some "bakufu" officials after 1845. This term was used to designate those who bore a special responsibility for overseeing coastal waters, and by implication, for dealing with matters involving foreigners -- for example, "kaibō-gakari-ōmetsuke" which later came to be superseded by the term "gaikoku-gakari." [Beasley, p. 323.]

"Gaikoku-bōeki-toshirabe-gakari"

"Rōjū" Hotta Masayoshi formed an "ad hoc" committee of "bakufu" officials with special knowledge of foreign affairs, and he himself headed this working group. In November 1856, he appointed the members and charged them to come up with recommendations about the terms for opening Japanese ports. The results of their deliberations would become the basis for negotiations which ultimately resulted in the Harris Treaty (the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and the United States). [see above] ]

List of "gaikoku bugyō"

The numbers of "gaikoku bugyō" varied throughout the Edo period:::dynamic list
* Iwase Tadanari (1858).Beasley, p. 333.]
* Tsutsui Masanori (1858). [Beasley, p. 26.]
* Inoue Kiyonao (1858-1859, 1862-1863, 1864). [see above] ]
* Nagai Naoyuki (1858-1859, 1865-1867). [Beasley, p. 338.]
* Mizuno Tadanori (1858-1859, 1861-1862). [Beasley, p. 337.]
* Hori Toshihiro (1858-1860)
* Watanabe Takatsuna (1859)
* Matsudaira Yasuhide (1859-1860, 1861-1863)
* Takemoto Masao (1859-1862, 1863-1864).Beasley, p. 340.]
* Sakai Tadayuki (1859-1860)
* Mizoguchi Naokiyo (1859-1860)
* Shinmi Masaoki (1859-1862)
* Matsudaira Yasunao (1860, 1861-1863). [Beasley, p. 336.]
* Oguri Tadamasa (1860-1861). [Beasley, p. 338.]
* Takeuchi Yasunori (1861-1864). [see above] ]
* Okubo Ichio (1861-1862). [National Diet Library: [http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/31.html Okubo Ichio, image] ]
* Abe Masatō (1862-1863). [Beasley, p. 331.]
* Kawaji Toshiaki (1863).Beasley, p. 334.]
* Ikeda Nagaaki (1863-1864). [see above] ]
* Kawazu Sukekuni (1863-1864). [see above}]
* Sasaki Akinori (1864)
* Tsuchiya Masanao (1864)
* Kinoshita Toshiyoshi (1865-1866)
* Kurimoto Joun (1865-1866, 1866-1867). [National Diet Library: [http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/263.html Kurimoto Joun, image;] Beasley, p. 335.]
* Yamaguchi Naoki (1865-1866, 1867)
* Asagara Masahiro (1865-1867)
* Gōhara Isaburo (1866)
* Hirayama Seisei (1866-1868). [Sawada, Janine Anderson. (2004). [http://books.google.com/books?id=_5bQxGr6IHEC&pg=PA194&dq=kane+bugyo&lr=&sig=a_yLwTfjfGRz0o7rFluAlwmXnDk "Practical Pursuits: Religion, Politics and Personal Cultivation in Nineteenth Century Japan," p. 194.] ]
* Narushima Ryuhoku (1866). [National Diet Library: [http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/308.html Narushima Ryuhoku, image] ]
* Koide Hidezane (1866-1867)
* Tsukahara Masayoshi (1866-1867)
* Mukōyama Ippaku (1866-1868)
* Ishikawa Toshimasa (1867-1868)
* Hiraoka Jun (1867-1868)
* Narishima Hiroshi (1868)

Notes

References

* Beasley, W.G. (1955). [http://books.google.com/books?id=jjOCAAAAIAAJ&dq=Niigata+bugyo&pgis=1 "Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853-1868."] London: Oxford University Press. [reprinted by RoutledgeCurzon, London, 2001. 10-ISBN 0-197-13508-0; 13-ISBN 978-0-197-13508-2 (cloth)]
* Cullen, L.M. (2003). "A History of Japan, 1582-1941: Internal and External Worlds." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82115-X (cloth) ISBN 0-521-529918-2 (paper)
* Doi, Ryozo. (1997). "Bakumatsu gonin no gaikoku bugyo: Kaikoku o jitsugensaseta bushi." Tokyo: Chuokoron-shinsha. 10-ISBN 4-12-002707-4; 13-ISBN 978-4-12-002707-9
* Sawada, Janine Anderson. (2004). [http://books.google.com/books?id=_5bQxGr6IHEC&dq=kane+bugyo&lr=&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 "Practical Pursuits: Religion, Politics and Personal Cultivation in Nineteenth Century Japan."] Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 10-ISBN 0-824-82752-X; 13-ISBN 978-0-824-82752-6 (cloth)

See also

* bugyō
* Late Tokugawa shogunate
* Hayashi Akira, d. 1859 -- precursor