The Rōjū (老中?), usually translated as Elder, was one of the highest-ranking government posts in Tokugawa Japan. The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the, and the, was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the Shoguns of For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council as a whole; under the first two shoguns, there were only two Rōjū. is a military rank and historical title in Japan. The Japanese word for "general" it is made up of two Kanji words sho, meaning "commander" The number was then increased to five, and later reduced to four.
Duties
The Elders had a number of responsibilities, most clearly delineated in the 1634 ordinance that reorganized the government and created a number of new posts:
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- Relations with the Throne, the Court, and the Prince-Abbots. The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family.
- Supervision of those daimyo who controlled lands worth at least 10,000 koku. The ( were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings KOKU (1003 FM, "Hit Radio 100" is a Radio station in the United States territory of Guam.
- Managing the forms taken by official documents in official communications.
- Supervision of the internal affairs of the Shogun's domains.
- Coinage, public works, and enfiefment.
- Governmental relations and supervision of monasteries and shrines.
- Compilation of maps, charts, and other government records.
The Rōjū served not simultaneously, but in rotation, each serving the Shogun for a month at a time, communicating with the Shogun through a chamberlain, called Soba-yōnin. However, the Rōjū also served as members of the Hyōjōsho council, along with the Ō-Metsuke and representatives of various Bugyō (Commissions or Departments). The, established in 1634, was the judicial council in Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate. were the Censors or the inspectors of Tokugawa Japan. They were Bakufu officials ranking somewhat lower than the often translated as "commissioner" or "magistrate" or "governor" was a title assigned to government officers in pre-modern Japan other terms would be added As part of the Hyōjōsho, the Rōjū sometimes served a role similar to that of a Supreme Court, deciding succession disputes and other such disputed matters of state. A supreme court, also called a court of last resort or high court, is in some Jurisdictions the highest judicial body within that jurisdiction's
Under the reign of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1680-1709), however, the Rōjū lost nearly all their power, as the Shogun began to work more closely with the Tairō, Chamberlains, and others, including Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, who held the power of a Tairō, but not the title. Year 1709 ( MDCCIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Tairō (大老 lit "great elder" was a high-ranking official position in the Bakuhan taisei government of Japan. (1658 &ndash 1714 was a Japanese Daimyo of the Edo period, who served as an official in the Tokugawa shogunate. The Rōjū became little more than messengers, going through the motions of their proper roles as intermediaries between the Shogun and other offices, but not being able to exercise any power to change or decide policy. As Arai Hakuseki, a major Confucian poet and politician of the time wrote, "All the Rōjū did was to pass on his [Yoshiyasu's] instructions" (Sansom 141). was a Confucianist, Scholar, Academic, Administrator, Writer and Politician in Japan during the middle of Edo Period, Even after Tsunayoshi's death, the Rōjū did not regain their former power. They continued to exist, however, as a government post and a council with, officially if not in fact, all the powers and responsibilities they originally held, through the Edo period. The, also referred to as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代 Tokugawa-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868
List of Rōjū
Note that each office-holder is listed once. Some may have served under multiple shogun, and as a result of multiple terms, the list may not fully accurate reflect the order in which the office was held. For example, Hotta Masayoshi served in 1857-58 after Abe Masahiro (1843-57), but also served earlier, and is listed earlier; he is not also listed after Abe. ( August 30, 1810 - April 26, 1864) was the Shogun's advisor ( Rōjū) from 1837 to 1843 and again from 1855 to (December 3 1819 Edo (now Tokyo) - August 6 1857 Edo was the chief senior councillor ( Rōjū) in the Japanese government at the time
Under Tokugawa Ieyasu
Under Tokugawa Hidetada
Under Tokugawa Iemitsu
Under Tokugawa Ietsuna
Under Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Under Tokugawa Ienobu and Ietsugu
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Under Tokugawa Yoshimune
Under Tokugawa Ieshige
Under Tokugawa Ieharu
Under Tokugawa Ienari
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Under Tokugawa Ieyoshi
Under Tokugawa Iesada
Under Tokugawa Iemochi and Yoshinobu
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Notes
- ^ Screech, Timon. ( March 20, 1695 - October 17, 1744) was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period. Tokugawa Ieshige; 徳川 家重 ( January 28, 1712 &ndash July 13, 1761) was the ninth Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate ( 1689 - April 25, 1760) was a Japanse Daimyo of the mid- Edo period who ruled the Yokosuka Domain. Tokugawa Ieharu (徳川家治 ( June 20, 1737 &ndash September 17, 1786) was the tenth Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate ( September 11, 1719, Edo, Japan - August 25, 1788, Edo was a Rōjū (government official was a Japanese Daimyo of the mid- Edo period. The Makino were identified as one of the Fudai or insider daimyō clans which Tokugawa Ienari; 徳川 家斉 ( November 18, 1773 &ndash March 22, 1841) was the eleventh Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate ( January 15, 1759 - June 14, 1829) Japanese Daimyo of the mid-Edo period famous for his financial reforms which saved the (1763 - 1805 also known as Ōta Bichū-no-kami Sukeyoshi, or as, was a Japanese Daimyo of the Edo period; and as a high-level office holder of the was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period. The Makino were identified as one of the Fudai or insider daimyō clans which were ( April 4, 1770 - March 12, 1828) was a Japanese daimyo of the mid to late Edo period, who ruled the Obama Domain. ( 1778 - April 23, 1837) was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period, who ruled the Odawara Domain. ( January 25, 1778 - December 16, 1839) was a Japanese Daimyo of the mid to late Edo period, who ruled the Nishio Domain ( 1779 - September 7, 1841) was a Japanese Daimyo of the mid to late Edo period, who ruled the Hamada Domain. ( July 19, 1794 - March 12, 1851) was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period who ruled the Karatsu and then Hamamatsu Domains ( August 10, 1782 - September 20, 1840) was a Japanese Daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Miyazu Domain. ( 1799 - June 20, 1867) was a Japanese Daimyo of the Edo period; and as a high-level office holder of the Tokugawa shogunate ( July 14, 1793 - April 19, 1844) was a Japanese Daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Yoshida Domain. ( August 30, 1810 - April 26, 1864) was the Shogun's advisor ( Rōjū) from 1837 to 1843 and again from 1855 to Tokugawa Ieyoshi (徳川 家慶 June 22, 1793 &ndash July 27, 1853; r ( June 15, 1789 - July 31, 1848) was a Japanese Daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Koga Domain. ( March 30, 1804 - November 28, 1884) was a Japanese Daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Sabae Domain. ( December 2, 1799 - November 30, 1858) was a Japanese Daimyo of the Edo period. (December 3 1819 Edo (now Tokyo) - August 6 1857 Edo was the chief senior councillor ( Rōjū) in the Japanese government at the time ( 1819 - July 28, 1864) was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period, who ruled the Sekiyado Domain. ( January 24, 1813 - May 14, 1874) also known as Nobukoto (Shinshi was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period, who ruled Tokugawa Iesada (徳川 家定 ( May 6, 1824 — August 14, 1858) was the 13th Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of ( March 30, 1809 - January 10, 1874) was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period, who ruled the Tatsuno Domain ( July 17, 1846 &ndash July 20, 1866) was the 14th Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office 1858 Tokugawa Yoshinobu 1st Prince of the Yoshinobu-ke (徳川 慶喜 Tokugawa Yoshinobu (also known as Keiki) October 28, 1837 &ndash ( April 12, 1817 - January 29, 1883) was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period, who ruled the Okazaki Domain ( June 29, 1822 - January 25, 1891, also known as "Tosho-no-kami" (by 1862 and "Iki-no-kami (by 1865 was a Japanese Samurai ( February 14, 1823 - April 6, 1889) was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period. was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period. The Makino were identified as one of the Fudai or insider daimyō clans which were ( July 26, 1834 - July 15, 1898) was a Japanese Daimyo of the late- Edo period. also known as, ( October 21, 1809 - December 20, 1873) was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period who ( July 16, 1830 - July 5, 1904) was a Japanese Daimyo of the late Edo period, who ruled the Tanakura and (2006). Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822, p. 242n91. Also known as "Honda Tadayoshi"
References
- The list of rōjū is taken from the Japanese Wikipedia article.
- Sansom, George Bailey. Sir George Bailey Sansom (1883-1965 was a historian of pre-modern Japan particularly noted for his historical surveys and attention to Japanese society (1963). A History of Japan: 1615-1867. Stanford: Stanford University Press. The Stanford University Press is the Publishing house of Stanford University. 10-ISBN 0-8047-0527-5; 13-ISBN 978-0-804-70527-1
- Screech, Timon. Timon Screech is a Professor in the History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London. (2006). Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822. London: RoutledgeCurzon. Routledge is a publisher of non-fiction academic books and journals 10-ISBN 0-700-71720-X; 13-ISBN 978-0-700-71720-0
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