was a counselor of the second rank in the Imperial court of Japan. 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 The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Chūnagon" at . This became a

Taihō Code The was an administrative reorganisation enacted in 703 in Japan, at the end of the Asuka period. It was historically one of the . It was compiled at the direction of Prince Osakabe, Fujiwara no Fuhito and Awata no Mahito. Nussbaum, Louis ...

office in the early feudal Japanese government or ''

daijō-kan The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of J ...

''. In the ranks of the Imperial bureaucracy, the ''Chūnagon'' came between the ''

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'' (major counselors) and the

Shōnagon was a counselor of the third rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates to the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court of Japan from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum ...

(minor counselors).Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Imperial honors included the sometimes creation of a temporary or . 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.

Chūnagon in context

Any exercise of meaningful powers of court officials in the pre-

reached its nadir during the years of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

, and yet the core structures of

ritsuryō , , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki' ...

government did manage to endure for centuries. In order to appreciate the office of ''Chūnagon'', 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 ''Chūnagon'' was an important element in the ''

Daijō-kan The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of J ...

'' (Council of State). The Daijō-kan

schema The word schema comes from the Greek word ('), which means ''shape'', or more generally, ''plan''. The plural is ('). In English, both ''schemas'' and ''schemata'' are used as plural forms. Schema may refer to: Science and technology * SCHEMA ...

proved to be adaptable in the creation of constitutional government in the modern period.

Highest Daijō-kan officials

The highest positions in the court hierarchy can be cataloged. A dry list provides a superficial glimpse inside the complexity and inter-connected relationships of the Imperial court structure. * '' Daijō-daijin'' (Chancellor of the Realm or Chief Minister).Titsingh, ; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki'', p. 272. * ''

Sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the in ...

'' (Minister of the Left). * ''

Udaijin was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''udaijin'' in the context of a central administ ...

'' (Minister of the Right). * ''

Naidaijin The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the Japanese Imperial Court. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre- Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remained as a significant post under the Ta ...

'' (Minister of the Center). The next highest tier of officials were: * ''

'' (Major counselor, chief counselor of state). There are commonly three ''Dainagon''; sometimes more.Unterstein (in German)Ranks in Ancient and Meiji Japan (in English and French)
p. 6. * ''Chūnagon'' (Middle counselor). * ''

'' (Minor counselor); there are commonly three ''Shōnagon''. Other high-ranking bureaucrats who function somewhat flexibly within the ''Daijō-kan'' were; * ''Sangi'' (Associate counselor). This office functions as a manager of ''Daijō-kan'' activities within the palace. * (Secretariat). These are specifically named men who act at the sole discretion of the emperor.

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 The (lit. the department of the inner (or privy) affairs) was a division of the eighth century Japanese government of the Imperial Court in Kyoto, instituted in the Asuka period and formalized during the Heian period. The Ministry was replaced i ...

.Titsingh, * Ministry of Civil Services; also known as the "Ministry of Legislative Direction and Public Instruction". * Ministry of Ceremonies; also known as the "Ministry of the Interior". * Ministry of Taxation.Titsingh, Right * Ministry of the Military. *

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Justi ...

. * Ministry of the Treasury. * Ministry of the Imperial Household.Titsingh, The specific ministries above are not grouped arbitrarily. The two court officials below had responsibility for them as follows: * Varley, p. 272. This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries: Center,

Civil Services The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

Ceremonies A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secula ...

, and

Taxation A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, o ...

. * This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries:

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...

and Imperial Household.

Notes

References

* Dickson, Walter G. and Mayo Williamson Hazeltine. (1898). "The Eight Boards of Government" in ''Japan''. New York: P. F. Collier
OCLC 285881
*

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', '' Afternoon'', '' Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' ...

. (1983). "Ukita Hideie", in ''Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan''. Tokyo: Kodansha
OCLC 233144013
* Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). "Chunagon" i
''Japan Encyclopedia''.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 48943301
* Ozaki, Yukio. (2001)
''The Autobiography of Ozaki Yukio: The Struggle for Constitutional Government in Japan''
translated by Fujiko Hara. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
OCLC 123043741
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Ōdai Ichiran , ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings. According to the 1871 edition of the '' American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''.
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
* Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns''.
New York: Columbia University Press.
OCLC 59145842

Chūnagon in context

Highest Daijō-kan officials

The Eight Ministries

See also

Notes

References

Further reading