The may refer to:
# one of the of the Japanese imperial court, established by the
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-Fr ...
of the early 8th century, and continued under the
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'' ( ...
legal system.
# A short-lived
ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
during 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 ...
(August–September 1869, August 1870 – September 1871).
Minbu-shō (Ritsuryō)
The ministry, established by the
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-Fr ...
and
Ritsuryō laws, was one of the Eight Ministries, in the wing of four ministries reporting to the out of eight ministries.
As the name indicates, this body was concerned with oversight over the affairs of the common people, viewed as taxable producers of goods.
The ministry maintained various records: the population census sent from the provinces, cadastral
A cadastre or cadaster is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref>
Often it is represented graphically in a cad ...
(real estate) records, and tax accounting records.
Ministerial authority under Yōrō Code
The Yōrō Code
The was one iteration of several codes or governing rules compiled in early Nara period in Classical Japan. It was compiled in 718, the second year of the Yōrō regnal era by Fujiwara no Fuhito et al., but not promulgated until 757 under the ...
(a revised version of the Taihō Code that created the ministry), stipulates the powers vested in the ministry, under its . There it is stated that :
In the above "all provinces" does not include the capital. The census for the aristocracy who had clan names (''uji
is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.
Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa. ...
'' or ''kabane
were Japanese hereditary noble titles. Their use traces back to ancient times when they began to be used as titles signifying a family's political and social status.
History
As the national unification by the Yamato imperial court progressed ...
'') etc. was under the purview of the Jibu-shō (Ministry of Civil Administration). And the ministry was not "directly responsible for the upkeep of roads, bridgees, etc.," but merely kept such records for taxation and tax transportation tracking purposes.[
]
Popular Affairs certificate
The ministry issued order certificates or charters called the to officials and provincial governors ('' kokushi''). The ''shōen
A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4'').
Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private, ...
'' system recognized private ownership of reclaimed rice-paddy lands, but did not automatically confer tax-exemption (as some misleading dictionary definitions suggest). From the early Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...
, the tax-exempt or leniency status was ratified by the certificate or charter () issued either by this ministry or the Great Council (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 Jap ...
) itself. (See ).[The Ministry of Popular Affairs (which dealt with the common people and not the gentry) did not have the decision-power to issue such charter on its own initiative. It merely drafted and rubberstamped the charter at the behest of the Great Council. ]
In the period (859–877) occurred a breakdown of the Ritsuryō system under the Fujiwara no Yoshifusa
, also known as ''Somedono no Daijin'' or ''Shirakawa-dono'', was a Japanese people, Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Nakahira" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1 ...
regime, with authorities of the ministries absorbed by the Great Council. The decree of Jōgan 4, VII, 27 (August 826)[in volume 6 of ] essentially stripped the ministry of its control over the tax-leniency policy, ordaining that all applications for tax relief would be decided completely by the Great Council of State (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 Jap ...
), and its ruling delivered directly to the countries by the Great Council's certificate (''daijō-kan fu''). The ministry still issued certificates for exemptions on the ''shōen
A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4'').
Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private, ...
'' estates, but this was just rubberstamping decisions from above, as before. These changes in the exercise of administration were codified in the and later Engishiki
The is a Japanese book about laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Engi-shiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178.
History
In 905, Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of the ...
.[There is a shift in terminology. The exemption from , which are mentioned in the Jōgan decree and the ]Engishiki
The is a Japanese book about laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Engi-shiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178.
History
In 905, Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of the ...
, was understood to include the rights The ministry was thus reduced to processing clerical responsibilities concerning the provinces.
Hierarchy
The was headed by the minister, whose office was ordinarily filled by a son or close relative of the emperor, of the fourth grade or higher.[; Samson does not redundantly print the Japanese 8-fold for each ministry. For the Japanese equivalent, consult pp. 71-77; pp. 77-82; pp.82-83 (overview and first two ministries).][ Totsomg gives Japanese representation next to each French name of office, but the latter does not correspond well with modern English translations.]
* - "Minister of Popular Affairs"
: aliases: "Chief administrator of the ministry of civil services"[Varley, H. Paul. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki,'' p. 272.]
* - "Senior Assistant Minister of Popular Affairs"
: aliases: "Vice-Minister"[
* - "Junior Assistant Minister of Popular Affairs"][; quote: "(Year) 877, Michizane was named junior assistant minister of ceremonial."]
: aliases: "Assistant Vice-Minister"[
* (x 2) - " eniorSecretaries"][; "Senior Secretary in the Bureau of Popular Affairss"]
* (x 2) - "Junior Secretaries"[
* (x 1) - " eniorRecorder"][
* (x 3][) - "Junior Recorders"][
Under the Ministry were two bureaus:
The , the "Bureau of Computation"] or "Bureau of Statistics."[ was in charge of two forms of taxes, the and the . The ''yō'' was a form of conscripted compulsory labor, or more often the goods paid to be exempt from the obligation.
The , the "Tax Bureau,"] was in charge of the third form of tax, the . The three forms of taxes were known as under the 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'' ( ...
system.
* - "Director"[
* - "Assistant director"
* - "Secretary"][
* - "Assistant Secretary" ][
* - "Senior Clerk"][
* - "Junior Clerk"][
* (x 2) - "Accountants" ][
: trained mathematicians who calculated tax revenue and expenditures.]
* - "Director"[
: The director was in charge of dispensing and receipt from the government granaries. ''so''][
* - "Assistant director"
* - "Secretary"][
* - "Assistant Secretary" ][
* - "Senior Clerk"][
* - "Junior Clerk"][
* (x 2) - "Accountants" ][
: trained mathematicians who kept tax records.]
The was an ancillary facility to this ministry that stored a portion of the corvée tax (''yō'' of ''soyōchō'') and , which were distributed during ceremonies and functions.[This differs from the '']Ōiryō was a bureau within the Imperial Household Ministry under the Japanese Ritsuryō system. The Bureau of Palace Kitchens was responsible for food preparation for religious ceremonies and feasts within the court. Beginning in the Heian Era, it was co ...
'', the granary of the Imperial Household Ministry
The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial Family, and also the keeping of the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century AD, up until the Second World War, it wa ...
.
Personages who held offices
* , minister (883–887), known as Zai Minbukyō ("Zai" being the Chinese reading of the first letter of his surname).
* , junior assistant minister (874), minister (896).
* 873–947, aka "Uji no Minbukyō" or "the Uji Director (of the Ministry of Popular Affairs).
* The fictional , foster brother of Hikaru Genji
is the protagonist of Murasaki Shikibu's important Heian-era Japanese novel '' The Tale of Genji''. The story describes him as a superbly handsome man and a genius. Genji is the second son of a Japanese emperor, but he is relegated to civilia ...
was ''Minbu no taifu''.[;Commissioner of Civil Affairs (probably Koremitsu), p.228. ''Minbu no Taifu'' = Commissioner of Civil Affairs p.1162]
* Fujiwara no Tameie
was a Japanese poet and compiler of Imperial anthologies of poems.
Tameie was the second son of poet Teika and married Abutsu-ni. He was the central figure in a circle of Japanese poets after the Jōkyū War in 1221. His three sons were Nij ...
(1198–1275) was nominal minister, but governance had already shifted to ''samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
'' in the Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...
List of translated aliases
; literal
* Bureau of Civil Affairs
* Popular Affairs Department
* Popular Affairs Ministry
* Ministry of Popular Affairs[Organizational chart diagram, ]
* Ministry of Population
; semantic
* Department of Revenue and Census
* Ministry of Civil Administration[Ministry of Civil Administration](_blank)
Sheffield.
* Ministry of Civil Services[
* Ministry of Personnel]
See also
* 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 Jap ...
Explanatory notes
Citations
References
; Translations of primary sources
* (Yōrō Code administrative laws and ministerial organization, as preserved in ''Ryō no Gige'', excerpted translation and summary.)
*
*
; Secondary sources
* (organizational chart)
*
*
** — Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press (1903
Internet Archive, full text
*
*
* ; (organizational chart)
*
** e-text a
Cornell digital collection
*
*
* (tr. of ''Nihon Odai Ichiran
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
'')
*
*
* Ury, Marian. (1999). "Chinese Learning and Intellectual Life," ''The Cambridge history of Japan: Heian Japan''. Vol. II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
.
* Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns.''
New York: Columbia University Press. ;
; additional sources used to compile English translated names.
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of Popular Affairs
Government of feudal Japan
Meiji Restoration
Popular Affairs