Ministry Of The Center (Ritsuryō)

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 in the Meiji period.

Overview

This ministry encompassed those of the Imperial Household whose functions brought them closest to the emperor. The ceremonies of the Imperial Household evolved over time. Among those holding the highest office in the Imperial Household ministry was Takaharu''-shinnō'', who would later become Emperor Go-Daigo.

History

The ceremonial nature of the Imperial Household has changed over time. The Ministry was established in 649 as a liaison between the ''Daijō-kan'' and the Emperor.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al.'' (2005). "Nakatsukasa-shō" in

The ambit of the Ministry's activities encompasses, for example:
* attendance upon the Emperor, including advice to him on his personal matters, supporting him in the maintenance of a proper dignity and helping him in the observance of proper forms of etiquetteKawakami, citing Ito Hirobumi, ''Commentaries on the Japanese Constitution,'' p. 86 (1889).
* assisting in the inspection and countersigning of drafts of Imperial Rescripts
* making of representations to the Emperor
* support in the issuance of imperial orders in time of war
* monitoring the reception of addresses to the Emperor
* compilation of the history of the country
* maintenance of the records relating to the gazetteer
* maintenance of the records relating to the personal status of imperial princesses from the second to the fourth generation
* maintenance of the records relating to the maids of honour and other court ladies
* oversight of the submission to the Emperor of the census of the population in the various provinces
* oversight of the submission to the Emperor of the accounts of the taxes to be levied
* oversight of the submission to the Emperor of the lists of the priests and nuns in the provinces
* assistance relating to the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress
* supervision of the Imperial archives
* administration of the annual expenditure of the court and to various articles to be provided for the use of the Imperial family
* supervision of the astronomical calculations and the arrangement of the calendar
* oversight of the pictorial artists at court
* regulation of medicaments to be supplied to the Emperor and the medical advice to be given him
* maintenance of order in the palace

Hierarchy

Amongst the significant ''Daijō-kan'' officials within this ministry structure were:Titsingh, Isaac. (1834).
* . After the 11th century, this position in the Imperial court was always an Imperial prince. This official oversees the inspection of the interior apartments of the palace; and he is granted the privilege of retaining his swords in the presence of the emperor.
* .
* .
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* , 8 positions. There are 8 officials with this title, all equal in rank and in the confidence of the Emperor.
* , 90 positions. There are 90 officials with this title; and when a ''sesshō'' becomes a ''kampaku'', these men function under his orders. If the emperor is still a child, or if a woman occupies the throne, a ''sessho'' is chosen to represent the emperor; and the ''kampaku'' is considered first amongst all others in Japan. Then the Shōgun cannot undertake anything of importance without his approval. When the emperor governs directly on his own, the ''Udoneri'' may be by-passed.
* .
* . These officials must be very well versed in the affairs of China and Japan: and they edit or re-draft all of the emperor's edicts, rescripts, memorials and letters. For this kind of work, only men of the highest merit and distinction are chosen.
* .
* .
* .
* .
* .
* .
* .
* -- ''see'' Onmyōdō.
* .
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* .

In the Meiji period, a variant equerry was introduced as part of the Imperial retinue. As explained in an excerpt from the :
:" will perform attendant duties and will relay to him military matters and orders, be present at military reviews n his nameand accompanying him to formal ceremonies and interviews."侍従武官ハ天皇ニ常侍奉仕シ軍事ニ関スル奏上奉答及命令ノ伝達ニ任シ観兵演習行幸其他祭儀礼典宴会謁見等ニ陪侍扈従ス

See also

* Daijō-kan

Notes

References

* Kawakami, Karl Kiyoshi. (1903). ''The Political Ideas of the Modern Japan.'' Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press
OCLC 466275784 Internet Archive, full text
* Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan Encyclopedia.''
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 48943301
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Nihon Odai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns.''
New York: Columbia University Press.
OCLC 59145842

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of the Center
Government of feudal Japan
Meiji Restoration
Center