Imperial Household Ministry in Meiji Era

The was a division of the eighth century

Japan 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 ...

ese government of the

Imperial Court in Kyoto The Imperial Court in Kyoto was the nominal ruling government of Japan from 794 AD until the Meiji period (1868–1912), after which the court was moved from Kyoto (formerly Heian-kyō) to Tokyo (formerly Edo) and integrated into the Meiji gov ...

, instituted in the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after t ...

and formalized during the

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 Ministry was reorganized in 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 ...

and existed until 1947, before being replaced by the

Imperial Household Agency 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 ...

Overview

The needs of the Imperial Household has changed over time. The ambit of the Ministry's activities encompassed, for example: * supervision and maintenance of

rice field Wendel D. Ley Track and Holloway Field is a stadium in Houston, Texas. It is primarily used for track and field and soccer for the Rice University Owls. It is bounded by Main Street (southeast), University Boulevard (southwest), Reckling Par ...

s for the supply to the imperial familyKawakami, citing

Ito Hirobumi Ito may refer to: Places * Ito Island, an island of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea * Ito Airport, an airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Ito District, Wakayama, a district located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Itō, Shizuok ...

, ''Commentaries on the Japanese Constitution,'' p. 87 (1889). * oversight of the harvesting done on the Imperial domains * orchestrating the presentation to the Emperor of rare delicacies as gifts from his subjects * administration of the culinary and engineering departments of the court * regulation of breweries * oversight of the court ladies * oversight of court smiths * management of court servants * oversight of the Imperial wardrobe, etc. * attending to the imperial princes and princesses of the second to the fourth generation, inclusive

History

When this government agency was initially established in 645, it functioned as a tax collector on Imperial land.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al.'' (2005). "Kunaishō" in The organization and functions of the Imperial Household were refined and regulated in the Taiho Code, which was promulgated in 701-702 during the reign of

Emperor Monmu was the 42nd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 文武天皇 (42) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Monmu's reign spanned the years from 697 through 707. Traditional narrative Befo ...

. The fundamental elements of this system evolved over the course of centuries, but the basic structures remained in place until the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

.Imperial Household Agency
History
/ref> This Ministry came to be responsible for everything to do with supporting the Emperor and the

Imperial Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pap ...

. Significant modifications were introduced in 1702, 1870, and 1889. It was reorganized into the in 1947, with its staff size was downscaled from 6,200 to less than 1,500, and the Office was placed under the

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Stat ...

. In 1949, the Imperial Household Office became the

(the current name), and placed under the fold of the newly created , as an external agency attached to it. In 2001, the Imperial Household Agency was organizationally re-positioned under the .

Hierarchy

The court developed a supporting bureaucracy which was exclusively focused on serving the needs of the Imperial Household . Among the ''ritsuryō'' officials within this ministry structure were: * , the surveyor of all works which are executed within the interior of the palace. * .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). * , two persons. * , two persons * , two persons * * * , two positions * , two positions * * * , two positions * , two positions * , An expert who evaluates the price/cost of work to be done or already completed * ''see''

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 ...

(Bureau of the Palace Kitchen) * * * * * Titsingh, * , two positions * , two positions. * * * * * * . No male physician would be permitted to care for the health of the emperor's women * * * * * * * Titsingh, * * * * * . * * * * * * * * * * * * The deliberate redundancies at the top are features of each position in this remarkably stable hierarchic

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 ...

. Many positions would mirror the ''-kyō,'' ''-taifu,'' ''-shō,'' ''-jō,'' and ''-sakan'' pattern.Titsingh,

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 Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

.
OCLC 48943301
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

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 ...

''; 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of the Imperial Household (Ritsuryo) Government of feudal Japan Meiji Restoration Imperial Household Royal households

Overview

History

Hierarchy

See also

Notes

References