The Ministry of War or , sometimes called ''Tsuwamono no Tsukasa,'' 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 gover ...

, 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 replaced 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 ...

Overview

The highest-ranking official or was ordinarily a son or a close relative of the Emperor. This important court officer was responsible for directing all military matters; and after the beginning in the late 12th century, this military man would have been empowered to work with the shogunate on the emperor's behalf.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). The ambit of the Ministry's activities encompasses, for example: * oversight of the rosters of military officers, including examinations, appointment, ranks, etc.Kawakami, 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, Shiz ...

, ''Commentaries on the Japanese Constitution,'' p. 87 (1889). * dispatching of troops * supervision of arsenals of weapons, guards, fortifications and signal fires * maintenance of pastures, military horses, and public and private horses and cattle * administration of postal stations * control of the manufacture of weapons and weapon-makers * oversight of drumming and in flute playing * control of public and private means of water transportation * regulation of the training of hawks and dogs.

History

The ministry was established as part of the

Taika Reforms The were a set of doctrines established by Emperor Kōtoku (孝徳天皇 ''Kōtoku tennō'') in the year 645. They were written shortly after the death of Prince Shōtoku and the defeat of the Soga clan (蘇我氏 ''Soga no uji''), uniting Jap ...

and ''

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'' (� ...

'' laws which were initiated in the

and formalized during the

. After 702, the Hyōbu-shō replaced the ''Hyōseikan,'' which was created in 683. In the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, titles associated with the ministry became ceremonial titles. In the

, the ''hyōbu-shō'' was reorganized into a modern

Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) (c.600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of War (Estoni ...

and Ministry of the Navy.

Hierarchy

The Asuka-, Nara- and Heian-period Imperial court hierarchy encompassed a ministry dealing with military affairs. In the 18th century, the top ritsuryō officials within this ministry structure were: * , usually a son or a close relative of the Emperor.Varley, Paul. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki'', p. 272; Titsingh, p. 431. * . * . * . * , two positions. * , considered a very low rank. * . * .

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

Overview

History

Hierarchy

See also

Notes

References

Further reading