The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the

Japanese Imperial Court 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 ...

. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre- Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remained as a significant post under 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� ...

.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 425.

History

Pre-Meiji period

The office of ''Naidaijin'' predated the

of 701.

Fujiwara no Kamatari Fujiwara no Kamatari (藤原鎌足, 614 – November 14, 669) was a Japanese statesman, courtier and aristocrat during the Asuka period (538–710).Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Tadahira" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1 ...

was the first person appointed to the post in 669. After the appointment of

Fujiwara no Michitaka , the first son of Kaneie, was a ''Kugyō'' (Japanese noble) of the Heian period. He served as regent ('' Sesshō'') for the Emperor Ichijō, and later as '' Kampaku''. Ichijō married Michitaka's daughter Teishi (Sadako), thus continuing the cl ...

in 989, the office became permanently established, ranking just below that of ''

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 administr ...

'' ("Right Minister") and ''

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 ini ...

'' ("Left Minister").

Meiji period and after

The office developed a different character 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 ...

. In 1885, the title was reconfigured to mean the

Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan The was an administrative post not of Cabinet rank in the government of the Empire of Japan, responsible for keeping the Privy Seal of Japan and State Seal of Japan. The modern office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was identical with the ...

in the Imperial Court. In that year, the office of prime minister or chief minister of the initial restoration government was the ''Daijō-daijin'',

Sanjō Sanetomi Prince was a Japanese Imperial court noble and statesman at the time of the Meiji Restoration. He held many high-ranking offices in the Meiji government. Biography Born in Kyoto, Sanjō was the son of ''Naidaijin'' Sanjō Sanetsumu. He hel ...

. In December, Sanjō petitioned the emperor to be relieved of his office; and he was then immediately appointed ''Naidaijin'', or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The office of the Privy Seal was identical with the old ''Naidaijin'' only in the sense of the Japanese title—not in terms of function or powers.Unterstein (in German)Ranks in Ancient and Meiji Japan (in English and French)
pp. 6, 27. The nature of the office further evolved in the Taishō and Shōwa periods. The title was abolished on November 24, 1945.Glossary , Birth of the Constitution of Japan
/ref>

Notes

References

* Asai, T. (1985). ''Nyokan Tūkai''. Tokyo:

Kōdansha 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'' and ...

. * Dickenson, Walter G. (1869). ''Japan: Being a Sketch of the History, Government and Officers of the Empire.'' London: W. Blackwood and Sons. * Ozaki, Yukio. (2001). ''The Autobiography of Ozaki Yukio: The Struggle for Constitutional Government in Japan.'' ranslated by Fujiko Hara Princeton:

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financial su ...

. (cloth) * Ozaki, Yukio. (1955). ''Ozak Gakudō Zenshū.'' Tokyo: Kōronsha. * Sansom, George (1958). ''A History of Japan to 1334''. Stanford:

Stanford University Press Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It was among the presses officially ...

. * Dus, Peter. (1988). ''The Cambridge History of Japan: the Twentieth Century,'' Vol. 6. 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 ...

. * Ozaki, Yukio. (2001). ''The Autobiography of Ozaki Yukio: The Struggle for Constitutional Government in Japan.'' ranslated by Fujiko Hara Princeton:

. (cloth) * Screech, Timon. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822.'' London: Routledge Curzon. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). iyun-sai_Rin-siyo/Hayashi_Gahō,_1652.html" ;"title="Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652 ''Nipon o daï itsi ran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. * Varley, H. Paul, ed. (1980). Kitabatake_Chikafusa,_1359.html" ;"title="Kitabatake_Chikafusa.html" ;"title="Kitabatake Chikafusa">Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359">Kitabatake_Chikafusa.html" ;"title="Kitabatake Chikafusa">Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359 ''Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley).'' New York: Columbia University Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:Naidaijin Government of feudal Japan

History

Pre-Meiji period

Meiji period and after

See also

Notes

References