The , usually translated as '' Elder'', was one of the highest-ranking government posts under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

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 ...

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 ...

. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council of Elders as a whole; under the first two ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

s'', there were only two ''Rōjū''. The number was then increased to five, and later reduced to four. The ''Rōjū'' were appointed from the ranks of the ''

fudai daimyō was a class of ''daimyō'' (大名) in the Tokugawa Shogunate (徳川幕府) of Japan who were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa before the Battle of Sekigahara. ''Fudai daimyō'' and their descendants filled the ranks of the Tokugawa admini ...

s'' with domains of between 25,000 and 50,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...

''.

Duties

The ''Rōjū'' had a number of responsibilities, most clearly delineated in the 1634 ordinance that reorganized the government and created a number of new posts: :#Relations with the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

, the Court, and the Prince-Abbots. :#Supervision of those ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' who controlled lands worth at least 10,000 ''koku''. :#Managing the forms taken by official documents in official communications. :#Supervision of the internal affairs of the Shogun's domains. :#Coinage, public works, and enfiefment. :#Governmental relations and supervision of monasteries and shrines. :#Compilation of maps, charts, and other government records. The ''Rōjū'' served not simultaneously, but in rotation, each serving the Shogun for a month at a time, communicating with the Shogun through a chamberlain, called ''Soba-yōnin''. However, the ''Rōjū'' also served as members of the ''

Hyōjōsho The , established in 1225 b Hōjō Yasutoki, was a judicial council in Japan. Overview During the Tokugawa shogunate it was composed of the ''Rōjū'' (Elders), the highest officials in the shogunate government, and a number of Commissioners calle ...

'' council, along with the '' Ō-Metsuke'' and representatives of various ''

Bugyō was a title assigned to '' samurai'' officials during the feudal period of Japan. ''Bugyō'' is often translated as commissioner, magistrate, or governor, and other terms would be added to the title to describe more specifically a given offic ...

'' (Commissions or Departments). As part of the ''Hyōjōsho'', the ''Rōjū'' sometimes served a role similar to that of a

supreme court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, deciding succession disputes and other such disputed matters of state. Under the reign of

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis-Fr ...

(1680–1709) the ''Rōjū'' lost nearly all their power, as the Shogun began to work more closely with the ''

Tairō ''Tairō'' (, "great elder") was a high-ranking official position in the Tokugawa shogunate government of Japan, roughly comparable to the office of prime minister. The ''tairō'' presided over the governing '' rōjū'' council in the event of an ...

'', Chamberlains, and others, including

Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. He was an official in the Tokugawa shogunate and a favourite of the fifth shōgun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. His second concubine was Ogimachi Machiko, a writer and scholar from the noble court who wrote ...

, who held the power of a ''Tairō'', but not the title. The ''Rōjū'' became little more than messengers, going through the motions of their proper roles as intermediaries between the Shogun and other offices, but not being able to exercise any power to change or decide policy. As

Arai Hakuseki was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo period, who advised the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi (君美). Hakuseki (白� ...

, a major Confucian poet and politician of the time wrote, "All the Rōjū did was to pass on his oshiyasu's/nowiki> instructions" (Sansom 141). Even after Tsunayoshi's death, the ''Rōjū'' did not regain their former power. They continued to exist, however, as a government post and a council with, officially if not in fact, all the powers and responsibilities they originally held, through the

List of ''Rōjū''

''Each office-holder is listed once. Some may have served under multiple ''shōguns'', and as a result of multiple terms, the list may not fully accurate reflect the order in which the office was held. For example, Hotta Masayoshi served in 1857–58 after

Abe Masahiro was the chief senior councilor ('' rōjū'') in the Tokugawa shogunate of the Bakumatsu period at the time of the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry on his mission to open Japan to the outside world. Abe was instrumental in the eventual signi ...

(1843–57), but also served earlier, and is listed earlier; he is not also listed after Abe.''

Under
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

Ōkubo Tadachika was ''daimyō'' of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province in early Edo period, Japan. Ōkubo Tadachika was the son of Ōkubo Tadayo, a hereditary vassal to the Tokugawa clan in what is now part of the city of Okazaki, Aichi. He entered into service a ...

(大久保忠隣)(1593–1614) *

Ōkubo Nagayasu was a Japanese samurai bureaucrat and ''daimyō'' of 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 ...

(大久保長安)(1600–1613) *

Honda Masanobu was a commander and ''daimyō'' in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods. In 1563, when an uprising against Ieyasu occurred in Mikawa Province, Masanobu took the side of the peasants against Ieyasu ...

(本多正信)(1600–1615) *

Naruse Masanari Naruse (written: 成瀬 or 鳴瀬) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese idol and voice actress *, Japanese test driver and engineer *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese film ...

(成瀬正成)(1600–1616) * Andō Naotsugu (安藤直次)(1600–1616) *

Honda Masazumi (1566 – April 5, 1637) was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan. He later became a ''daimyō'', and one of the first rōjū of the Tokugawa shogunate. Masazumi was born in 156 ...

(本多正純)(1600–1622) *

Naitō Kiyonari Naitō, Naito or Naitou (written: 内藤) is a Japanese name, also transliterated as Naitoh or Nightow. Notable people with the surname include: * , vice president of Lenovo's PC and Smart Devices business unit, known as the "Father of ThinkPad" * ...

(内藤清成)(1601–1606) * Aoyama Tadanari (青山忠成)(1601–1606)

Under
Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...

* Aoyama Narishige (青山成重)(1608–1613) *

Sakai Tadatoshi was a Japanese samurai daimyō of the Edo period. He was head of a cadet branch of the Sakai clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Sakai" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'' ...

(酒井忠利)(1609–1627) * Sakai Tadayo (酒井忠世)(1610–1634) *

Doi Toshikatsu was a top-ranking official in Japan's Tokugawa shogunate during its early decades, and one of the chief advisors to the second Tokugawa shōgun, Hidetada. The adopted son of Doi Toshimasa, Toshikatsu is generally believed to be the biological ...

(土井利勝)(1610–1638) *

Andō Shigenobu Andō, Ando, Andou or Andoh (written: 安藤 or 安東) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese gravure idol and professional wrestler *, Japanese footballer *Albert Ando (1929–2002), Japanese-born American ec ...

(安藤重信)(1611–1621) * Naitō Kiyotsugu (内藤清次)(1616–1617) *

Aoyama Tadatoshi was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Biography Tadatoshi was the son of Aoyama Tadanari, a Tokugawa vassal of the Sengoku period who was born in Mikawa Province. Tadatoshi, like his father, was a Tokugawa vassal, and was famous for ...

(青山忠俊)(1616–1623) * Inoue Masanari (井上正就)(1617–1628) *

Nagai Naomasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Uruido, Koga and Yodo Domains. The eldest son of Nagai Naokatsu, he fought at the Battle of Sekigahara and the siege of Osaka. During the Shimabara Rebellion he was assigned to defend K ...

(永井尚政)(1622–1633)

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Tokugawa Iemitsu Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who a ...

Abe Masatsugu was a ''daimyō'' in early Edo period, Japan. Abe Masatsugu was the eldest son of Abe Masakatsu, one of the hereditary retainers of Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was born in Mikawa Province. In 1600, on his father's death, he became head of the Abe clan ...

(阿部正次)(1623–1626) *

Inaba Masakatsu was a ''daimyō'' of early Edo-period Japan, who ruled Kakioka (Shimōsa Province) and Mōka (Shimotsuke Province), and was finally transferred to Odawara Domain in Sagami Province. Biography Inaba Masakatsu was the eldest son of Kasuga no ...

(稲葉正勝)(1623–1634) * Naitō Tadashige (内藤忠重)(1623–1633) *

Sakai Tadakatsu was a Sengoku period Japanese samurai, and early Edo period ''daimyō'' and served in several important positions within the administration of the Tokugawa shogunate. Papinot, Edmund. (2003)''Nobiliare du Japon'' Sakai. pp. 50–51 Biography Ta ...

(酒井忠勝)(1624–1638) * Morikawa Shigetoshi (森川重俊)(1628–1632) * Aoyama Yukinari (青山幸成)(1628–1633) *

Matsudaira Nobutsuna was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period, who ruled the Kawagoe Domain. First serving Tokugawa Iemitsu as a page, Nobutsuna was renowned for his sagacity. He was named a rōjū in 1633. Nobutsuna led the shogunal forces to their final vi ...

(松平信綱)(1632–1662) * Abe Tadaaki (阿部忠秋)(1633–1666) *

Hotta Masamori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period who was a key figure in the early decades of the Tokugawa shogunate. Origins Hotta Masamori rose through the ranks of the Tokugawa shogunate; his family had a very short history with the Tokugawa ...

(堀田正盛)(1635–1651) *

Abe Shigetsugu Abe or ABE may refer to: People and fictional characters * Shinzo Abe (1954–2022), former Prime Minister of Japan * Abe (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Abe (surname), a list of people and ...

(阿部重次)(1638–1651) *

Matsudaira Norinaga was a ''daimyō'' during early-Edo period Japan. He was the second head of the Ogyū-Matsudaira clan. Biography Matsudaira Norinaga was the eldest son of Matsudaira Ienori, a Sengoku period samurai and daimyō of Iwamura Domain in Mino Provinc ...

(松平乗寿)(1642–1654)

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Tokugawa Ietsuna was the fourth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan who was in office from 1651 to 1680. He is considered the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, which makes him the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. E ...

Sakai Tadakiyo , also known as Uta-no-kami, Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice. (1999) ''Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed,'' p. 442./ref> was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in Kōzuke Province, and a high-ranking government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogu ...

(酒井忠清)(1653–1666) *

Inaba Masanori was a ''daimyō'' of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) in early-Edo period Japan. His courtesy title was '' Mino no Kami''. Biography Inaba Masanori was the second son of the previous daimyō of Odawara, Inaba ...

(稲葉正則)(1657–1681) *

Kuze Hiroyuki Kuze may refer to: *Daisaku Kuze, one of the secondary antagonists in the video game ''Yakuza 0'' *Hideo Kuze, a cyborg in the anime '' Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG'' * Kuze, a student in the '' Kanon'' series *Kuze, a sub-location of Old Town ...

(久世広之)(1663–1679) *

Itakura Shigenori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period.Meyer, Eva-Maria"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit". University of Tüebingen (in German). Shigenori's daimyō family claimed descent from the Shibukawa branch of the Seiwa Genji. The Ita ...

(板倉重矩)(1665–1668, 1670–1673) * Tsuchiya Kazunao (土屋数直)(1665–1679) *

Abe Masayoshi was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, who ruled the Oshi Domain. Masayoshi served as ''Kyoto Shoshidai The was an important administrative and political office in the Tokugawa shogunate. The office was the personal representati ...

(阿部正能)(1673–1676) *

Ōkubo Tadatomo was a ''daimyō'' in early Edo period, Japan. He was assigned by the Tokugawa shogunate to Karatsu Domain, Sakura Domain, and finally to Odawara Domain in Sagami Province, (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture), where his descendants remained until th ...

(大久保忠朝)(1677–1698) *

Hotta Masatoshi was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in Shimōsa Province, and top government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He served as '' rōjū'' (chief advisor) to ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ietsuna from 1679–80, and as ''Tairō'' (head of ...

(堀田正俊)(1679–1681) * Doi Toshifusa (土井利房)(1679–1681) *

Itakura Shigetane is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 14,323 in 5717 households and a population density of 340 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Itakura's animal mascot is the catfish. It is ...

(板倉重種)(1680–1681)

Under
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis-Fr ...

Toda Tadamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including rōjū and Kyoto Shoshidai The was an important administrative and political office in the Tokugawa shogunate. The of ...

(戸田忠昌)(1681–1699) * Abe Masatake (阿部正武)(1681–1704) * Matsudaira Nobuyuki (松平信之)(1685–1686) *

Tsuchiya Masanao , was a ''daimyō'' in Japan during the Edo period.Meyer, Eva-Maria"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit". Universität Tübingen (in German). Masanao's daimyō family was descended from Minamoto Yasuuji (Seiwa-Genji). The descendants of Tsuchi ...

(土屋政直)(1687–1718) *

Ogasawara Nagashige , also known as Sado-no-kami or Etchū-no-kami, was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period. Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice. (1999) ''Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed'', p. 442./ref> The Ogasawara were identified as one of the '' ...

(小笠原長重)(1697–1705, 1709–1710) *

Akimoto Takatomo Akimoto (written: 秋元 or 秋本) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese hurdler *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese judoka *Jin Akimoto (born 1971), Japanese mixed martial artist *, Japanese singer *, Japanes ...

(秋元喬知)(1699–1707) *

Inaba Masamichi was a ''daimyō'' of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) in early-Edo period Japan, until 1686 when he was transferred to Takada Domain in Echigo Province. Later he was transferred again, to Sakura Domain in Shimōs ...

(稲葉正往)(1701–1707) * Honda Masanaga (本多正永)(1704–1711) *

Ōkubo Tadamasu was ''daimyō'' of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province, (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) in early Edo period Japan. Biography Ōkubo Tadamasu was a son of Ōkubo Tadatomo, daimyō of Odawara Domain. In 1681, he was appointed a ''Sōshaban'' (Maste ...

(大久保忠増)(1705–1713) *

Inoue Masamine Inoue (kanji: , historical kana orthography: ''Winouhe'') is the 16th most common Japanese surname. Historically, it was also romanized as Inouye, and many Japanese-descended people outside of Japan still retain this spelling. A less common vari ...

(井上正岑)(1705–1722)

Under
Tokugawa Ienobu (June 11, 1662 – November 12, 1712) was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iemi ...
and Ietsugu

* Abe Masataka (阿部正喬)(1711–1717) * Kuze Shigeyuki (久世重之)(1713–1720) * Matsudaira Nobutsune (松平信庸)(1714–1716) *

Toda Tadazane Toda may refer to: *Toda (surname), a Japanese surname *Queen Toda of Navarre (fl. 885–970) *Toda people *Toda language *Toda Embroidery *Toda lattice *Toda field theory *Oscillator Toda *Toda, Saitama, Japan * TODA Racing, who tune and race veh ...

(戸田忠真)(1714–1729)

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Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lineage Yoshimu ...

Mizuno Tadayuki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including ''wakadoshiyori'', ''rōjū'', and ''Kyoto Shoshidai''.　Around 1722 he was appointed by Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, Yoshimune ...

(水野忠之)(1717–1730) * Andō Nobutomo (安藤信友)(1722–1732) *

Matsudaira Norisato The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of t ...

(松平乗邑)(1723–1745) *

Matsudaira Tadachika was a Japanese '' fudai daimyō'' of the Edo period. He was highly influential in the Tokugawa shogunate under Shōgun Ieshige.Screech, Timon. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822'', p. 241 n74. Tadach ...

(松平忠周)(1724–1728) * Ōkubo Tsuneharu (大久保常春)(1728) * Sakai Tadaoto (酒井忠音)(1728–1735) *

Matsudaira Nobutoki was a ''daimyō'' during mid-Edo period Japan. Biography Matsudaira Nobutoki was the eldest son of Matsudaira Nobuteru, the ''daimyō'' of Koga Domain in Shimōsa Province. He was given the adult name of Nobutaka in 1694, and did not change hi ...

(松平信祝)(1730–1744) *

Matsudaira Terusada The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of t ...

(松平輝貞)(1730–1745) *

Kuroda Naokuni Kuroda (written: lit. "black ricefield") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese painter * Akinobu Kuroda 黒田明伸, Japanese historian * Chris Kuroda, lighting designer and operator for the band Phish and J ...

(黒田直邦)(1732–1735) * Honda Tadanaga (本多忠良)(1734–1746).Screech, Timon. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822,'' p. 242n91. Also known as "Honda Tadayoshi" *

Toki Yoritoshi was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including ''Kyoto Shoshidai'' (1734–1732) and ''rōjū''.Screech, p. 114. At some point, there was a devastating fire in Heian-kyō wh ...

(土岐頼稔)(1742–1744) * Sakai Tadazumi (酒井忠恭)(1744–1749) * Matsudaira Norikata (松平乗賢)(1745–1746) * Hotta Masasuke (堀田正亮)(1745–1761)

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Tokugawa Ieshige Tokugawa Ieshige; 徳川家重 (January 28, 1712 – July 13, 1761) was the ninth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. The first son of Tokugawa Yoshimune, his mother was the daughter of Ōkubo Tadanao, known as Osuma no kata. ...

Nishio Tadanao was a ''daimyō'' in mid-Edo period Japan, who ruled Yokosuka Domain in Tōtōmi Province. He also served as an official within the administration of Tokugawa shogunate, rising through the ranks first as ''Sōshaban,'' '' Jisha-bugyō'', ''Wakad ...

(西尾忠尚)(1746–1760) * Honda Masayoshi (本多正珍)(1746–1758) *

Matsudaira Takechika The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of t ...

(松平武元)(1746–1779) *

Sakai Tadayori The was a '' Fudai'' feudal domain of the Edo period of Japan. It is located in Wakasa Province, in the Hokuriku region of the island Honshū. The domain was centered at Obama Castle, located in the center of what is now the city of Obama i ...

(酒井忠寄)(1749–1764) * Matsudaira Terutaka (松平輝高)(1758–1781) * Inoue Masatsune (井上正経)(1760–1763) * Akimoto Sumitomo (秋元凉朝)(1747–1764, 1765–1767)

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Tokugawa Ieharu Tokugawa Ieharu (徳川家治) (June 20, 1737 – September 17, 1786) was the tenth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1760 to 1786. His childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). Ieharu died in 1786 and given t ...

* Matsudaira Yasutoshi (松平康福)(1762–1788) * Abe Masasuke (阿部正右)(1764–1769) *

Itakura Katsukiyo was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Edo period. Famed for his tenure as rōjū, Itakura later became a Shinto priest. Biography Itakura, born to the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira of the Kuwana Domain, was adopted by Itakura Katsutsune, the lord of ...

(板倉勝清)(1769–1780) *

Tanuma Okitsugu (September 11, 1719, in Edo, Japan – August 25, 1788, in Edo) was a chamberlain (''sobashū'') and a senior counselor (''rōjū'') to the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ieharu of the Tokugawa Shogunate, in the Edo period of Japan. Tanuma and his s ...

(田沼意次)(1769–1786) * Abe Masachika (阿部正允)(1780) * Kuze Hiroakira (久世広明)(1781–1785) * Mizuno Tadatomo (水野忠友)(1781–1788, 1796–1802) * Torii Tadaoki (鳥居忠意)(1781–1793) * Makino Sadanaga (牧野貞長)(1784–1790)

Under
Tokugawa Ienari Tokugawa Ienari ( ja, 徳川家斉, November 18, 1773 – March 22, 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern J ...

* Abe Masatomo (阿部正倫)(1787–1788) *

Matsudaira Sadanobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, famous for his financial reforms which saved the Shirakawa Domain, and the similar reforms he undertook during his tenure as chief of the Tokugawa shogunate, from 1787 to 1793. Early life Mat ...

(松平定信)(1787–1793) *

Matsudaira Nobuakira The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of t ...

(松平信明)(1788–1803, 1806–1817) *

Matsudaira Norisada The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of t ...

(松平乗完)(1789–1793) *

Honda Tadakazu Honda Tadatoshi of Izumi Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in southern Mutsu Province in what is now part of the modern-day city of Iwaki, Fukushima. History In 1622, Torii Tadamasa, ''daimy ...

(本多忠籌)(1790–1798) * Toda Ujinori (戸田氏教)(1790–1806) * Ōta Sukeyoshi (太田資愛)(1793–1801) *

Andō Nobunari was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan.,Jansen, Marius B. (1994)''Sakamoto Ryōma and the Meiji Restoration,'' p. 401 based at Iwakitaira Castle in southern Mutsu Province in what is now part of modern-day Iwaki, ...

(安藤信成)(1793–1810) *

Makino Tadakiyo was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Edo period.Meyer, Eva-Maria"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit". University of Tübingen (in German). The Makino were identified as one of the '' fudai'' or insider ''daimyō'' clans which were h ...

(牧野忠精)(1801–1816, 1828–1831) * Doi Toshiatsu (土井利厚)(1802–1822) * Aoyama Tadahiro (青山忠裕)(1804–1835) *

Matsudaira Noriyasu The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of t ...

(松平乗保)(1810–1826) * Sakai Tadayuki (酒井忠進)(1815–1828) *

Mizuno Tadanari () is a Japanese sports equipment and sportswear company, founded in Osaka in 1906 by Rihachi Mizuno. Today, Mizuno is a global corporation which makes a wide variety of sports equipment and sportswear for badminton, baseball, boxing, cycling ...

(水野忠成)(1817–1834) * Abe Masakiyo (阿部正精)(1817–1823) * Ōkubo Tadazane (大久保忠真)(1818–1837) * Matsudaira Norihiro (松平乗寛)(1822–1839) *

Matsudaira Terunobu The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the m ...

(松平輝延)(1823–1825) * Uemura Ienaga (植村家長)(1825–1828) *

Matsudaira Yasutō was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid to late Edo period, who ruled the Hamada Domain. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate. After serving as magistrate of temples and shrines and Osaka Castle warden, he served for a y ...

(松平康任)(1826–1835) *

Mizuno Tadakuni was a ''daimyō'' during late-Edo period Japan, who later served as chief senior councilor (''Rōjū'') in service to the Tokugawa shogunate. He is remembered for having instituted the Tenpō Reforms. Biography Mizuno Tadakuni was the second son ...

(水野忠邦)(1828–1843, 1844–1845) * Matsudaira Muneakira (松平宗発)(1831–1840) *

Ōta Sukemoto was the 5th ''daimyō'' of Kakegawa Domain in Tōtōmi Province, (modern-day Shizuoka Prefecture) in late-Edo period and Bakumatsu period Japan and a high-level office holder within the Tokugawa shogunate, Meyer, Eva-Maria"Gouverneure von Kyôto ...

(太田資始)(1834–1841, 1858–1859, 1863) * Wakisaka Yasutada (脇坂安董)(1836–1841) * Matsudaira Nobuyori (松平信順)(1837) * Hotta Masayoshi (堀田正睦)(1837–1843, 1855–1858)

Under
Tokugawa Ieyoshi was the 12th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan',' p. 21./ref> Biography Ieyoshi was born as the second son of the 11th ''shōgun'', Tokugawa Ienari and named Toshijirō (敏 ...

* Doi Toshitsura (土井利位)(1838–1844) *

Inoue Masaharu was a ''daimyō'' and official of the Tokugawa shogunate during late-Edo period Japan. His courtesy title was '' Kawachi-no-kami.'' Biography Inoue Masaharu was the eldest son of the disgraced former ''daimyō'' of Hamamatsu, Inoue Masamoto, who ...

(井上正春)(1840–1843) *

Manabe Akikatsu was the 7th ''daimyō'' of Sabae Domain in Echizen Province under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan.Meyer, Eva Maria. (1999) ''Japans Kaiserhof in der Edo-Zeit'', p. 146 His courtesy title was ''Shimōsa-no-kami'', and his Court rank ...

(間部詮勝)(1840–1843, 1858–1859) * Sanada Yukitsura (真田幸貫)(1841–1844) * Hori Chikashige (堀親寚)(1843–1845) * Toda Tadaharu (戸田忠温)(1843–1851) *

Makino Tadamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period.Meyer, Eva-Maria"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit". University of Tübingen (in German). The Makino were identified as one of the '' fudai'' or insider ''daimyō'' clans which were hereditary v ...

(牧野忠雅)(1843–1857) *

(阿部正弘)(1843–1857) * Aoyama Tadanaga (青山忠良)(1844–1848) *

(松平乗全)(1845–1855, 1858–1860) *

Matsudaira Tadakata The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of ...

(松平忠優)(1848–1855, 1857–1858) *

Kuze Hirochika was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Edo period, who ruled the Sekiyado Domain. He served as a rōjū in the Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military gove ...

(久世広周)(1851–1858, 1860–1862) *

Naitō Nobuchika , was the 7th Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was also known as Naitō Nobumoto (内藤信思). His courtesy title was ''Kii-no-kami''.Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents ...

(内藤信親)(1851–1862)

Under
Tokugawa Iesada was the 13th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He held office for five years from 1853 to 1858. He was physically weak and was therefore considered by later historians to have been unfit to be ''shōgun''. His reign marks the begin ...

Wakisaka Yasuori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late 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 cha ...

(脇坂安宅)(1857–1860, 1862)

Under
Tokugawa Iemochi (July 17, 1846 – August 29, 1866) was the 14th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1858 to 1866. During his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of the "re-opening" of Japan to western nations. ...
and Yoshinobu

Andō Nobumasa was a late-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 5th ''daimyō'' of Iwakitaira Domain in the Tōhoku region of Japan, and the 10th hereditary chieftain of the Andō clan. He was the eldest son of Andō Nobuyori and his mother was a daughter of ...

(安藤信正)(1860–1862) * Honda Tadamoto (本多忠民)(1860–1862, 1864–1865) *

Matsudaira Nobuyoshi The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the m ...

(松平信義)(1860–1863) *

Ogasawara Nagamichi was a Japanese samurai and official in the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa Shogunate. Before the Meiji Restoration, his courtesy title was '' Iki no Kami'' and lower 5th Court rank.Beasley, W.G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 18 ...

(小笠原長行)(1862–1863, 1865, 1866–1868) *

(板倉勝静)(1862–1864, 1865–1868) * Inoue Masanao (井上正直)(1862–1864) * Mizuno Tadakiyo (水野忠精)(1862–1866) * Sakai Tadashige (酒井忠績)(1863–1864) * Arima Michizumi (有馬道純)(1863–1864) * Makino Tadayuki (牧野忠恭)(1863–1865) *

Matsumae Takahiro was a Japanese daimyō of the Edo period, who ruled the Matsumae Domain. Though he was a tozama daimyō, he served in the Tokugawa Shogunate as a rōjū. His court title was ''Kokushi (officials), Izu no kami''. Youth Takahiro, whose childhoo ...

(松前崇広)(1864–1865) * Abe Masato (阿部正外)(1864–1865) *

Suwa Tadamasa was the 9th ''daimyō'' of Suwa Domain in Shinano Province, Honshū, Japan (modern-day Nagano Prefecture) and hereditary chieftain of the Suwa clan. His courtesy titles before the Meiji restoration were ''Inaba-no-kami'' and ''Jijū'', and his Li ...

(諏訪忠誠)(1864–1865) *

Inaba Masakuni was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late-Edo period.Meyer, Eva-Maria"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit". Universität Tübingen (in German). In the Edo period, the Makino were identified as one of the '' fudai'' or insider ''daimyō'' clans ...

(稲葉正邦)(1864–1865, 1866–1868) * Matsudaira Munehide (松平宗秀)(1864–1866) * Inoue Masanao (井上正直)(1865–1867) *

Matsudaira Yasuhide (July 16, 1830 – July 5, 1904) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Edo period, who ruled the Tanakura and then Kawagoe Domains. He served as ''gaikoku bugyō'' and '' rōjū'' in the Tokugawa administration. Biography Matsudaira Yasuhide ...

(松平康英)(1865–1868) *

Mizuno Tadanobu () is a Japanese sports equipment and sportswear company, founded in Osaka in 1906 by Rihachi Mizuno. Today, Mizuno is a global corporation which makes a wide variety of sports equipment and sportswear for badminton, baseball, boxing, cycling ...

(水野忠誠)(1866) * Matsudaira Norikata (松平乗謨)(1866–1868) * Inaba Masami (稲葉正巳)(1866–1868) *

Matsudaira Sadaaki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Bakumatsu period, who was the last ruler of the Kuwana Domain. Sadaaki was the adopted heir of Matsudaira Sadamichi, the descendant of Matsudaira Sadatsuna, Sadatsuna, the third son of Hisamatsu Sadakatsu (1569� ...

(松平定昭)(1867) * Ōkōchi Masatada (大河内正質)(1867–1868) * Sakai Tadatō (酒井忠惇)(1867–1868) * Tachibana Taneyuki (立花種恭)(1868)

Notes

References

*''The list of ''rōjū'' is taken from the Japanese Wikipedia article.'' * Sansom, George Bailey. (1963). ''A History of Japan: 1615–1867.'' 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 ...

. * Screech, Timon. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822.'' London:

RoutledgeCurzon Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Roju Officials of the Tokugawa shogunate Japanese historical terms

Duties

List of ''Rōjū''

Under Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

Under Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...

Under Tokugawa Iemitsu Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who a ...

Under Tokugawa Ietsuna was the fourth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan who was in office from 1651 to 1680. He is considered the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, which makes him the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. E ...

Under Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis-Fr ...

Under Tokugawa Ienobu (June 11, 1662 – November 12, 1712) was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iemi ... and Ietsugu

Under Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lineage Yoshimu ...

Under Tokugawa Ieshige Tokugawa Ieshige; 徳川 家重 (January 28, 1712 – July 13, 1761) was the ninth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. The first son of Tokugawa Yoshimune, his mother was the daughter of Ōkubo Tadanao, known as Osuma no kata. ...

Under Tokugawa Ieharu Tokugawa Ieharu (徳川家治) (June 20, 1737 – September 17, 1786) was the tenth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1760 to 1786. His childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). Ieharu died in 1786 and given t ...

Under Tokugawa Ienari Tokugawa Ienari ( ja, 徳川 家斉, November 18, 1773 – March 22, 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern J ...

Under Tokugawa Ieyoshi was the 12th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan',' p. 21./ref> Biography Ieyoshi was born as the second son of the 11th ''shōgun'', Tokugawa Ienari and named Toshijirō (敏 ...

Under Tokugawa Iesada was the 13th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He held office for five years from 1853 to 1858. He was physically weak and was therefore considered by later historians to have been unfit to be ''shōgun''. His reign marks the begin ...

Under Tokugawa Iemochi (July 17, 1846 – August 29, 1866) was the 14th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1858 to 1866. During his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of the "re-opening" of Japan to western nations. ... and Yoshinobu