The ', or "Junior Elders", were high government officials 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

(1603-1867). The position was established around 1633, but appointments were irregular until 1662. The four to six ''wakadoshiyori'' were subordinates to the ''

rōjū The , usually translated as '' Elder'', was one of the highest-ranking government posts under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council of Elders as a whole; under the first two ''sh� ...

'' in status, but they ranked above the ''

jisha-bugyō was a "commissioner" or an "overseer" of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period Japan. Appointments to this prominent office were always ''fudai daimyōs'', the lowest-ranking of the shogunate offices to be so restricted.Beasley, William G. (1955) ...

''. The served for a month at a time on a rotating basis and were selected 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 ...

''. There were periods when the number of ''wakadoshiyori'' rose to 6 or 7 at one time.Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868'', p. 330. The ''wakadoshiyori'' were tasked with supervising the direct vassals of the ''

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 ...

'', namely the ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as ''gokenin.'' However ...

'' and ''

gokenin A was initially a vassal of the shogunate of the Kamakura and the Muromachi periods.Iwanami Kōjien, "Gokenin" In exchange for protection and the right to become ''jitō'' (manor's lord), a ''gokenin'' had in times of peace the duty to protect ...

'' using reports provided by the ''

metsuke were the censors or the inspectors of Tokugawa shogunate. They were ''bakufu'' officials ranking somewhat lower than the ''bugyō.'' The ''metsuke'' were charged with the special duty of detecting and investigating instances of maladministration ...

''. They also oversaw the activities of artisans and physicians, organised and supervised

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...

projects and were in change of the ''shōgun's'' personal guards. In the event of war, the ''wakadoshiyori'' were theoretically to lead the ''hatamoto'' in battle.

List of ''Wakadoshiyori''

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 ...
(1623–1651)

*Matsudaira Nobutsuna (1633–1635) * Abe Tadaaki (1633–1635) *

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 ...

(1633–1635) *Abe Shigetsugu (1633–1638) *Ōta Sukemune (1633–1638) *Miura Masatsugu (1633–1639) *Dōi Toshitaka (1635–1638) *Sakai Tadatomo (1635–1638) *Kutsuki Tanetsuna (1635–1649)

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 ...
(1651–1680)

*Kuze Hiroyuki (1662–1663) *Tsuchiya Kazunao (1662–1665) *Doi Toshifusa (1663–1679) *Nagai Naotsune (1665–1670) *

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 th ...

(1670–1679) *Matsudaira Nobuoki (1679–1682) *Ishikawa Norimasa (1679–1682)

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 ...
(1680–1709)

*Hotta Masahide (1681–1685) *Inaba Masayasu (1682–1684) *Akimoto Takatomo (1682–1699) *Naitō Shigeyori (1684–1685) *Matsudaira Tadachika (1685) *Ōta Sukenao (1685–1686) *Inagaki Shigesada (1685–1689) *Ōkubo Tadamasu (1687–1688) *Miura Akihiro (1689) *Yamauchi Toyoakira (1689) *Matsudaira Nobutaka (1689–1690) *Naitō Masachika (1690–1694) *Katō Akihide (1690–1711) *Matsudaira Masahisa (1694–1696) *Yonekura Masatada (1696–1699) *Honda Masanaga (1696–1704) *Inoue Masamine (1699–1705) *Inagaki Shigetomi (1699–1709) *

Nagai Naohiro was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Akō Domain following its confiscation from Asano Naganori. Naohiro was the eldest son of Nagai Naotsune, and assumed family headship after his father's death. Upon the confiscation o ...

(1704–1711) *Kuze Shigeyuki (1705–1713) *Ōkubo Norihiro (1706–1723)

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 ...
(1709–1712) and
Tokugawa Ietsugu Tokugawa Ietsugu; 徳川家継 (August 8, 1709 – June 19, 1716) was the seventh ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1713 until his death in 1716. He was the son of Tokugawa Ienobu, thus making him the grandson of Tokugawa Tsun ...
(1713–1716)

*Torii Tadateru (1711–1716) *

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 ...

(1711–1714) *Ōkubo Tsuneharu (1713–1728) *Morikawa Toshitane (1714–1717)

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 Yoshimune ...
(1716–1745)

*Ishikawa Fusashige (1717–1725) *Matsudaira Norikata (1723–1735) *Mizuno Tadasada (1723–1748) * Honda Tadamune (1725–1750) *

Ōta Sukeharu Ohta, Ōta, or Ota may refer to the following: People * Ota (wife of Arnulf of Carinthia), Queen of the East Franks 888-899, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire 896-899 * Ota (cartoonist), Brazilian cartoonist * Atsuya Ota, Japanese basketball pla ...

(1728–1734) *Koide Hidesada (1732–1744) *

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 ...

(1734–1745) *

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 ...

(1735–1760) *Toda Ujifusa (1744–1758)

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. ...
(1745–1760)

* Kanō Hisamichi (1745–1748) *Hori Naohisa (1745–1748) *Miura Yoshisato (1745–1749) *Hotta Masanobu (1745–1751) *Akimoto Suketomo (1747) *Kobori Masamine (1748–1751, 1756–1760) *Koide Fusayoshi (1748–1767) *Matsudaira Tadatsune (1748–1768) *Sakai Tadayoshi (1749–1761, 1761–1787) *Ōoka Tadamitsu (1754–1756) *Honda Tadahide (1758) *Mizuno Tadachika (1758–1775)

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 ...
(1760–1786)

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 ...
(1787–1837)

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 ...
(1837–1853)

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 ...
(1853–1858) and
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. ...
(1858–1866)

* Sakai Tadasuke (1853–1862, 1863, 1864–1866) *

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 ...

(1858–1860) *

Mizuno Tadakiyo was a ''daimyō'' during Bakumatsu period Japan, who served as chief senior councilor (''Rōjū'') in service to the Tokugawa shogunate. Biography Mizuno Tadakiyo was the eldest son of Mizuno Tadakuni, the ''daimyō'' of Hamamatsu Domain and c ...

(1861–1862) *

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 ...

(1862)Beasley, p. 338.

Under
Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...
(1867–1868)

Hoshina Masaari Viscount (March 22, 1833 – January 23, 1888) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Edo period who was the last ruler of the Iino Domain (Kazusa Province; 20,000 '' koku''). Though lord of a minor domain, his family was a branch of the Matsudai ...

(1866–1867) *Ōkōchi Masatada (1866–1867) *Kyōgoku Takatomi (1866–1868) * Asano Ujisuke (1867)Totman, Conrad D. (1980)
''The Collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu: 1862–1868'', p. 338
*Kawakatsu Kōun (1867) *

Nagai Naoyuki , also known as or , was a Japanese hatamoto under the Tokugawa of Bakumatsu period Japan. His great-great-grandchild was Yukio Mishima. Naoyuki's adopted son, Iwanojō Nagai, was the father of Natsu, who was Mishima's grandmother. Iwanojō's r ...

(1867–1868) *

Matsudaira Chikayoshi ; (January 10, 1829 – November 11, 1886) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period who served as daimyō of the Funai Domain (Bungo Province, 21,000 koku). Served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa Shogunate, including that of wak ...

(1867–1868) *

Takenaka Shigekata was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, later a figure in efforts to colonize Hokkaido. He is also known by his court title, ''Tango no kami'' (丹後守). Takenaka Shigekata was born in 1828 in the town of Iwate, in Mino Province, the so ...

(1867–1868) *

Hori Naotora was the 13th ''daimyō'' of Suzaka Domain (12,000 ''koku'') in northern Shinano Province (modern-day Nagano Prefecture), Honshū, Japan under the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate. His courtesy title was ''Nagato-no-kami'' (later ''Kura-no-kami ...

(1867–1868) *Tsukahara Masayoshi (1867–1868) *

Katsu Kaishū Count , best known by his nickname , was a Japanese statesman and naval engineer during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy (Kaishū Shooku ) by Sakuma Shōzan. He ...

(1868) *

Ōkubo Ichiō , also Okubo, Ohkubo and Ookubo, is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ōkubo clan **Ōkubo Tadayo (1532–1594), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period **Ōkubo Tadasuke (1537–1613), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku an ...

(1868) *Hattori Tsunezumi (1868) *

Imagawa Norinobu was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. Norinobu was influential in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, being appointed a wakadoshiyori shortly before its demise and working for the new government to show clemency to the Tokugawa fam ...

(1868) *

Atobe Yoshisuke was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. A hatamoto serving the Tokugawa ''shōgun'', Yoshisuke was the birth brother of the Bakufu senior councilor Mizuno Tadakuni. Atobe was not known for his good relations with ''daimyōs'', having on ...

(1868) * Kawatsu Sukekuni, also known as Kawazu Sukekune (1868). *Mukōyama Ippaku (1868) *

Kondō Isami was a Japanese swordsman and official of the late Edo period. He was the fourth generation master of Tennen Rishin-ryū and was famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born Miyagawa Katsugorō to a farmer Miyagaw ...

(1868)

''Wakadoshiyori-kaku''

The ''wakadoshiyori-kaku'' were bakufu officials ranking as ''wakadoshiyori,'' but not actually appointed as such.Beasley, pp. 327, 330. List of ''wakadoshiyori-kaku'' *

Nagai Naomune Nagai may refer to: *Nagai (surname), a Japanese surname *Nagai, Yamagata, a city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan *An alternative name for Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu, India * Nagai (''Star Wars''), a fictional alien race in the ''Star Wars'' f ...

(1867–1868).

Notes

References

* Beasley, William G. (1955)
Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868''.
London:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

; reprinted by

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 ...

, London, 2001. (cloth) * 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 ...

. {{Tokugawa officials Officials of the Tokugawa shogunate Government of feudal Japan

List of ''Wakadoshiyori''

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 ... (1623–1651)

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 ... (1651–1680)

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 ... (1680–1709)

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 Yoshimune ... (1716–1745)

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. ... (1745–1760)

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 ... (1760–1786)

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 ... (1787–1837)

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 ... (1837–1853)

Under Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ... (1867–1868)

''Wakadoshiyori-kaku''

See also

Notes

References

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 ...
(1623–1651)

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 ...
(1651–1680)

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 ...
(1680–1709)

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 Yoshimune ...
(1716–1745)

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. ...
(1745–1760)

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 ...
(1760–1786)

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 ...
(1787–1837)

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 ...
(1837–1853)

Under
Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...
(1867–1868)