was a Japanese Imperial court position and the title of the chief education expert in the rigid court hierarchy. The Imperial ''Daigaku-no-kami'' predates 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 ...

; and the court position continued up through the early

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 ...

. The title and position were conferred in the name of the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

. 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 characte ...

, the head of the educational and bureaucrat training system for 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 ...

was also known by the honorific title ''Daigaku-no-kami'', which effectively translates as "Head of the State University". The title and position were conferred in the name 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 Kamak ...

''.

Imperial court hierarchy

The Imperial court position of ''Daigaku-no-kami'' identified the chief education expert in the Imperial retinue. The ''Daigaku-no-kami'' was head of the Imperial University, the ''

Daigaku-ryō was the former Imperial university of Japan, founded at the end of the 7th century.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Daigaku-ryō''" in . The Daigaku-ryō predates the Heian period, continuing in various forms through the early Meiji period. ...

''. The title arose during evolution of governmental reorganizations beginning in 701. These pre-

innovations are collectively known as the . The position and the title ultimately came about under the direction of

Prince Osakabe Prince Osakabe (刑部(忍壁)親王, ''Osakabe Shinnō'') (died June 2, 705) was a Japanese imperial prince who helped write the Taihō Code (681 A.D.), alongside Fujiwara no Fuhito. The Code was essentially an administrative reorganization, whic ...

Fujiwara no Fuhito Fujiwara no Fuhito (藤原不比等: 659 – 13 September 720) was a powerful member of the imperial court of Japan during the Asuka and Nara periods. Second son of Fujiwara no Kamatari (or, according to one theory, of Emperor Tenji), h ...

and

Awata no Mahito was a Japanese nobleman of the late Asuka period and early Nara period. Life Mahito was born into the Awata family, descended from the and and based in Yamashiro Province. In 681, Mahito was conferred the rank of , corresponding to the un ...

at the request 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 Befor ...

. Like many other developments at the time, the title was an adaptation derived from the governmental system of China's

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

. The somewhat inflexible hierarchical nature of the court requires that the function of the ''Daigaku-no-kami'' be understood both in terms of specific functions and in terms of those ranking above and below in the Ministry of Civil Services. 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 ...

, the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

and the

, the Imperial court hierarchy encompassed a ; also known as the "Ministry of Legislative Direction and Public Instruction". This ministry collected and maintained biographical archives of meritorious subjects. Within this ministry structure, the highest-ranking official was the ;Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). ''

Jinnō Shōtōki is a Japanese historical book written by Kitabatake Chikafusa. The work sought both to clarify the genesis and potential consequences of a contemporary crisis in Japanese politics, and to dispel or at least ameliorate the prevailing disorder. ...

'', p. 272. also known as Chief minister of public instruction. This office was typically filled by a son or close relative of the emperor. For example, in 773 (''

Hōki was a after '' Jingo-keiun'' and before ''Ten'ō''. This period spanned the years from October 770 through January 781. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 770 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The p ...

4''), the ''daigaku-no-kami'' was Yamabe''-shinnō'', who was named Crown Prince and heir of

Emperor Kōnin was the 49th emperor of Japan, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781. Traditional narrative The personal name of ...

. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ; Ponsonby-Fane, p. 317. However, there were exceptions to this general rule if there was an especially pre-eminent contemporary scholar, such as in the case of Miyoshi Kiyotsura. Accompanying the ''Daigaku-no-kami'' were seven judges, who directly assisted this minister.Titsingh, pp. 427–428. Ranking just below these judges were educational authorities: * .Titsingh, p. 428. ** . ** . ** . ** . ** . There would have been many copyist calligraphers working under the direction of the chief calligrapher. ** . ** —two positions. ** —two positions. ** —two positions.

Tokugawa bakufu hierarchy

In the

, this title identifies the head of the chief educational institution of the Tokugawa state. It was conferred by the ''shōgun'' in 1691 when the Neo-Confucian academy moved to land provided by the shogunate. In the years which followed, this academic title became hereditary for the ten descendants of Hayashi Hōkō who were sequential heads of the

Yushima Seidō , is a Confucian temple () in Yushima, Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was established in end of the 17th century during the Genroku era of the Edo period. Towards the late Edo period, one of the most important educational institutions of the sh ...

. The 10 rectors of the institution who were each identified by the title ''daigaku-no-kami'' were: * 1st rector (and ''Daigaku-no-kami''): Hayashi Hōkō (1644–1732), formerly Hayashi Nobuhatsu (son of Gahō).De Bary, William ''et al.'' (2005). ''Sources of Japanese Tradition'', Vol. 2. p. 443. * 2nd rector (and ''Daigaku-no-kami''): Hayashi Ryūkō (1681–1758). * 3rd rector (and ''Daigaku-no-kami''): Hayashi Hōkoku (1721–1773). * 4th rector (and ''Daigaku-no-kami''): Hayashi Hōtan (1761–1787). * 5th rector (and ''Daigaku-no-kami''):

Hayashi Kimpō Hayashi ( 林, literally " woods"), is the 19th most common Japanese surname. It shares the same character as the Chinese surname Lin. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese synchronized swimmer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese s ...

(1767–1793), also known as Hayashi Kanjun or Hayashi Nobutaka Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005). ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 300. * 6th rector and 8th ''Daigaku-no-kami''):

Hayashi Jussai was a Japanese neo-Confucian scholar of the Edo period. He was an hereditary rector of Edo’s Confucian Academy, the ''Shōhei-kō'', also known at the '' Yushima Seidō,'' which was built on land provided by the shōgun. The ''Yushima-Seid ...

(1768–1841), formerly Matsudaira Norihira, 3rd son of Iwamura daimyō Matsudaira Norimori—Norihira was adopted into Hayashi family when Kinpō/Kanjun died childless; explained shogunate foreign policy to

Emperor Kōkaku was the 119th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')光格天皇 (119)/ref> Kōkaku reigned from 16 December 1780 until his abdication on 7 May 1817 in favor of his son, Empe ...

in 1804., also known as Hayashi JitsusaiAsiatic Society of Japan. (1908). ''Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan'', v36:1(1908), p. 151. and Hayashi Kō. * 7th rector (and ''Daigaku-no-kami''): Hayashi Teiu (1791–1844). * 8th rector (and ''Daigaku-no-kami''): Hayashi Sōkan (1828–1853). * 9th rector (and ''Daigaku-no-kami''): Hayashi Fukusai (1800–1859), also known as

Hayashi Akira (also known as ''Hayashi Fukusai'') was an Edo period scholar-diplomat serving the Tokugawa shogunate in a variety of roles similar to those performed by serial Hayashi clan neo-Confucianists since the time of Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was the here ...

, chief Japanese negotiator for the

Treaty of Kanagawa The Convention of Kanagawa, also known as the Kanagawa Treaty (, ''Kanagawa Jōyaku'') or the Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity (, ''Nichibei Washin Jōyaku''), was a treaty signed between the United States and the Tokugawa Shogunate on March ...

* 10th rector (and ''Daigaku-no-kami''):

Hayashi Gakusai , formerly Hayashi Noboru, was a neo-Confucian scholar and a bakufu official in the late Tokugawa shogunate.Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868,'' p. 332. Academician Hayashi '' Daigaku-no-kami ...

(1833–1906), formerly Hayashi Noboru, head of the academy in 1867. The rector of the ''Yushima Seidō'' stood at the apex of the country-wide educational and training system which was created and maintained with the personal involvement of successive ''shōguns''. The position as rector of the ''Yushima Seidō'' became hereditary in the Hayashi family. The rectors' scholarly reputation was burnished by publication in 1657 of the 7 volumes of and by the publication in 1670 of the 310 volumes of .Brownlee, John S. (1991)
''Political Thought in Japanese Historical Writing: From Kojiki (712) to Tokushi Yoron (1712)'', p. 120.
/ref>

Meiji constitutional hierarchy

In the course of 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 ...

, this Imperial title was abolished; but its position within the ambit of a reorganized government structure would be developed further in the Meiji period ''Daijō-kan''.

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'' ...

. * Cullen, Louis M. (2003)
''A History of Japan, 1582–1941: Internal and External Worlds''.
Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

. ; * De Bary, William,

Carol Gluck Carol Gluck (born November 12, 1941) is an American academic and Japanologist. She is the George Sansom Professor Emerita of History at Columbia University and served as the president of the Association for Asian Studies in 1996. Career Gluck w ...

, Arthur E. Tiedemann. (2005). ''Sources of Japanese Tradition'', Vol. 2. New York:

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

.
OCLC 255020415
* Kelly, Boyd. (1999). ''Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing'', Vol. 1. London:

Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa ...

. * 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 retir ...

.
OCLC 48943301
* 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 financia ...

. (cloth) * Ozaki, Yukio. (1955). ''Ozak Gakudō Zenshū''. Tokyo: Kōronsha. * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan''.
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Sansom, George. (1958). ''A History of Japan to 1334''. Stanford: Stanford University Press. * _______________. (1952). ''Japan: A Short Cultural History''. Stanford: Stanford University Press. (cloth) (paper) * Screech, Timon. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822''. London: RoutledgeCurzon. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''
('' Nihon Odai Ichiran''). Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
* Ury, Marian. (1999). "Chinese Learning and Intellectual Life", ''The Cambridge history of Japan: Heian Japan''. Vol. II. Cambridge:

. (cloth) * 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 ''

("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley)''. New York:

External links