were top-ranking

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

officials and advisors in service to the ''

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 no ...

s'' of feudal

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Overview

In the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the policy of ''

sankin-kōtai ''Sankin-kōtai'' (, now commonly written as ) was a policy of the Tokugawa shogunate during most of the Edo period, created to control the daimyo, the feudal lords of Japan, politically, and to keep them from attempting to overthrow the regi ...

'' (alternate attendance) required each ''daimyō'' to place a ''karō'' in Edo and another in the home '' han'' (feudal domain). A ''karō'' who was in charge of a castle was called the ''jōdai karō'' (城代家老), while the one in Edo was called the ''Edo karō'' (江戸家老). A general term for a domain-based ''karō'' is ''kunigarō'' (国家老). Some domains referred to this position as ''

bugyō was a title assigned to ''samurai'' officials in feudal 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 official's tasks or jurisdi ...

'' (奉行) or ''

toshiyori A , also known as an , is a sumo Elder (administrative title), elder exercising both Coach (sport), coaching functions with rikishi, active wrestlers and Management, responsibilities within the Japan Sumo Association (JSA). All are former wrest ...

'' (年寄). The shogunate post of '' rōjū'' (elder) had many similarities to that of ''karō''. The famous samurai tale, '' Kanadehon Chūshingura'', describes events involving a ''karō''. The final Asano ''daimyō'' of the Ako ''han'' was Asano Naganori. While he was in Edo, he was sentenced to commit

seppuku , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...

for the offense of drawing a sword against

Kira Yoshinaka (October 5, 1641 – January 30, 1703) was a Japanese ''kōke'' (master of ceremonies). His court title was ''Kokushi (officials), Kōzuke no suke (上野介)''. He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the forty-seven ...

Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established th ...

. When the

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military rulers 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, except during parts of the Kamak ...

abolished the Ako ''han'', all the Ako samurai became ''

rōnin In feudal Japan to early modern Japan (1185–1868), a ''rōnin'' ( ; , , 'drifter' or 'wandering man', ) was a samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan. A samurai became a ''rō ...

''. Ōishi Kuranosuke, the ''jōdai karō'', led 46 other ''rōnin'' in a vendetta against Kira. As a result of his leadership in the Forty-seven Ronin affair, Ōishi went down in history as the most famous of all ''karō''.

Harmful effects of the Karo system

Two to a few Karos are in the clan administration in a collegial system, but faction conflicts often occur in connection with political reforms and succession issues. Such a conflict became the cause of the "house turmoil", and in the worst case, it could lead to improvement . In particular, the confrontation between the karos, the elderly, and the magistrates who are trying to promote the reforms in an authoritative manner against the background of the lord's trust, which was set up for the feudal affairs reform, and the conservative chief retainers and the priests who represent the opinions of the clan. It was a classic scene, and there were political disputes such as the fact that the clan theory was divided into two and led to a blood-washing conflict, and that the feudal lord was forced to retire with the fall of the reformist elders.

Duty

Basically, he was allowed to stay away from home because of illness or old age, and remained in the post of a senior until he died once he took office. usually, the person on duty is decided on a monthly basis, and the person on duty makes the decision. the person on duty is called the duty or the moon number by the clan. important matters shall be decided on a regular day by gathering at a Hyōjōsho, etc. and proceeding after a meeting.

References

Notes

: Sankin kōtai ("alternate attendance") was a policy of the

during most of the

of Japanese history. The purpose was to control the ''

s'' (feudal Lords). Generally, the requirement was that the ''daimyōs'' of every han (province) move periodically between Edo (the Japanese capital) and his han, typically spending alternate years in each place. His wife and heir were required to remain in Edo as hostages. The expenditures necessary to maintain residences in both places, and for the procession to and from Edo, placed financial strains on the ''daimyōs'' making them unable to wage war. The frequent travel of the ''daimyōs'' encouraged road building and the construction of inns and facilities along the routes, generating economic activity. Government of feudal Japan {{Japan-hist-stub

Overview

Harmful effects of the Karo system

Duty

References

See also

Notes