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Shōnagon (少納言) was a counselor of the third rank in the Imperial court of Japan.[1] The role dates to the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court of Japan from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.[2] This became a Taihō Code office in the early feudal Japanese government or daijō-kan.
| Premodern Japan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Daijō-daijin | |
| Minister of the Left | Sadaijin |
| Minister of the Right | Udaijin |
| Minister of the Center | Naidaijin |
| Major Counselor | Dainagon |
| Middle Counselor | Chūnagon |
| Minor Counselor | Shōnagon |
| Eight Ministries | |
| Center | Nakatsukasa-shō |
| Ceremonial | Shikibu-shō |
| Civil Administration | Jibu-shō |
| Popular Affairs | Minbu-shō |
| War | Hyōbu-shō |
| Justice | Gyōbu-shō |
| Treasury | Ōkura-shō |
| Imperial Household | Kunai-shō |
In the ranks of the Imperial bureaucracy, the Shōnagon came between the Chūnagon (middle counselors) and the Sangi (associate counselors).[3]
Typically, the office was held by three fifth-rank members of the kuge. These officials were responsible for reading ordinary reports and for making of Imperial travel arrangements.[2] The Shōnagon are said to help the memories of the principal officers, to put seals to deeds, and carry communications to others within the daijō-kan. They are both military and civil.[4]
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Any exercise of meaningful powers of court officials in the pre-Meiji period reached its nadir during the years of the Tokugawa shogunate, and yet the core structures of ritsuryō government did manage to endure for centuries.[5]
In order to appreciate the office of Shōnagon, it is necessary to evaluate its role in the traditional Japanese context of a durable yet flexible framework. This was a bureaucratic network and a hierarchy of functionaries. The role of Shōnagon was an important element in the Daijō-kan (Council of State). The Daijō-kan schema proved to be adaptable in the creation of constitutional government in the modern period.[6]
Highest Daijō-kan officials
The highest positions in the court hierarchy can be cataloged.[7] A dry list provides a superficial glimpse inside the complexity and inter-connected relationships of the Imperial court structure.
- Daijō-daijin (Chancellor of the Realm or Chief Minister).[8]
- Sadaijin (Minister of the Left).[8]
- Udaijin (Minister of the Right).[8]
- Naidaijin (Minister of the Center).[8]
The next highest tier of officials were:
- Dainagon (Major counselor). There are commonly three Dainagon;[8] sometimes more.[9]
- Chūnagon (Middle counselor).[10]
- Shōnagon (Minor counselor); there are commonly three Shōnagon.[8]
Other high-ranking bureaucrats who function somewhat flexibly within the Daijō-kan were;
The Eight Ministries
The government ministries were eight semi-independent bureaucracies. A list alone cannot reveal much about the actual functioning of the Daijō-kan, but the broad hierarchical categories do suggest the way in which governmental functions were parsed:
|
|
The specific ministries above are not grouped arbitrarily. The two court officials below had responsibility for them as follows:
- Major Controller of the Left (左大弁, Sadaiben)[18] This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries: Center, Civil Services, Ceremonies, and Taxation.[3]
- Major Controller of the Right (右大弁, Udaiben)[18] This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries: Military, Justice, Treasury and Imperial Household.[3]
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