Sesshō and Kampaku

The office of a regent in Japan differed from that characterized in other countries, that the highest-ranking ( it was Emperor or Shogun ) the power not exercised itself, but also act as a full- year old by a public official had.

Overview of the incumbent, see: List of Japanese regent

• 2.1 Shikken
• 2.2 Taïro

• 3.1 Notes and references

Regent for Emperor

Antiquity

In Japanese breakfast time the regency was exercised for a minor ruler usually by his mother, who ruled until his majority as Empress. In the mythical past, as the first regent Jingū Kogo (trad. † 269, probably around 400) referred to.

A special case of the Asuka period, the " reign " of Shōtoku Taishi († 622 ) that the - nominally Crown Prince - in agreement with his aunt, the Empress Suiko ( r. 592-628 ) ruled.

Sesshō and Kampaku

A Sesshō (摂 政) - Regent for an underage Tennō - embodied the whole dignity of the emperor, so regnum ( secular power ) and sacerdotium, the spiritual dignity because of his " divine " origin. Fujiwara no Yorinaga ( 1120-56 ) defined the Office: " The Sesshō this is the Son of Heaven. "

A Kampaku (关 白), although " Head of the hundred officials " ( hyakkan - nin no Soki ), while always subject was. The term itself, of Tachibana no Hiromi ( 837-890 ) from the Chinese ( W.-G.: kuan pei ) taken over and dominated, was originally only used verbally to denote a Tennō granted by the special function and did not develop until later in such a designated "office" of the " regent for a full year Tennō " Paraphrased was the incumbent often called ichi no hito ( " the first man ").

Development

Shortly after moving to the new capital Heian - kyō succeeded 858 Grand Chancellor Fujiwara no Yoshifusa the underage Emperor Seiwa, his grandson, to bring to the throne. He himself took the title Sesshō and was the first non- imperial family belonging Regent, an abnormal process in itself. Yoshifusa led the regency after the age of majority Seiwas on.

Fujiwara no Mototsune ( 836-891 ) was the successor Yoshifusa 's head of the family of the Fujiwara. He joined 884 at the regency for Koko, but he referred to himself as kampaku. Fujiwara no Tadahira (Japanese藤原 忠 平; 880-949 ) was government executive and Regent for two emperors. Although already had acted as regent the other two members of the House, the final details of the Regent system developed only in his time. Sesshō and Kampaku became the dominant figures in the political history of the Heian period. The control of the court by the Fujiwara was totally by these offices for the next two centuries. The government of this period was called the Mandokoro - seiji, as all the important inputs throne and decrees were only in the private residence of Fujiwara, the Mandokoro, tested and approved.

A first weakened the power of the regent resulted with the creation of " abdicated Emperor " (1086-1321; InseI ) who intervened in daily business.

Already at the end of the Heian period the political significance of the imperial court was greatly decreased, although these always remained the source of legitimization of particular military rulers. Since 1221 the appointment of a regent required the consent of the shogunate. For this purpose a position of " Deputy Shogun " ( Tandai ), created with a residence in the district Rokuhara Kyoto. It was customary that the Regent for the Kamakura shogunate ( Shikken ) had first filled the position of Tandai.

The regents came further from the five lines of the Fujiwara gosekke, in which the Hokke - house had split in the 13th century. The office remained prestigious until its abolition.

The only exception was Toyotomi Hideyoshi Toyotomi Hidetsugu and his grandson. The appointment of Hideyoshi ( November 7, 1585 ) was particularly controversial, as this for the first time an outsider to take over the office. Formally, he was a member of the Konoe by adoption.

Withdrawn from the course Kanpaku were called taiko (太 合), and later this name was synonymous with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Tokugawa shoguns took no court offices, but received Hofränge.

Regent Office was abolished officially by the " proclamation of the restoration of imperial rule " ( Osei fukko no daigōrei ) on January 3, 1868.

Modern

The Imperial House Law ( Koshitsu tempan 1889, Article 19-25 ) provides for minors or office incompetent Tennō also a regency ( Taikan ) before, the regents also - as long as they were unmarried - must be female, the imperial family originate. Under the Meiji Constitution (Art. 17 and 75), was allowed as long as a regency was, neither the Constitution nor the Imperial House Law to be changed. Hirohito practiced 1917-26 for his mentally ill father's reign from. The arrangements were adjusted with the Koshitsu tempan, 1947 ( § 16-21) democratic conditions. The Regent ( Sesshō ) enjoys immunity, but takes only the duties of his principal was.

Regents for the shoguns

Shikken

The Shikken (执 権) was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate. The item was the monopoly of the Hōjō clan.

Hōjō Tokimasa, of a father of the first shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo was, was 1203 the first Shikken. The Shikken was at that time head of the Mandokoro. After the second shogun Minamoto no Yoriie replaced by Minamoto no Sanetomo, he was de facto ruler of the shogunate.

Tokimasas son Hōjō Yoshitoki strengthened the position by integrating with the post of Samurai Dokoro after destruction of the mighty Wada clan who ruled this position before. The Shikken was the highest item that dominated the serving as straw men shoguns. 1224 led Yoshitokis son Hōjō Yasutoki the Rensho ( co- signer ) as Assistant to the Shikken.

First, the post of Shikken was occupied by the TOKUSO, the head of the Hōjō clan, Hōjō Tokiyori separated later both items. He installed Hōjō Nagatoki as Shikken while he had to follow as TOKUSO his son Hōjō Tokimune, who held the effective power in his hands until the family was destroyed in 1333.

Taïro

Under the third Tokugawa Shogun, the Office of the Taïro was created, originally served as Chairman of the Council ( roju ). In later times it developed into a regent position for the Shogun. The Office was occupied after 1648 only in times of crisis. His most famous owner is Ii Naosuke, who was appointed in 1858.