Ministry of Justice (pre-modern)

This article is about the Ministry of the Justice before 1871. For other uses, see Ministry of Justice (Japan).

Pre-modern Japan

Part of a series on the politics and government of Japan during the Nara and Heian periods

DaijÅ-kan (Council of State)
Chancellor / Chief Minister	DaijÅ-daijin
Minister of the Left	Sadaijin
Minister of the Right	Udaijin
Minister of the Center	Naidaijin
Major Counselor	Dainagon
Middle Counselor	ChÅ«nagon
Minor Counselor	ShÅnagon
Eight Ministries
Center	Nakatsukasa-shÅ
Ceremonial	Shikibu-shÅ
Civil Administration	Jibu-shÅ
Popular Affairs	Minbu-shÅ
Military	HyÅbu-shÅ
Justice	GyÅbu-shÅ
Treasury	ÅŒkura-shÅ
Imperial Household	Kunai-shÅ

The Ministry of Justice (pre-modern) (åˆ‘éƒ¨çœ, GyÅbu-shÅ) was a division of the eighth century Japanese government of the Imperial Court in Kyoto,^[1] instituted in the Asuka period and formalized during the Heian period. The Ministry was replaced in the Meiji period.

Overview

The nature of the ministry was modified in response to changing times. The ambit of the GyÅbu-shÅ activities encompassed, for example:

administration and conduct of trials ^[2]
oversight of the determination of the severity of punishments^[2]
regulation of the imposition of fines, imprisonments, and penal servitude^[2]

History

The duties, responsibilities and focus of the ministry evolved over time. The ritsuryÅ system of laws were interpreted and applied by bureaucracies which distinguished punishment (gyÅbushÅ) and censorship (danjodai). These were merged in 1871 when the Ministry of Justice (å¸æ³•çœ, shihÅshÅ) was established under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan.^[3]

Hierarchy

The Ministry of Justice brought together a judiciary and penal system management.^[4]

The top ritsuryÅ officials within this ministry structure were:

chief administrator of the Ministry of Justice (åˆ‘éƒ¨å¿, GyÅbu-kyÅ)^[5]
First assistant to the chief of the Ministry of Justice (åˆ‘éƒ¨å¤§è¼”, GyÅbu-taifu)^[5]
Second assistant to the chief of the Ministry of Justice (åˆ‘éƒ¨å°‘è¼”, GyÅbu-shÅ)^[6]
Senior Ministry of Justice undersecretary (åˆ‘éƒ¨ä¸ž, GyÅbu-no-jÅ)^[6]
Alternate of the Ministry of Justice undersecretary (åˆ‘éƒ¨éŒ², GyÅbu-no-sakan), two positions^[6]
Chief judge (å¤§åˆ¤äº‹, Dai-hanji). There are three classes of officials under the control of the chief judge^[6]
First assistants to the Chief Judge (ä¸åˆ¤äº‹, ChÅ«-hanji)^[6]
Second assistants to the Chief Judge (å°‘åˆ¤äº‹, ShÅ-hanji)^[6]
Alternate assistants to the Chief Judge (åˆ¤äº‹å±ž, Hanji-no-sakan)^[6]
Chief prison warden (å›šç„æ£, ShÅ«goku-no-kami)^[6]
First assistant prison warden (å›šç„ä½‘, ShÅ«goku-no-jÅ)^[6]
Alternate assistant prison warden (å›šç„ä»¤å², ShÅ«goku-no-sakan)^[6]

Notes

â†‘ Kawakami, Karl Kiyoshi. (1903). The Political Ideas of the Modern Japan, pp. 36-38., p. 36, at Google Books
1 2 3 Kawakami, p. 38 n1,, p. 37, at Google Books citing Ito Hirobumi, Commentaries on the Japanese Constitution, p. 87 (1889).
â†‘ Ministry of Justice, Sheffield.
1 2 Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 431., p. 431, at Google Books
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Titsingh, p. 432., p. 432, at Google Books

References

Kawakami, Karl Kiyoshi. (1903). The Political Ideas of the Modern Japan. Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press. OCLC 466275784. Internet Archive, full text
Nussbaum, Louis FrÃ©dÃ©ric and KÃ¤the Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 48943301
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691

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