| 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 |
Kugyō (公卿) is the collective term for the most important officials attached to the court of theEmperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras. The term generally referred to theKō (公) andKei (卿) court officials and denoted acourt rank betweenFirst Rank andThird Rank under theRitsuryō system, as opposed to the lower court nobility, thus being the collective term for the upper court nobility. However, later on some holders of the Fourth Rank were also included.
In 1869, following theMeiji Restoration, thecourt nobility anddaimyo were merged into a newpeerage, thekazoku.
Thekugyō generally refers to two groups of court officials:
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Thekugyō originated from theThree Lords and Nine Ministers (三公九卿) of the ancient ChineseQin dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC).[2]
In Japan, thekugyō was similarly divided into two groups of court officials the threeKō and the nineKei. TheKō comprised the Chancellor of the Realm (Taishi orDaijō-daijin), the Minister of the Left (Taifu orSadaijin), and the Minister of the Right (Taiho orUdaijin); and theKei comprised the Associate Counselors (Shōshi,Shōfu,Shōho,Chōsai,Shito,Sōhaku,Shiba,Shikō, andShikū, or collectively theSangi), who held the court rank of Third Rank or higher.[2]
Under theRitsuryō system, thekugyō included the three Ministers (Daijin), the Chancellor of the Realm, the Minister of the Left, and the Minister of the Right, and theMajor Counsellor (Gyoshitaifu orDainagon), who held the court rank of Third Rank or higher. However, later on government offices not specified in the administrative code of theritsuryō, theRegent (Sesshō andKampaku), theInner Minister (Naidaijin), theMiddle Counsellor (Chūnagon), and Associate Counselors holding the Fourth Rank were also included in thekugyō.[2]
Thekugyō was also divided into the incumbent courtiers (Gennin) and courtiers without a post (Sani). Additionally, among the courtiers without a post, the courtiers who had at least once held a position of Associate Counselor or higher were referred to as e.g. former Major Counsellor (saki no Dainagon), but courtiers holding a court rank of Third Rank or higher who had never been Associate Counselor were referred to as non-Associate Counselor (Hisangi).[2]
In 758, the Chancellor of the Realm was renamedTaishi fromDaijō-daijin, the Minister of the Left was renamedTaifu fromSadaijin, the Minister of the Right was renamedTaiho fromUdaijin, and the Major Counsellor was renamedGyoshitaifu fromDainagon. However, after the death ofFujiwara no Nakamaro in 764, the old names were restored.[2]
As part of theMeiji reforms, a single aristocratic class, thekazoku, was created in 1869 by merging thekuge (the court nobility in Kyoto, of which thekugyō was a part) and thedaimyōs (the feudal land holders and warriors). In the 1870s, the organizational structure of the court itself was also modernized.
In the period after theSecond World War, thekazoku was abolished, as a part of post-war Japanese reforms. The remaining political powers of the Emperor were transferred to the constitutionalgovernment of Japan, and the responsibility for state matters concerning the Emperor and theImperial family was consolidated entirely into theImperial Household Agency.
Thekugyō was also known askandachime (上達部),keishō (卿相),gekkei (月卿), andkyokuro orodoronomichi (棘路).[2]
Whilekugyō was the collective term for the holders of a court rank between First Rank and Third Rank, the term for the holders of Fourth Rank and Fifth Rank wasTaifu.[3][4]
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