Ministry of Popular Affairs explained

The may refer to:

  1. one of the of the Japanese imperial court, established by the Taihō Code of the early 8th century, and continued under the Ritsuryō legal system.
  2. A short-lived ministry during the Meiji period (August–September 1869, August 1870 – September 1871).

Minbu-shō (Ritsuryō)

The ministry, established by the Taihō Code and Ritsuryō laws, was one of the Eight Ministries, in the wing of four ministries reporting to the out of eight ministries. As the name indicates, this body was concerned with oversight over the affairs of the common people, viewed as taxable producers of goods. The ministry maintained various records: the population census sent from the provinces, cadastral (real estate) records, and tax accounting records.

Ministerial authority under Yōrō Code

The Yōrō Code (a revised version of the Taihō Code that created the ministry), stipulates the powers vested in the ministry, under its . There it is stated that :

諸国戸口名籍、賦役、孝義・優復・蠲免、家人奴婢、橋道、津済、渠池、山川、藪沢、諸国田事[1] "the ministry is responsible for the registers of populations,[2] the labour tax, family obligations [i.e. exemptions from labour tax in deserving cases, such as that of a son the sole support of aged parents, etc.];servants and slaves [who being unfree and propertyless were untaxable]; bridges and roads, harbours, fences, bays, lakes, mountains, rivers, woods, and swamps etc.; rice lands in all provinces." - Sansom tr.

In the above "all provinces" does not include the capital. The census for the aristocracy who had clan names (uji or kabane) etc. was under the purview of the Jibu-shō (Ministry of Civil Administration). And the ministry was not "directly responsible for the upkeep of roads, bridgees, etc.," but merely kept such records for taxation and tax transportation tracking purposes.

Popular Affairs certificate

The ministry issued order certificates or charters called the to officials and provincial governors (kokushi). The shōen system recognized private ownership of reclaimed rice-paddy lands, but did not automatically confer tax-exemption (as some misleading dictionary definitions suggest). From the early Heian period, the tax-exempt or leniency status was ratified by the certificate or charter issued either by this ministry or the Great Council (daijō-kan) itself. (See).[3]

In the period (859–877) occurred a breakdown of the Ritsuryō system under the Fujiwara no Yoshifusa regime, with authorities of the ministries absorbed by the Great Council. The decree of Jōgan 4, VII, 27 (August 826)[4] essentially stripped the ministry of its control over the tax-leniency policy, ordaining that all applications for tax relief would be decided completely by the Great Council of State (daijō-kan), and its ruling delivered directly to the countries by the Great Council's certificate (daijō-kan fu). The ministry still issued certificates for exemptions on the shōen estates, but this was just rubberstamping decisions from above, as before. These changes in the exercise of administration were codified in the and later Engishiki.[5] [6] The ministry was thus reduced to processing clerical responsibilities concerning the provinces.

Hierarchy

The was headed by the minister, whose office was ordinarily filled by a son or close relative of the emperor, of the fourth grade or higher.[7] [8]

aliases: "Chief administrator of the ministry of civil services"[9]

aliases: "Vice-Minister"[7]

aliases: "Assistant Vice-Minister"[7]

Under the Ministry were two bureaus:

The, the "Bureau of Computation" or "Bureau of Statistics."[7] was in charge of two forms of taxes, the and the . The yō was a form of conscripted compulsory labor, or more often the goods paid to be exempt from the obligation.

The, the "Tax Bureau,"[7] was in charge of the third form of tax, the . The three forms of taxes were known as under the Ritsuryō system.

trained mathematicians who calculated tax revenue and expenditures.

The director was in charge of dispensing and receipt from the government granaries. so[7]

trained mathematicians who kept tax records.

The was an ancillary facility to this ministry that stored a portion of the corvée tax (yō of soyōchō) and, which were distributed during ceremonies and functions.[12] [13]

Personages who held offices

List of translated aliases

literal
semantic

See also

References

Translations of primary sources
Secondary sources
additional sources used to compile English translated names.

Notes and References

  1. Heading: "職員令 21 民部省条... 掌.." (Yōrō code text)
  2. The word appears at the beginning of the original text, and so "aller Provinzen" appears here in, but Sansom leaves ".. in all provinces" to the end of paragraph.
  3. The Ministry of Popular Affairs (which dealt with the common people and not the gentry) did not have the decision-power to issue such charter on its own initiative. It merely drafted and rubberstamped the charter at the behest of the Great Council. Book: 坂本賞三. 荘園制成立と王朝国家. 塙書房. 1985.
  4. in volume 6 of
  5. There is a shift in terminology. The exemption from, which are mentioned in the Jōgan decree and the Engishiki, was understood to include the rights
  6. Book: 早川, 庄八. 日本古代の文書と典籍. 吉川弘文館. 1997. 1978. 55–56. 9784642023177.
    Originally published 1978 in 『古代史論叢』 2 (中)
  7. Samson does not redundantly print the Japanese 8-fold for each ministry. For the Japanese equivalent, consult pp. 71-77; pp. 77-82; pp.82-83 (overview and first two ministries).
  8. Totsomg gives Japanese representation next to each French name of office, but the latter does not correspond well with modern English translations.
  9. Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, p. 272.
  10. quote: "(Year) 877, Michizane was named junior assistant minister of ceremonial."
  11. "Senior Secretary in the Bureau of Popular Affairss"
  12. , Originally 1984 "民部省廩院について" in 土田直鎮先生還暦記念会編』, Vol. 2(下)
  13. This differs from the Ōiryō, the granary of the Imperial Household Ministry.
  14. Commissioner of Civil Affairs (probably Koremitsu), p.228. Minbu no Taifu = Commissioner of Civil Affairs p.1162
  15. (Popular Affairs minister)
  16. Organizational chart diagram,
  17. , this source inconsistently use ministry or department for various shō.
  18. http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/civadminmin.shtml Ministry of Civil Administration

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