- Metsuke
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Metsuke (目付 ) were the censors or the inspectors of Tokugawa Japan. They were bakufu officials ranking somewhat lower than the bugyō. The metsuke were charged with the special duty of detecting and investigating instances of maladministration, corruption or disaffection anywhere in Japan; and particularly amongst the populace having status below the daimyō.[1]
Contents
Intelligence gathering
The shogunate recognized the need for some kind of internal intelligence-gathering apparatus and for some degree of covert espionage within its own ranks. It could be said that the metsuke functioned as the Shogun's intelligence agency or as internal spies, reporting to the officials in Edo on events and situations across the country.[2]
The metsuke were charged with focusing on those ranking below daimyō-status; and their counterparts, the ōmetsuke, were responsible for supervising the activities of officials and members of the daimyō (feudal lords).[1]
Although similarly engaged, the reporting protocols of the metsuke and ōmetsuke differed. The metsuke reported to wakadoshiyori who ranked just below the rōjū. The ōmetsuke reported directly to the four or five rōjū at the top of the shogunate bureaucracy. By design, the intelligence-gathering activities of the metsuke was intended to complement those of the ōmetsuke even though there was no official reporting relationship between the two somewhat independent groups.[2]
There were at any given time as many as twenty-four metsuke.[2]
Ad hoc evolution
The bureaucracy of the Tokugawa shogunate expanded on an ad hoc basis, responding to perceived needs and changing circumstances. Sometimes one or more of the metsuke or ōmetsuke would have been selected to address a specific or even a unique problem. For example, Arao Norimasa in the period from 1852 through 1854 was charged with special duties as kaibo-gakari-metsuke.[3]
The prefix kaibō-gakari meaning "in charge of maritime defense" was used with the titles of some bakufu officials after 1845. This term was used to designate those who bore a special responsibility for overseeing coastal waters, and by implication, for dealing with matters involving foreigners. Kaibō-gakari-metsuke which later came to be superseded by the term gaikoku-gakari.[4] These developments prceeded the Gaikoku bugyō system which began just prior to the negotiations which resulted in the Harris Treaty.[5] First appointed in August 1858, the gaikoku-bugyō were bakufu officials who were charged with advising the government on foreign affairs and who were tasked with conducting negotiations with foreign diplomats both in Japan and abroad.
In popular culture
The post of metsuke was, of course, not immune to corruption; and sometimes the conduct of these officials could be affected by bribes. For example, the televised jidaigeki episodes of Abarenbo Shogun are rife with petty corruption, including a broad range of officials across the span of television seasons.
List of metsuke
- Matsudaira Chikano (1841–1844).[6]
- Ido Staohiro (1842–1845).[7]
- Arao Narimasa (1852–1854).[8]
- Nagai Naomune (1853–1858).[9]
- Iwase Tadanari (1854–1858).[10]
- Oguri Tadamasa (1859–1860).[9]
- Ikeda Nagaaki (1862–1863, 1863).[10]
- Kawada Hiroshi (1864).[11]
- Kurimoto Sebei (1864–1865).[6]
Notes
- ^ a b Beasley, William G. (1955). Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853-1868, p. 326.
- ^ a b c Cunningham, Don. (2004). Taiho-jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai, p. 39.
- ^ Beasley, p. 341.
- ^ Beasley, p. 323.
- ^ Cullin, L.M. (2003). A History of Japan, 1582-1941, p. 185.
- ^ a b Beasley, p. 335.
- ^ Beasley, p. 332.
- ^ Beasley, p. 331.
- ^ a b Beasley, p. 338.
- ^ a b Beasley, p. 333.
- ^ Beasley, p. 334.
References
- Beasley, William G. (1955). Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853-1868. London: Oxford University Press. [reprinted by RoutledgeCurzon, London, 2001. 10-ISBN 0-197-13508-0; 13-ISBN 978-0-197-13508-2 (cloth)]
- Cullen, L.M. (2003). A History of Japan, 1582-1941: Internal and External Worlds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82115-X (cloth) ISBN 0-521-529918-2 (paper)
- Cunningham, Don. (2004). Taiho-jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing. 10-ISBN 0-804-83536-5
- Sansom, George Bailey. (1963). "A History of Japan: 1615-1867." Stanford: Stanford University Press.10-ISBN 0-8047-0527-5; 13-ISBN 978-0-804-70527-1
See also
Tokugawa Bureaucracy Organization Chart Ōmetsuke Metsuke Rōjū Jisha-bugyō Tairō Rōjū-kaku Edo machi-bugyō Kita-machi-bugyō Shōgun Sobayōnin Gaikoku-bugyō Minami-machi-bugyō Wakadoshiyori Gunkan-bugyō Honjo machi-bugyō Daimyō Gusoku-bugyō Hakodate bugyō Haneda bugyō Gundai Hyōgo bugyō Kane-bugyō Kanjō bugyō Ginza (silver monopoly) Kura-bugyō Kinzan-bugyō Dōza (copper monopoly) Kyoto shoshidai Kyoto machi-bugyō Shuza (cinnabar monopoly) Nagasaki bugyō Fushimi bugyō Niigata bugyō Nara bugyō Nikkō bugyō Osaka machi-bugyō Osaka jōdai Sakai bugyō Rōya-bugyō Sado bugyō Sakuji-bugyō Shimada bugyō Sunpu jōdai Uraga bugyō Yamada bugyō This bureaucracy evolved in an ad hoc manner, responding to perceived needs. Tokugawa Officials Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1603–1605) · Tokugawa Hidetada (1605–1623) · Tokugawa Iemitsu (1623–1651) · Tokugawa Ietsuna (1651–1680) · Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1680–1709) · Tokugawa Ienobu (1709–1712) · Tokugawa Ietsugu (1713–1716) · Tokugawa Yoshimune (1716–1745) · Tokugawa Ieshige (1745–1760) · Tokugawa Ieharu (1760–1786) · Tokugawa Ienari (1787–1837) · Tokugawa Ieyoshi (1837–1853) · Tokugawa Iesada (1853–1858) · Tokugawa Iemochi (1858–1866) · Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1867–1868)Tairō Sakai Tadayo (1636) · Doi Toshikatsu (1638-1644) · Sakai Tadakatsu (1638-1656) · Sakai Tadakiyo (1666-1680) · Ii Naozumi (1668-1676) · Hotta Masatoshi (1681-1684) · Ii Naooki (1696-1700, 1711-1714) · Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu (1706-1709) · Ii Naoyuki (1784-1787) · Ii Naoaki (1835-1841) · Ii Naosuke (1858-1860) · Sakai Tadashige (1865)
Rōjū Ōkubo Tadachika (1593-1614) · Ōkubo Nagayasu (1600-1613) · Honda Masanobu (1600-1615) · Naruse Masanari (1600-1616) · Andō Naotsugu (1600-1616) · Honda Masazumi (1600-1622) · Naitō Kiyonari (1601-1606) · Aoyama Tadanari (1601-1606) · Aoyama Narishige (1608-1613) · Sakai Tadatoshi (1609-1627) · Sakai Tadayo (1610-1634) · Doi Toshikatsu (1610-1638) · Andō Shigenobu (1611-1621) · Naitō Kiyotsugu (1616-1617) · Aoyama Tadatoshi (1616-1623) · Inoue Masanari (1617-1628) · Nagai Naomasa (1622-1633) · Abe Masatsugu (1623-1626) · Inaba Masakatsu (1623-1634) · Naitō Tadashige (1623-1633) · Sakai Tadakatsu (1624-1638) · Morikawa Shigetoshi (1628-1632) · Aoyama Yukinari (1628-1633) · Matsudaira Nobutsuna (1632-1662) · Abe Tadaaki (1633-1666) · Hotta Masamori (1635-1651) · Abe Shigetsugu (1638-1651) · Matsudaira Norinaga (1642-1654) · Sakai Tadakiyo (1653-1666) · Inaba Masanori (1657-1681) · Kuze Hiroyuki (1663-1679) · Itakura Shigenori (1665-1668, 1670-1673) · Tsuchiya Kazunao (1665-1679) · Abe Masayoshi (1673-1676) · Ōkubo Tadatomo (1677-1698) · Hotta Masatoshi (1679-1681) · Doi Toshifusa (1679-1681) · Itakura Shigetane (1680-1681) · Toda Tadamasa (1681-1699) · Abe Masatake (1681-1704) · Matsudaira Nobuyuki (1685-1686) · Tsuchiya Masanao (1687-1718) · Ogasawara Nagashige (1697-1705, 1709-1710) · Akimoto Takatomo (1699-1707) · Inaba Masamichi (1701-1707) · Honda Masanaga (1704-1711) · Ōkubo Tadamasu (1705-1713) · Inoue Masamine (1705-1722) · Abe Masataka (1711-1717) · Kuze Shigeyuki (1713-1720) · Matsudaira Nobutsune (1714-1716) · Toda Tadazane (1714-1729) · Mizuno Tadayuki (1717-1730) · Andō Nobutomo (1722-1732) · Matsudaira Norisato (1723-1745) · Matsudaira Tadachika (1724-1728) · Ōkubo Tsuneharu (1728) · Sakai Tadaoto (1728-1735) · Matsudaira Nobutoki (1730-1744) · Matsudaira Terusada (1730-1745) · Kuroda Naokuni (1732-1735) · Honda Tadanaga (1734-1746) · Toki Yoritoshi (1742-1744) · Sakai Tadazumi (1744-1749) · Matsudaira Norikata (1745-1746) · Hotta Masasuke (1745-1761) · Nishio Tadanao (1746-1760) · Honda Masayoshi (1746-1758) · Matsudaira Takechika (1746-1779) · Sakai Tadayori (1749-1764) · Matsudaira Terutaka (1758-1781) · Inoue Masatsune (1760-1763) · Akimoto Sumitomo (1747-1764, 1765-1767) · Doi Toshitsura (1838-1844) · Inoue Masaharu (1840-1843) · Andō Nobumasa (1860-1862) · Itakura Katsukiyo (1862-1864, 1865-1868) · Inoue Masanao (1862-1864) · Mizuno Tadakiyo (1862-1866) · Sakai Tadashige (1863-1864) · Arima Michizumi (1863-1864) · Makino Tadayuki (1863-1865) · Matsumae Takahiro (1864-1865) · Abe Masato (1864-1865) · Suwa Tadamasa (1864-1865) · Inaba Masakuni (1864-1865, 1866-1868) · Matsudaira Munehide (1864-1866) · Inoue Masanao (1865-1867) · Matsudaira Yasuhide (1865-1868) · Mizuno Tadanobu (1866) · Matsudaira Norikata (1866-1868) · Inaba Masami (1866-1868) · Matsudaira Sadaaki (1867) · Ōkōchi Masatada (1867-1868) · Sakai Tadatō (1867-1868) · Tachibana Taneyuki (1868)
Wakadoshiyori Nagai Naoyuki (1867-1868) ·
Kyoto shoshidai Okudaira Nobumasa (1600-1601) · Itakura Katsushige (1601-1619) · Makino Chikashige (1654-1668) · Itakura Shigenori (1668-1670) · Nagai Naotsune (1670-1678) · Toda Tadamasa (1678-1681) · Inaba Masamichi (1681-1685) · Tsuchiya Masanao (1685-1687) · Naitō Shigeyori (1687-1690) · Matsudaira Nobuoki (1690-1691) · Ogasawara Nagashige (1691-1697) · Matsudaira Nobutsune (1697-1714) · Mizuno Tadayuki (1714-1717) · Matsudaira Tadachika(1717-1724) · Makino Hideshige (1724-1734) · Toki Yoritoshi {1734-1742) · Makino Sadamichi (1742-1749) · Matsudaira Sukekuni (1749-1752) · Sakai Tadamochi (1752-1756) · Matsudaira Terutaka(1756-1758) · Inoue Masatsune (1758-1760) · Abe Masasuke (1760-1764) · Abe Masachika (1764-1768) · Doi Toshisato (1769-1777) · Kuze Hiroakira (1777-1781) · Makino Sadanaga (1781-1784) · Toda Tadatō (1784-1789) · Ōta Sukeyoshi (1789-1782) · Hotta Masanari (1792-1798) · Makino Tadakiyo (1798-1801) · Doi Toshiatsu (1801-1802) · Aoyama Tadayasu (1802-1804) · Inaba Masanobu (1804-1806) · Abe Masayoshi (1806-1808) · Sakai Tadayuki (1808-1815) · Ōkubo Tadazane (1815-1818) · Matsudaira Norihiro (1818-1823) · Naitō Nobuatsu (1823-1825) · Matsudaira Yasutō (1825-1826) · Mizuno Tadakuni (1826-1828) · Matsudaira Muneakira (1828-1832) · Ōta Sukemoto (1832-1834) · Matsudaira Nobuyori (1834-1837) · Doi Toshitsura (1837-1838) · Manabe Akikatsu (1838-1840) · Makino Tadamasa (1840-1843) · Sakai Tadaaki (1843-1850) · Naitō Nobuchika (1850-1851) · Wakisaka Yasuori (1851-1857) · Honda Tadamoto (1857-1858) · Sakai Tadaaki (1858-1862) · Matsudaira Munehide (1862) · Makino Tadayuki (1862-1863) · Inaba Masakuni (1863-1864) · Matsudaira Sadaaki (1864-1867)
Bugyō Bugu-bugyō (post-1863) · Edo machi-bugyō · Fushimi bugyō · Gaikoku-bugyō (post-1858) · Gunkan-bugyō (post-1859) · Gusoku-bugyō · Hakodate bugyō · Haneda bugyō (post-1853) · Hyōgo bugyō (post-1864) · Jisha-bugyō · Kanagawa bugyō (post-1859) · Kanjō-bugyō (post-1787) · Kinzan-bugyō · Kyoto machi-bugyō · Nara bugyō · Machi-bugyō · Nagasaki bugyō · Niigata bugyō · Nikkō bugyō · Osaka jōdai · Osaka machi-bugyō · Rōya-bugyō · Sado bugyō · Sakai bugyō · Sakuji-bugyō (post-1632) · Shimoda bugyō · Sunpu jōdai · Uraga bugyō · Yamada bugyō
Daimyo ·
Hatamoto ·
Ōmetsuke Yagyū Munenori (1632-1636) · Mizuno Morinobu (1632-1636) · Akiyama Masashige 1632-1640) · Inoue Masashige (1632-1658) · Kagazume Tadazumi (1640-1650) · Nakane Masamori (1650) · Hōjō Ujinaga (1655-1670) · Ōoka Tadatane (1670) · Nakayama Naomori (1684) · Sengoku Hisanao (1695-1719) · Shōda Yasutoshi (1699-1701) · Sakakibara Tadayuki (1836-1837) · Atobe Yoshisuke (1839-1841, 1855-1856) · Tōyama Kagemoto (1844) · Ido Hiromichi 1853-1855) · Tsutsui Masanori (1854-1857) · Ōkubo Tadahiro (1862) · Matsudaira Yasuhide (1864) · Nagai Naoyuki (1864-1865, 1865-1867) · Yamaoka Takayuki (1868) · Oda Nobushige (1868)
Metsuke ·
Kyoto Shugoshoku Matsudaira Katamori (1862-1864) · Matsudaira Yoshinaga (1864) · Matsudaira Katamori (1864-1867)
The several configurations of the Tokugawa shogunate's bureaucracy were changed according to perceived needs and conditions. Categories:- Officials of the Tokugawa shogunate
- Government of feudal Japan
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