Kanrei
Encyclopedia
or, more rarely, kanryō, was a high political post in feudal Japan
; it is usually translated as Shogun's
Deputy. After 1349, there were actually two Kanrei, the Kyoto Kanrei and the Kantō Kanrei.
Originally, from 1219 until 1333, the post was synonymous with the Rokuhara Tandai
, and was based in Kyoto
. The Hōjō clan
monopolized this post, and there were during this period two Deputies - a southern chief, and a northern chief. From 1336 to 1367, the Deputy was called . The first to hold this title was Kō no Moronao
.
In 1367, Hosokawa Yoriyuki
was chosen by a council to become Deputy (Kyoto Kanrei). In order to ensure the loyalty of his colleagues, the Hatakeyama
and Shiba
clans, he proposed that three families share the position of Kanrei, alternating between them every time a new appointment was needed. Thus was born the San-Kan or Three Kanrei. However, in 1379, Yoriyuki's actions attracted the resentment of certain powerful lords, who pressed for his dismissal. After that, the Kyoto Kanrei no longer held the responsibilities of Shogun's Deputy, and merely carried out his orders in an advisory and executive position.
Following the fall of the Kamakura shogunate
, and abolition of the Rokuhara Tandai
position, Ashikaga Takauji
created the post of Kantō Kanrei, or Shogun's Deputy in the East (Kantō generally refers to the area around and including modern Tokyo
).
for Kyoto
in pursuit of Nitta Yoshisada
. He left behind his 4-year-old son Yoshiakira
as his representative in the trust of three guardians: Hosokawa Kiyouji, Uesugi Noriaki, and Shiba Ienaga. In 1349 Takauji called Yoshiakira to Kyoto, replacing him with another of his sons, Motouji
, to whom he gave the title of Kantō Kanrei. Because the kanrei was the son of the shogun, ruled Kantō and controlled the military there, the area was usually called Kamakura Bakufu, or Kamakura Shogunate, and Motouji or Kamakura/Kantō Gosho, an equivalent title. When later the habit of calling kubō the shogun spread from Kyoto to the Kantō, the ruler of Kamakura came to be called Kamakura kubō. The Kanrei title was then passed on to the Uesugi hereditary . Members of the Uesugi family thereafter dominated the Kantō kanrei post until 1552, when it was abolished.
The political organization of the Ashikaga shogunate
was complex, and shifted from time to time. The responsibilities and official title of the Kanrei or Deputy changed a number of times, as other positions were created or abolished. In addition, they worked alongside a number of other posts, such as the Kyūshū Tandai, who represented the Shogun's interests and orders in the southernmost of the main islands.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; it is usually translated as Shogun's
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Deputy. After 1349, there were actually two Kanrei, the Kyoto Kanrei and the Kantō Kanrei.
Originally, from 1219 until 1333, the post was synonymous with the Rokuhara Tandai
Rokuhara Tandai
was the post of the chiefs of the Kamakura shogunate in Kyoto whose agency kept responsibility for security in Kinai and judicial affairs on western Japan, and negotiated with the imperial court. Despite keeping security, they were also a sort of secret police and widely feared.Rokuhara Tandai was...
, and was based in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. The Hōjō clan
Hojo clan
See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...
monopolized this post, and there were during this period two Deputies - a southern chief, and a northern chief. From 1336 to 1367, the Deputy was called . The first to hold this title was Kō no Moronao
Ko no Moronao
was a Japanese samurai of the Nanboku-chō period who was the first to hold the position of Shitsuji . He was appointed by Ashikaga Takauji, the first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. As Deputy, he served not only an administrative governmental function, but also as general of the Shogun's armies...
.
In 1367, Hosokawa Yoriyuki
Hosokawa Yoriyuki
was a samurai of the Hosokawa clan, and prominent government minister under the Ashikaga shogunate, serving as Kyoto Kanrei from 1367 to 1379. The first to hold this post, he solidified the power of the shogunate, as well as elements of its administrative organization...
was chosen by a council to become Deputy (Kyoto Kanrei). In order to ensure the loyalty of his colleagues, the Hatakeyama
Hatakeyama clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan and descended from Taira no Takamochi, they fell victim of political intrigue in 1205, when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, first, and his father Shigetada later were killed in battle by Hōjō forces in Kamakura...
and Shiba
Shiba clan
The was a Japanese clan claiming descent from the Minamoto clan of the Heian era that held influence and territory in the provinces of Echizen province and Owari province to which they were governors during the Sengoku era. However, they were unable to make a transition to Sengoku-daimyo and lost...
clans, he proposed that three families share the position of Kanrei, alternating between them every time a new appointment was needed. Thus was born the San-Kan or Three Kanrei. However, in 1379, Yoriyuki's actions attracted the resentment of certain powerful lords, who pressed for his dismissal. After that, the Kyoto Kanrei no longer held the responsibilities of Shogun's Deputy, and merely carried out his orders in an advisory and executive position.
Following the fall of the Kamakura shogunate
Kamakura shogunate
The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...
, and abolition of the Rokuhara Tandai
Rokuhara Tandai
was the post of the chiefs of the Kamakura shogunate in Kyoto whose agency kept responsibility for security in Kinai and judicial affairs on western Japan, and negotiated with the imperial court. Despite keeping security, they were also a sort of secret police and widely feared.Rokuhara Tandai was...
position, Ashikaga Takauji
Ashikaga Takauji
was the founder and first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358...
created the post of Kantō Kanrei, or Shogun's Deputy in the East (Kantō generally refers to the area around and including modern Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
).
The Kantō Kanrei
In the first weeks of 1336 Ashikaga Takauji left KamakuraKamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
for Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
in pursuit of Nitta Yoshisada
Nitta Yoshisada
was the head of the Nitta family in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period, capturing Kamakura from the Hōjō clan in 1333....
. He left behind his 4-year-old son Yoshiakira
Ashikaga Yoshiakira
was the 2nd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1358 to 1367 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshiakira was the son of the founder and first shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Takauji....
as his representative in the trust of three guardians: Hosokawa Kiyouji, Uesugi Noriaki, and Shiba Ienaga. In 1349 Takauji called Yoshiakira to Kyoto, replacing him with another of his sons, Motouji
Ashikaga Motouji
-See also:* Kamakura, Kanagawa - The Muromachi and Edo periods* The article Nanboku-chō period...
, to whom he gave the title of Kantō Kanrei. Because the kanrei was the son of the shogun, ruled Kantō and controlled the military there, the area was usually called Kamakura Bakufu, or Kamakura Shogunate, and Motouji or Kamakura/Kantō Gosho, an equivalent title. When later the habit of calling kubō the shogun spread from Kyoto to the Kantō, the ruler of Kamakura came to be called Kamakura kubō. The Kanrei title was then passed on to the Uesugi hereditary . Members of the Uesugi family thereafter dominated the Kantō kanrei post until 1552, when it was abolished.
The political organization of the Ashikaga shogunate
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was a Japanese feudal military regime, ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from Muromachi Street of Kyoto where the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established his residence...
was complex, and shifted from time to time. The responsibilities and official title of the Kanrei or Deputy changed a number of times, as other positions were created or abolished. In addition, they worked alongside a number of other posts, such as the Kyūshū Tandai, who represented the Shogun's interests and orders in the southernmost of the main islands.
The Kyoto Kanrei
- Shitsuji
- 1336-1349 Kō no MoronaoKo no Moronaowas a Japanese samurai of the Nanboku-chō period who was the first to hold the position of Shitsuji . He was appointed by Ashikaga Takauji, the first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. As Deputy, he served not only an administrative governmental function, but also as general of the Shogun's armies...
(?-1351) - 1349 Kō no Moroyo (?-1351)
- 1349-1351 Kō no MoronaoKo no Moronaowas a Japanese samurai of the Nanboku-chō period who was the first to hold the position of Shitsuji . He was appointed by Ashikaga Takauji, the first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. As Deputy, he served not only an administrative governmental function, but also as general of the Shogun's armies...
(?-1351) - 1351-1358 Niki Yoriaki (1299–1359)
- 1358-1361 Hosokawa Kiyouji (?-1362)
- 1336-1349 Kō no Moronao
- Kanrei
- 1362-1366 Shiba Yoshimasa (1350–1410)
- 1368-1379 Hosokawa YoriyukiHosokawa Yoriyukiwas a samurai of the Hosokawa clan, and prominent government minister under the Ashikaga shogunate, serving as Kyoto Kanrei from 1367 to 1379. The first to hold this post, he solidified the power of the shogunate, as well as elements of its administrative organization...
(1329–1392) - 1379-1391 Shiba Yoshimasa (1350–1410)
- 1391-1393 Hosokawa Yorimoto (1343–1397)
- 1393-1398 Shiba Yoshimasa (1350–1410)
- 1398-1405 Hatakeyama Motokuni (1352–1406)
- 1405-1409 Shiba Yoshinori (1371–1418)
- 1409-1410 Shiba Yoshiatsu (1397–1434)
- 1410-1412 Hatakeyama Mitsuie (1372–1433)
- 1412-1421 Hosokawa Mitsumoto (1378–1426)
- 1421-1429 Hatakeyama Mitsuie (1372–1433)
- 1429-1432 Shiba Yoshiatsu (1397–1434)
- 1432-1442 Hosokawa Mochiyuki (1400–1442)
- 1442-1445 Hatakeyama Mochikuni (1398–1455)
- 1445-1449 Hosokawa KatsumotoHosokawa Katsumotowas one of the Kanrei, the Deputies to the Shogun, during Japan's Muromachi Period. He is famous for his involvement in the creation of Ryōan-ji, a temple famous for its rock garden, and for his involvement in the Ōnin War, which sparked the 130-year Sengoku period.His conflicts with his...
(1430–1473) - 1449-1452 Hatakeyama Mochikuni (1398–1455)
- 1452-1464 Hosokawa Katsumoto (1430–1473)
- 1464-1467 Hatakeyama MasanagaHatakeyama Masanagawas a daimyo of the Hatakeyama clan and, according to some accounts, invented the horo, a stiffened cloak used by messengers and bodyguards to improve their visibility on the battlefield, and to act as an arrow-catcher....
(1442–1493) - 1467-1468 Shiba Yoshikado (?-?)
- 1468-1473 Hosokawa Katsumoto (1430–1473)
- 1473 Hatakeyama Masanaga (1442–1493)
- 1478-1486 Hatakeyama Masanaga (1442–1493)
- 1486 Hosokawa MasamotoHosokawa Masamotoa notable Deputy-Shogun of the Hosokawa clan of Japan, and son of Hosokawa Katsumoto. Masamoto was appointed to this very high rank during the year of 1486. However, for a brief period this title was lost by Hatakeyama Masanaga but was regained in time. When Ashikaga Yoshihisa died childless during...
(1466–1507) - 1486-1487 Hatakeyama Masanaga (1442–1493)
- 1487-? Hosokawa Masamoto (1466–1507)
- 1490 Hosokawa Masamoto (1466–1507)
- 1495-1507 Hosokawa Masamoto (1466–1507)
- 1508-1525 Hosokawa TakakuniHosokawa TakakuniHosokawa Takakuni was the most powerful military commander in the Muromachi period under Ashikaga Yoshiharu, the twelfth shogun. His father was Hosokawa Masaharu, who was the branch of the Hosokawa clan....
(1484–1531) - 1525 Hosokawa Tanekuni
- 1527 Hatakeyama YoshitakaHatakeyama YoshitakaHatakeyama Yoshitaka was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period, who was the 11th head of the Hatakeyama of Noto province. It is commonly believed that the Cho clan and their supporters usurped Yoshitaka's position later that year and had murdered him in 1576; but some sources state that he lived...
(?-1532) - 1536 Hosokawa HarumotoHosokawa Harumotowas a Japanese daimyo of the Muromachi and Sengoku periods, and the head of the Hosokawa clan. Harumoto's childhood name was Sōmei-maru . He was born to Hosokawa Sumimoto, another renowned samurai of the Muromachi era....
(1519–1563) - 1546 Rokkaku Sadayori (1495–1552)
- 1552-1564 Hosokawa UjitsunaHosokawa Ujitsunawas a Japanese military commander and Deputy Shogun of the Hosokawa clan in the end of the Muromachi period and Sengoku period of the 16th century. He was the foster son of Hosokawa Takakuni....
(?-1564)