The was an important administrative and political office in the early modern government of Japan. However, the significance and effectiveness of the office is credited to the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, who developed these initial creations as bureaucratic elements in a consistent and coherent whole.

Shogunal deputies during the Kamakura shogunate

The official was the personal representative of the military dicatators Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

 and Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

; and it was institutionalized as the representative of the Tokugawa shoguns.

The office was similar to 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...

 of the 13th and 14th centuries. Tandai

Tandai

The term is a Kamakura and Muromachi period colloquialism for any very important governmental, judiciary or military post in a determinate area. During the Kamakura shogunate, examples of tandai in the east of the country were the shikken and the rensho, in the west of the country and in Kyūshū...

was the name given to governors or chief magistrates of important cities under 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...

. The office became very important under the Hōjō regents and was always held by a trusted member of the family.

Shogunal deputies during the Tokugawa shogunate

The office was expanded and its duties codified as an office in the Tokugawa shogunate

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

. The shoshidai, usually chosen from among the fudai

Fudai

was a class of daimyo who were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa in Edo period Japan. It was primarily the fudai who filled the ranks of the Tokugawa administration.-Origins:...

 daimyo

Daimyo

is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...

, was the shogun's deputy in the Kyoto region, and was responsible for maintaining good relations and open communication between the shogunate and the imperial court. No less important, this official was also tasked with controlling the access of the daimyo to the Court. He was appointed to oversee financial measures and the court, and to ensure the emperor's personal security and for guarding the safety of the court. For example, the shoshidai supported the Kyoto magistrate or municipal administrator (the machi-bugyō

Machi-bugyo

were officials of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period Japan. Appointments to this prominent office were usually fudai daimyō, but this was amongst the senior administrative posts open to those who were not daimyō...

) in making positive policy about firefighting for the royal palaces. In this context, working with the shoshidai would have been the administrator of the reigning sovereign's court (the kinri-zuki bugyō) and the administrator of the ex-emperor's court (the sendō-zuki bugyō), both of whom would have been shogunate appointees. He would have been at the head of a network of spies whose quiet task was to discover and report any covert sources of sedition, insurrection or other kinds of unrest.

As Governor-general of Kyoto and the surrounding eight provinces, the shoshidai was responsible for collecting taxes in the home provinces and for other duties attached to this office as well. The municipal administrators of Nara and Fushimi, in addition to Kyoto's municipal governance, the Kyoto deputy (the daikwan), and the officials of the Nijō Palace were all subordinate to the shoshidai. He was empowered to hear suits-at-law and he had oversight control of all temples and shrines. The shoshidai had a force of constables (yoriki) and policemen (dōshin) under their command.

In addition to administrative duties, the shoshidais participation in ceremonial events served a function in consolidating the power and influence of the shogunate. For example, in September 1617, a Korean delegation was received by Hidetada at Fushimi Castle, and the shoshidai was summoned for two reasons (1) for the Koreans, to underscore the importance accoreded the embassy, and (2) for the kuge

Kuge

The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto until the rise of the Shogunate in the 12th century at which point it was eclipsed by the daimyo...

courtiers in attendance, to make sure that they were properly impressed.

To qualify for this high office, it eventually developed that service as governor of Osaka was a prerequisite. The close, personal link with the shogun was maintained through visits to Edo every five or six years to report directly to the shogun. The conventional route of promotion was from governor of Osaka (the judai) to the shoshidai of Kyoto and from that position to the highest governing council (rōjū). The shusidai earned 10,000 koku annually, in addition to the income from his own daimyoate.

In September 1862, a concurrent, nearly co-equal office was created, the "Kyoto shugoshoku

Kyoto Shugoshoku

The ' was a Japanese bureaucratic office of the Tokugawa shogunate from 1862 through 1868. The officeholder was responsible for keeping the peace in the city of Kyoto and its environs, and in this role, largely supplanted the extant office of Kyoto Shoshidai, though the two offices existed side by...

", was created in an attempt to strengthen the faction. The kōbu-gattai were feudal lords and Court nobles who sought a greater share of political power without actually destroying the shogunate, as contrasted with a more radical faction, the , which attracted men like Okubo Toshimichi

Okubo Toshimichi

, was a Japanese statesman, a samurai of Satsuma, and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. He is regarded as one of the main founders of modern Japan.-Early life:...

. The related office of the shugoshoku had essentially the same functions as that of the shoshidai, but it was considered the senior of the two; and only members of the Matsudaira family were appointed.

The last Kyoto shoshidai, Matsudaira Sadaaki

Matsudaira Sadaaki

was a Japanese daimyo of the Bakumatsu period, who was the last ruler of the Kuwana Domain. Sadaaki was the adopted heir of Matsudaira Sadamichi, the descendant of Sadatsuna, the third son of Hisamatsu Sadakutsu , who was Tokugawa Ieyasu's brother. His family was known as the Hisamatsu Matsudaira...

, came from a collateral Tokugawa branch

Kuwana Domain

The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Ise Province .-List of Daimyo:*Honda clan #Tadakatsu#Tadamasa*Matsudaira clan...

. As a practical matter, it could be said that this office ended with his resignation in 1867; but matters were not so unclouded in that time. After the Imperial edict sanctioning the restoration of Imperial government (November 1867), there was a time lag before the office of shoshidai was abolished (January 1868) and affairs of the city were temporarily entrusted to the clans of Sasayama

Sasayama Domain

' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Tanba Province. It was founded in 1609, when Matsudaira Yasushige moved there from the Yakami Domain. The domain changed hands several times until 1748, when it was given to Aoyama Tadatomo. The Aoyama family remained there until 1868; the...

 (Aoyama), Zeze

Zeze Domain

The was a feudal domain in Japan during the Edo period. It was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu as a reward to Toda Kazuaki, whom he transferred from a 5,000 koku territory in Musashi Province to this 30,000 koku domain in Ōmi Province. The domain government had its headquarters at Zeze Castle in...

 (Honda) and Kameyama (Matsudaira).

Kyoto shoshidai of the Edo period

List of Kyoto shoshidai during the Tokugawa shogunate
Ordinal Ordinal Ordinal may refer to:* Ordinal number , a word representing the rank of a number* Ordinal scale, ranking things that are not necessarily numbers* Ordinal indicator, the sign adjacent to a numeral denoting that it is an ordinal number...	Name Name A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...	Duration Time Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....	Notes
The Edo period shoshidai were seen to be pivotal in maintaining stability across a span of centuries.
1	Okudaira Nobumasa	1600–1601
2	Itakura Katsushige Itakura Katsushige was a Japanese daimyō of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period to early Edo period. He fought at the side of Ieyasu Tokugawa at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.Katsuhige's daimyō family claimed descent from the Shibukawa branch of the Seiwa-Genji...	1601–1619
3	Makino Chikashige Makino Chikashige was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. He was also known by his title, Sado no kami—Makino Sado no kami Chiashige. He was the son of Makino Takumi no kami Nobushige....	1654–1668
4	Itakura Shigenori Itakura Shigenori was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. Shigenori's daimyō family claimed descent from the Shibukawa branch of the Seiwa-Genji. The Itakura identified its clan origins in Mikawa province, and the progeny of Katsuhige , including the descendants of his second son Shigemasa , were known as...	1668–1670
5	Nagai Naotsune Nagai Naotsune was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa Shogunate, including wakadoshiyori and Kyoto Shoshidai....	1670–1678
6	Toda Tadamasa Toda Tadamasa was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa Shogunate, including rōjū and Kyoto Shoshidai.-References:...	1678–1681
7	Inaba Masamichi Inaba Masamichi was a daimyō of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province in early-Edo period Japan. He was later transferred to Takada Domain in Echigo Province, and then to Sakura Domain in Shimōsa Province...	1681–1685
8	Tsuchiya Masanao Tsuchiya Masanao , was a daimyo in Japan during the Edo period. Masanao's daimyō family was descended from Minamoto Yasuuji . The descendants of Tsuchiya lived successively at Kururi in Kazusa province; after 1669 at Tsuchiura in Hitachi province; after 1681 at Tanaka in Suruga province; and then, after 1688,...	1685–1687
9	Naitō Shigeyori	1687–1690
10	Matsudaira Nobuoki	1690–1691
11	Ogasawara Nagashige Ogasawara Nagashige , also known as Sado-no-kami and Etchū-no-kami was a Japanese daimyo of the mid-Edo period.During the Edo period, the Ogasawara were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokdugawa, in contrast with the tozama or outsider...	1691–1697
14	Matsudaira Nobutsune	1697–1714
15	Mizuno Tadayuki Mizuno Tadayuki was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including wakadoshiyori, rōjū, and Kyoto Shoshidai....	1714–1717
16	Matsudaira Tadachika Matsudaira Tadachika ' was a Japanese fudai daimyo of the Edo period. He was highly influential in the Tokugawa shogunate under Shogun Ieshige.Tadachika served as Kyoto shoshidai from 1717 through 1724. He was promoted to rōjū in 1724 when he moved from Kyoto to Edo....	1717–1724
17	Makino Hideshige Makino Hideshige , also known as ', was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period.The Makino were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassels or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans....	1724–1734
18	Toki Yoritoshi Toki Yoritoshi was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including Kyoto Shoshidai and rōjū....	1734–1742
19	Makino Sadamichi Makino Sadamichi was a Japanese daimyo of the mid-Edo period.The Makino were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassels or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans.-Makino clan genealogy:...	1742–1749
20	Matsudaira Sukekuni Matsudaira Sukekuni was a hatamoto, and later a daimyō during mid-Edo period Japan.-Biography:Matsudaira Sukekuni was born as Sano Sukekuni, the second son of the hatamoto Sanō Katsuyori. In 1714, he entered into the administration of the Tokugawa shogunate as a minor hatamoto, and received Lower 5th Court Rank...	1749–1752
21	Sakai Tadamochi Sakai Tadamochi was a Japanese daimyo of the mid-Edo period.The Sakai were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassels or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans.-Sakai clan genealogy:...	1752–1756
22	Matsudaira Terutaka	1756–1758
23	Inoue Masatsune Inoue Masatsune was a daimyō and official of the Tokugawa shogunate during mid-Edo period Japan.-Biography:Inoue Masatsune was the eldest son of the daimyō of Kasama Domain in Hitachi Province, Inoue Masayuki...	1758–1760
24	Abe Masasuke	1760–1764
25	Abe Masachika	1764–1768
26	Doi Toshisato Doi Toshisato was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Karatsu Domain and later the Koga Domain. He was also an official of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and held the post of Kyoto Shoshidai...	1769–1777
27	Kuze Hiroakira	1777–1781
28	Makino Sadanaga Makino Sadanaga was a Japanese daimyo of the mid-Edo period.The Makino were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans.-Makino clan genealogy:...	1781–1784
29	Toda Tadatō Toda Tadato was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period....	1784–1789
30	Ōta Sukeyoshi Ota Sukeyoshi was the 2nd daimyō of Kakegawa Domain in Tōtōmi Province, in mid-Edo period Japan and a high-level office holder within the Tokugawa shogunate. -Biography:...	1789-1782
31	Hotta Masanari	1792–1798
32	Makino Tadakiyo Makino Tadakiyo was a Japanese daimyo of the late Edo period.The Makino were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans....	1798–1801
33	Doi Toshiatsu	1801–1802
34	Aoyama Tadayasu	1802–1804
35	Inaba Masanobu Inaba Masanobu was a daimyo in early 19th-century Japan during the Edo period. Masanobu's family was descended from Masanari, a younger son of Konō Michitaka, daimyō from Mino province who had been a vassal of Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi...	1804–1806
36	Abe Masayoshi Abe Masayoshi was a Japanese daimyo of the mid-Edo period, who ruled the Oshi Domain.Masayoshi served as Kyoto Shoshidai....	1806–1808
37	Sakai Tadayuki Sakai Tadayuki was a Japanese daimyo of the mid to late Edo period, who ruled the Obama Domain.The Sakai were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans.-Sakai clan genealogy:Tadayuki was part...	1808–1815
38	Ōkubo Tadazane Okubo Tadazane was the 7th daimyō of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province, in mid-Edo period Japan. His courtesy title was Kaga no Kami.-Biography:...	1815–1818
39	Matsudaira Norihiro Matsudaira Norihiro was a Japanese daimyo of the mid to late Edo period, who ruled the Nishio Domain. Norihiro held a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including rōjū and Kyoto Shoshidai....	1818–1823
40	Naitō Nobuatsu Naito Nobuatsu was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Murakami Domain....	1823–1825
41	Matsudaira Yasutō Matsudaira Yasuto was a Japanese daimyo of the mid to late Edo period, who ruled the Hamada Domain. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate. After serving as magistrate of temples and shrines and Osaka Castle warden, he served for a year as Kyoto Shoshidai...	1825–1826
42	Mizuno Tadakuni Mizuno Tadakuni was a daimyō during late-Edo period Japan, who later served as chief senior councilor in service to the Tokugawa Shogunate. He is remembered for having instituted the Tenpo Reform.-Biography:...	1826–1828
43	Matsudaira Muneakira	1828–1832
44	Ōta Sukemoto Ota Sukemoto was the 5th Ōta daimyō of Kakegawa Domain in Tōtōmi Province, in late-Edo period and Bakumatsu period Japan and a high-level office holder within the Tokugawa shogunate. His courtesy title was Dewa-no-kami.-Biography:...	1832–1834
45	Matsudaira Nobuyori Matsudaira Nobuyori was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Yoshida Domain. He held several positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including that of Kyoto Shoshidai....	1834–1837
46	Doi Toshitsura Doi Toshitsura was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Koga Domain. He served as a rōjū in the Tokugawa shogunate.-References:* Bolitho, Harold. . Treasures Among Men: The Fudai Daimyo in Tokugawa Japan. New Haven: Yale University Press. 10-ISBN 0-300-01655-7/13-ISBN 978-0-300-01655-0;...	1837–1838
47	Manabe Akikatsu Manabe Akikatsu was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Sabae Domain. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including Kyoto Shoshidai and rōjū....	1838–1840
48	Makino Tadamasa Makino Tadamasa was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period.The Makino were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassels or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans.-Makino clan genealogy:...	1840–1843
49	Sakai Tadaaki Sakai Tadaaki , also known as Sakai Tadayoshi, was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, and he was a prominent shogunal official. He was also known as Shūri-daibu ; as Wakasa-no-kami ; and Ukyō-daibu...	1843–1850
50	Naitō Nobuchika Naito Nobuchika , also known as Nobukoto , was a Japanese daimyo of the late Edo period, who ruled the Murakami Domain. His title was Kii-no-kami.Before he became the Tokugawa shogunate's chief representative in the capital as Kyoto shoshidai in 1850-1851, he had been Osaka jōdai in 1848-1850.Nobuchika supported...	1850–1851
51	Wakisaka Yasuori Wakisaka Yasuori was a Japanese daimyo of the late Edo period, who ruled the Tatsuno Domain....	1851–1857
52	Honda Tadamoto	1857–1858
53	Sakai Tadaaki Sakai Tadaaki , also known as Sakai Tadayoshi, was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, and he was a prominent shogunal official. He was also known as Shūri-daibu ; as Wakasa-no-kami ; and Ukyō-daibu...	1858–1862
54	Matsudaira Munehide Matsudaira Munehide , also known as ', was a Japanese daimyo of the late Edo period who ruled the Miyazu Domain . He was known by the titles or .-Official in the bakufu:...	1862	Daimyo of Tango-Miyazu Miyazu Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Tango Province .-List of lords:*Kyōgoku clan, 1600-1666 #Takatomo#Takahiro#Takakuni*Tenryō, 1666-1669... , later involved in international negotiations.
55	Makino Tadayuki Makino Tadayuki was a Japanese daimyo of the late Edo period.The Makino were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassels or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans.-Makino clan genealogy:...	1862–1863	Daimyo of Nagaoka Nagaoka -Places:* Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan* Nagaoka-kyō, the capital of Japan from 784 to 794** Nagaokakyō, Kyoto, Japan, a city at the location of Nagaoka-kyō* Izunagaoka, Shizuoka, Japan, a former town in Izu Peninsula.-People:... .
56	Inaba Masakuni Inaba Masakuni was a Japanese daimyo of the late-Edo period.In the Edo period, the Makino were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans....	1863–1864
57	Matsudaira Sadaaki Matsudaira Sadaaki was a Japanese daimyo of the Bakumatsu period, who was the last ruler of the Kuwana Domain. Sadaaki was the adopted heir of Matsudaira Sadamichi, the descendant of Sadatsuna, the third son of Hisamatsu Sadakutsu , who was Tokugawa Ieyasu's brother. His family was known as the Hisamatsu Matsudaira...	1864–1867	Last shoshidai; brother of Matsudaira Katamori Matsudaira Katamori was a samurai who lived in the last days of the Edo period and the early to mid Meiji period. He was the 9th daimyo of the Aizu han and the Military Commissioner of Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period. During the Boshin War, Katamori and the Aizu han fought against the Meiji Government armies, but... .