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The ''buke shohatto'' (lit. "Various points of laws for warrior houses") was a collection of edicts issued by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] governing the responsibilities and activities of ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' and the rest of the [[samurai]] warrior aristocracy. These formed the basis of the ''[[bakuhan taisei]]'' (shogunate-domains system) which lay at the foundation of the Tokugawa regime. The contents of the edicts were seen as a code of conduct, a description of proper honorable ''daimyô'' behavior, and not solely laws which had to be obeyed. By appealing to notions of morality and honor, therefore, the shogunate was able to see its strictures followed despite its inability to enforce them directly.

The ''buke shohatto'' (lit. "Various points of laws for warrior houses") was a collection of edicts issued by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] governing the responsibilities and activities of ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' and the rest of the [[samurai]] warrior aristocracy. These formed the basis of the ''[[bakuhan taisei]]'' (shogunate-domains system) which lay at the foundation of the Tokugawa regime. The contents of the edicts were seen as a code of conduct, a description of proper honorable ''daimyô'' behavior, and not solely laws which had to be obeyed. By appealing to notions of morality and honor, therefore, the shogunate was able to see its strictures followed despite its inability to enforce them directly.

The edicts were first read to a gathering of ''daimyô'' by the retired [[shogun]] [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], at [[Fushimi castle]] in the seventh [[Japanese calendar|lunar month]] of 1615. They had been compiled by a number of scholars in service to the shogunate including [[Ishin Sūden|Ishin Sûden]], and were aimed primarily at limiting the power of the ''daimyô'' and thus protecting the shogunate's control over the country. They drew extensively upon the [[Chinese classics]], and upon earlier Japanese law codes. The language of the ''buke shohatto'' employed the character 公 (''kô''/''ôyake'') meaning "public," "official," or "governmental" to refer to matters related to the shogunate, and the character 私 (''shi''/''watakushi''), meaning "personal" or "private" to refer to the matters of ''daimyô'' households and domains (''[[han]]''), reflecting political understandings and attitudes of the time.<ref>[[Luke Roberts|Roberts, Luke]]. ''Performing the Great Peace: Political Space and Open Secrets in Tokugawa Japan''. University of Hawaii Press, 2012. p25.</ref>

The edicts were first read to a gathering of ''daimyô'' by the retired [[shogun]] [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], at [[Fushimi castle]] in the seventh [[Japanese calendar|lunar month]] of 1615. They had been compiled by a number of scholars in service to the shogunate including [[Ishin Suden|Ishin Sûden]], and were aimed primarily at limiting the power of the ''daimyô'' and thus protecting the shogunate's control over the country. They drew extensively upon the [[Chinese classics]], and upon earlier Japanese law codes. The language of the ''buke shohatto'' employed the character 公 (''kô''/''ôyake'') meaning "public," "official," or "governmental" to refer to matters related to the shogunate, and the character 私 (''shi''/''watakushi''), meaning "personal" or "private" to refer to the matters of ''daimyô'' households and domains (''[[han]]''), reflecting political understandings and attitudes of the time.<ref>[[Luke Roberts|Roberts, Luke]]. ''Performing the Great Peace: Political Space and Open Secrets in Tokugawa Japan''. University of Hawaii Press, 2012. p25.</ref>

The reigning shogun at the time, Ieyasu's son [[Tokugawa Hidetada]], formally promulgated the edicts shortly afterwards, and each successive shogun formally reissued them, reinforcing the restrictions on the ''daimyô'' and the control of the shogunate. Through these successive generations, however, the rules developed and changed significantly.

The reigning shogun at the time, Ieyasu's son [[Tokugawa Hidetada]], formally promulgated the edicts shortly afterwards, and each successive shogun formally reissued them, reinforcing the restrictions on the ''daimyô'' and the control of the shogunate. Through these successive generations, however, the rules developed and changed significantly.

The edicts were reissued upon the succession of each of the shoguns. The promulgations under [[Tokugawa Ietsuna]], [[Tokugawa Tsunayoshi]], and [[Tokugawa Ienobu]] in 1663, 1683, and 1710 respectively saw significant stylistic changes, though with relatively minor amendments of substance. Among the new stipulations were bans on ''[[junshi]]'' (ritual suicide following the death of one's lord), abuses of power, the acceptance of bribes, and the suppression of popular opinion, along with stipulations regarding the proper succession of ''daimyô'' within a clan or domain.

The edicts were reissued upon the succession of each of the shoguns. The promulgations under [[Tokugawa Ietsuna]], [[Tokugawa Tsunayoshi]], and [[Tokugawa Ienobu]] in 1663, 1683, and 1710 respectively saw significant stylistic changes, though with relatively minor amendments of substance. Among the new stipulations were bans on ''[[junshi]]'' (ritual suicide following the death of one's lord), abuses of power, the acceptance of bribes, and the suppression of popular opinion, along with stipulations regarding the proper succession of ''daimyô'' within a clan or domain.

The following seven shoguns reissued the ''buke shohatto'' in its 1683 form, with only the most minor of stylistic changes. Though these were once pronounced along with the ''[[Shoshi hatto]]'' (laws for samurai), the latter became largely obsolete after 1683 and was absorbed into the wider body of shogunal orders and prohibitions (the ''[[kinrei-ko]]'').

The revision overseen by Confucian scholar [[Arai Hakuseki]] in 1710 altered the language of the text, converting it from a complex mix of Chinese and Japanese conventions to a document that read cleanly in Japanese, but could also be easily read by someone literate only in Chinese. Hakuseki accompanied this revision with a line-by-line commentary on his changes, entitled ''Shinrei kukai''. In addition to this linguistic change, Hakuseki also revised the content of the ''Buke shohatto'' considerably, shifting it from a martial/warrior-oriented document borne of [[Sengoku period]] politics, into one more appropriate for the peaceful and bureaucratic times of the [[Edo period]]. Article 1, stipulating that warriors should practice both martial and literary skills, was revised to place equal importance on the martial and the literary, and to emphasize the importance of ethical teachings (i.e. Confucianism) and acting as a model for upright, virtuous manners and customs. Article 2 of Hakuseki's version similarly offered a general instruction to devote oneself to governing one's household and domain fairly and properly, and to not do anything to anger or aggrieve the vassals of one's house, or the people of one's domain. Hakuseki also placed renewed emphasis on the prohibition on ''[[junshi]]'' (killing oneself to follow one's lord in death).<ref>Watanabe Hiroshi, ''A History of Japanese Political Thought, 1600-1901'', International House of Japan (2012), 141-143.</ref>

 

[[Tokugawa Yoshimune]], however, ordered the laws reverted to an earlier version, undoing Hakuseki's revisions, and the following six shoguns reissued the ''buke shohatto'' in its 1683 form, with only the most minor of stylistic changes. Though these were once pronounced along with the ''[[Shoshi hatto]]'' (laws for samurai), the latter became largely obsolete after 1683 and was absorbed into the wider body of shogunal orders and prohibitions (the ''[[kinrei-ko]]'').

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