Tairo

Japanese: 大老 (tairou)

English translations: senior counsellor, etc.

In 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi appointed five major lords as tairô to govern the country until his son Hideyori came of age. The go-tairô 五大老 were headed by Tokugawa Ieyasu.

During the Edo period, the tairô was the chief official under the shogun. The post was often unfilled, however. The most famous holder of the post was Ii Naosuke.