Chinzei Bugyo

Japanese: 鎮西奉行 (Chinzei bugyou)

Chinzei Bugyô, or Defense Commissioner of the West, was the name given to a post created in 1186 to oversee the defense of Kyûshû. At the time, the primary mission of the bugyô was to seek out and eliminate anyone who had supported Minamoto no Yoshitsune over his brother Yoritomo to become Shogun, along with the remainders of the Taira clan. However, less than a hundred years later, the Chinzei-fu (Western Defense Headquarters) took on the responsibilities of a true Defense Headquarters, acting as the first line of defense against the Mongols. Over time, the position of bugyô, the head of the Defense Headquarters, became known as Chinzei Shugo or Chinzei Tandai. This was but one of several similar posts established across the country.

The first Chinzei Bugyô was a man by the name of Amano Tôkage, who was succeeded soon afterwards by Mutô Sukeyori in 1193, and later by Nakawara Nobufusa, sent to suppress resistance in Kyûshû. The post then became hereditary. Amano established the Chinzei-fu at Dazaifu, where he received all the Shogun's orders for Kyûshû; local lords could not be trusted to obey local constables, and so the Kyûshû Tandai (as the Chinzei Bugyô was sometimes known) had to act as intermediary between Kyûshû and the shogunal capital at Kamakura.

By the end of the 13th century, the Kyûshû Tandai (or Chinzei Tandai) became a separate post, with "Chinzei bugyô" coming to refer to his assistant.

Holders of the Post

References

This article was written by User:LordAmeth and contributed to both S-A and Wikipedia; the author gives permission for his work to be used in this way.

Frederic, Louis (2002). "Chinzei-fu". Japan Encyclopedia. Cambrdige: Harvard University Press.
Sansom, George (1958). 'A History of Japan to 1334'. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.