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→Administrative Organization
*Talk about Kyoto shoshidai, Edo bugyo, Nagasaki bugyo, Osaka
*Talk about Kyoto shoshidai, Edo bugyo, Nagasaki bugyo, Osaka
*Relationship with the ''[[han]]''
*Relationship with the ''[[han]]''
While the shogun was the head of the entire government, a council of mid-ranking but highly trusted ''fudai daimyô'' known as the ''[[roju|rôjû]]'' ("Elders") made a great many administrative decisions, and oversaw most bureaucratic matters, often merely asking the shogun for approval. In fact, the majority of orders and other documents issued by the shogunate were sealed with the ''[[hosho|hôsho]]'' seal of the ''rôjû'', and not the personal seal of the shogun.<ref>A notable exception was on letters addressed to the King of [[Joseon|Korea]], who was considered far above the ''rôjû'' in status, and roughly equal with the shogun as "King of Japan"; thus, the shogun's personal seal, and not that of the ''rôjû'', was employed.</ref> The lead ''rôjû'' was known at times as the ''rôjû shuza'' (老中首座, "head seat of the Elders"), and at times as the ''[[Tairo|Tairô]]''. Lesser in status but serving a similar function were the ''[[wakadoshiyori]]'' ("Junior Elders" or "Junior Councillors").
Both ''rôjû'' and ''wakadoshiyori'' oversaw the operations of the shogunate as a whole, which was divided into a number of offices or departments, many of which were headed by ''[[bugyo|bugyô]]'' ("Magistrates"). The ''[[jisha bugyo|jisha bugyô]]'' (Magistrates of Temples and Shrines), ''[[kanjo bugyo|kanjô bugyô]]'' (Finance Magistrates), and ''Edo [[machi bugyo|machi bugyô]]'' (Edo City Magistrates), collectively known as the "''sanbugyô''" ("Three Magistrates") were the most powerful or important of these officials. Each of these positions was concurrently held by several individuals, however. In some cases, they truly worked together, being "on duty," so to speak, at the same time; however, in other cases, these Magistrates alternated, with each working only certain days of the week, or certain weeks of the month. It was quite common for officials at all levels within early modern samurai government to operate in the latter fashion.
Further, though there were a number of positions, such as those held by the ''bugyô'', which were dedicated to particular jurisdictions or categories of concerns, the majority of shogunate officials did not belong to any one department. Rather, ''[[metsuke]]'' (often translated as "inspectors") and other officials commonly moved from task to task, and from one supervisor to another, as needed.<ref>L.M. Cullen, "''Sakoku'', Tokugawa Policy, and the Interpretation of Japanese History," ''Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan'', fourth series, vol. 18 (2004), 18.</ref> This meant that officials were required to be competent in a wide range of administrative and bureaucratic matters, whether pertaining to finance, justice, religious matters, public works, or commercial/economic concerns, among other fields. ''Rôjû'', ''wakadoshiyori'', and ''metsuke'', as well as various other ranks of shogunate officials, were also very frequently obligated to perform ceremonial functions, including guiding visitors into, within, and out of [[Edo castle]]; acting as intermediaries for the shogun in formal meetings; leading processions; and so forth. ''Metsuke'' and others were also frequently dispatched to the [[provinces of Japan|provinces]] to investigate or address political or administrative matters there.
==List of Shoguns==
==List of Shoguns==