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Sadaijin
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Sadaijin, most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taiho Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central administrative body called the Daijo-kan (Council of State). This early Daijo-kan was composed of the three ministers -- the Daijo-daijin (Chancellor), the Sadaijin and the Udaijin (Minister of the Right).
The sadaijin was the Senior Minister of State, overseeing all functions of government with the Udaijin as his deputy.
Within the Daijo-kan, the sadaijin was second only to the Daijo Daijin (the Great Minister, or Chancellor of the Realm) in power and influence.

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Encyclopedia
Sadaijin, most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taiho Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central administrative body called the Daijo-kan (Council of State). This early Daijo-kan was composed of the three ministers -- the Daijo-daijin (Chancellor), the Sadaijin and the Udaijin (Minister of the Right).
The sadaijin was the Senior Minister of State, overseeing all functions of government with the Udaijin as his deputy.
Within the Daijo-kan, the sadaijin was second only to the Daijo Daijin (the Great Minister, or Chancellor of the Realm) in power and influence. Frequently, a member of the Fujiwara family would take the position in order to help justify and exercise the power and influence the family held.
The post of sadaijin, along with the rest of the Daijo-kan structure, gradually lost power over the 10th and 11th centuries, as the Fujiwara came to dominate politics more and more. The system was essentially powerless by the end of the 12th century, when the Minamoto, a warrior clan, seized control of the country from the court aristocracy (kuge). However, it is not entirely clear when the Daijo-kan system was formally dismantled prior to the Meiji era.
A revealing framework
Any exercise of meaningful powers of court officials in the pre-Meiji period reached its nadir during the years of the Tokugawa shogunate, and yet the structure Council of State (Daijo-kan) did manage to persist. It is not possible to evaluate any individual office without assessing its role in the context of a durable yet flexible network and hierarchy of functionaries.
The highest positions in the court hierarchy can be cataloged. A dry list provides a superficial glimpse inside the complexity of the court structure:
- 1.
- 2. .
- 3. .
- 4. .
- 5. . There are commonly three Dainagon; sometimes more.
- 6. .
- 7. . There are commonly three Shonagon.
- 8. . This office functions as a manager of activities within the palace.
- 9. . These are specifically named men who act at the sole discretion of the emperor.
- 10. This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries: Center, Civil Services, Ceremonies, and Taxation.
- 11. This administrator was charged or tasked with supervising four ministries: Military, Justice, Treasury and Imperial Household.
- 12. .
- 13. .
- 14. .
- 15. .
- 16. .
- 17. .
- 18. . There are twenty officials with this title.
The Eight Ministries
A mere list of the court titles cannot reveal nearly enough about the actual functioning of the Daijo-kan; but at least the broad hierarchical relationships become more readily identified:
- I. .
- II. ; also known as the "Ministry of Legislative Direction and Public Instruction".
- III. ; also known as the "Ministry of the Interior".
- IV. .
- V. .
- VI. .
- VII. .
- VIII. .
See also
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