was a title assigned to ''

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

'' officials in

feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to the Paleolithic, around 38–39,000 years ago. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC whe ...

. ''Bugyō'' is often translated as

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

, or

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, and other terms would be added to the title to describe more specifically a given official's tasks or jurisdiction.

Pre-Edo period

In the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

(794–1185), the post or title of ''bugyō'' would be applied only to an official with a set task; once that task was complete, the officer would cease to be called ''bugyō''. However, in the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

(1185–1333) and later, continuing through the end of the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

(1603–1868), posts and titles came to be created on a more permanent and regular basis.Kinihara, Misako
''The Establishment of the Tosen-bugyō in the Reign of Ashikaga Yoshinori'' (唐船奉行の成立 : 足利義教による飯尾貞連の登用)
Tokyo Woman's Christian University. ''Essays and S.tudies''. Abstract. Over time, there came to be 36 ''bugyō'' in the

bureaucracy Bureaucracy ( ) is a system of organization where laws or regulatory authority are implemented by civil servants or non-elected officials (most of the time). Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments ...

of the Kamakura shogunate. In 1434, Ashikaga Yoshinori established the ''Tosen-bugyō'' to regulate foreign affairs for the Ashikaga shogunate. In 1587, a Japanese invading army occupied

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

; and one of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

's first acts was to create a ''bugyō'' for the city, replicating a familiar pattern in an unfamiliar setting.

Edo period

During the

, the number of ''bugyō'' reached its largest extent as the bureaucracy of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

expanded on an ''

ad hoc ''Ad hoc'' is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning literally for this. In English language, English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a Generalization, generalized solution ...

'' basis, responding to perceived needs and changing circumstances.

List

: * Edo ''machi-bugyō'' (江戸町奉行) – Magistrates or municipal administrators of Edo. ** Kita-machi-bugyō (北町奉行) – North Edo magistrate.Cunningham, Don. (2004)
''Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai,'' p. 42.
/ref> ** Minami-machi-bugyō (南町奉行) – South Edo magistrate. * ''Fushin-bugyō'' (普請奉行) – Superintendents of Public Works.Jansen, Marius. (1995)
''Warrior Rule in Japan,'' p. 186
citing John Whitney Hall. (1955). '' Tanuma Okitsugu: Forerunner of Modern Japan.'' Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

. * '' Gaikoku-bugyō'' (外国奉行) – Commissioners in charge of trade and diplomatic relations with foreign countries after 1858.Beasley, William. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868,'' p. 322. * '' Gunkan-bugyō'' (軍鑑奉行) – Commissioners in charge of naval matters (post-1859). *'' Gusoku-bugyō'' (具足奉行) – Commissioners in charge of supplying the shogunal armies. ** '' Bugu-bugyō'' (武具奉行) – Commissioners in charge of supplying the shogunal armies (post-1863), replaced ''Gusoku-bugyō''. *'' Hakodate bugyō'' (箱館奉行) – Overseers of the port of

Hakodate is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...

and neighboring territory of Ezo. * Haneda ''bugyō'' (羽田奉行) – Overseers of the port of Haneda; commissioners of coastal defenses near Edo (post-1853). * Hyōgo ''bugyō'' (兵庫奉行) – Overseers of the port of Hyōgo (post-1864).Beasley, p. 323. * '' Jisha-bugyō'' (寺社奉行) – Ministers or administrators for religious affairs; overseers of the country's temples and shrines. * '' Jiwari-bugyō'' (地割奉行)- Commissioners of surveys and surveying. * Kanagawa ''bugyō'' (神奈川奉行) – Overseers of the port of

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

(post-1859).Beasley, p. 324. * '' Kanjō-bugyō'' (勘定奉行) – Ministers or administrators for shogunal finance (post-1787). ** '' Gundai'' (郡代)– Deputies. ** ''

Daikan ''Daikan'' (代官) was an official in ancient Japan that acted on behalf of a ruling monarch or a lord at the post they had been appointed to. Since the Middle Ages, ''daikan'' were in charge of their territory and territorial tax collection. In ...

'' (代官)- Deputies. ** '' Kane-bugyō'' (金奉行) – Superintendents of the Treasury. ** '' Kura-bugyō'' (倉庫奉行) – Superintendents of Cereal Stores. ** ''Kinza'' (金座) – Gold '' za'' or monopoly office (post-1595).Jensen, p. 186; Schaede, Ulrike. (2000)
''Cooperative Capitalism: Self-Regulation, Trade Associations, and the Antimonopoly Law in Japan,'' p. 223.
/ref> ** ''Ginza'' (銀座) – Silver ''za'' or monopoly office (post-1598). ** ''Dōza'' (銅座) – Copper ''za'' or monopoly office (post-1636) and (1701–1712, 1738–1746, 1766–1768). ** ''Shuza'' (朱座) – Cinnabar ''za'' or monopoly office (post-1609). * '' Kanjō-ginmiyaku'' – Comptrollers of Finance. * Kantō ''gundai'' – Kantō deputies. * '' Kinzan-bugyō'' (金山奉行) – Commissioners of mines. * Kyoto ''shoshidai'' (京都所司代) -- Shogunal representatives at Kyoto.Beasley, p. 325. ** Kyoto ''machi-bugyō'' (京都町奉行) – Magistrates or municipal administrators of

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

. ** Fushimi ''bugyō'' (伏見奉行) – Magistrates or municipal administrators of Fushimi (post-1620). ** Nara ''bugyō'' (奈良奉行) – Governors of

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

. * '' Machi-bugyō'' (町奉行) – Magistrates or municipal administrators in shogunal cities: Edo, Kyoto, Nagasaki,

Nikkō is a Cities of Japan, city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city's population was 80,239, in 36,531 households. The population density was 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Nikkō is a popular destination for Japanese and ...

, and

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. * Nagasaki ''bugyō'' (長崎奉行) – Governor of

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

. * Niigata ''bugyō'' (新潟奉行) – Overseers of the port of Niigata. * Nikkō ''bugyō'' (日光奉行) – Overseers of

. * Osaka ''jōdai'' (大阪城代) – Overseers of

Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Layout Th ...

.Murdoch
p. 9.
/ref> ** Osaka ''machi-bugyō'' (大阪町奉行) – Magistrates or municipal administrators in shogunal cities like

.Beasley, p. 325. ** Sakai ''bugyō'' (堺奉行) – Overseers of the town of

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...

. * '' Rōya-bugyō'' (牢屋奉行) – Commissioners of the shogunal prison. * Sado ''bugyō'' (佐渡奉行) – Overseers of the island of Sado. * '' Sakuji-bugyō'' (作事奉行) – Commissioners of works (post-1632). * Shimoda ''bugyō'' (下田奉行) – Overseers of the port of Shimoda.Beasley, p. 329. * '' Sumo-bugyō'' (相撲奉行) – Ancestors of the function of . Officials during the Kamakura shogunate in charge of refereeing

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

matches at the imperial court. * Sunpu ''jōdai'' (駿府城代) – Overseers of Sunpu Castle. * Uraga ''bugyō'' (浦賀奉行) – Overseers of the port of Uraga. * Yamada ''bugyō'' (山田奉行) -- Representatives of the shogunate at Ise. * ''Zaimoku-ishi bugyō'' (材木石奉行) - Overseer of construction materials for the Shōgun's properties (from 1647) * ''Zen bugyō'' (膳奉行) – Overseer of victuals for the Shōgun's table

Meiji period

In the early years of the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the title of ''bugyō'' continued to be used for government offices and conventional practices where nothing else had been created to replace the existing Tokugawa system. For example, the commander-in-chief of

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

under the early

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...

was called the ''Hohei-bugyō.''Van de Polder, Léon. (1891)
"Abridged History of the Copper Coins of Japan," ''Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan'' p. 419
500. As the new government passed its numerous reforms, the term ''bugyō'' was soon phased out of usage.

Notes

References

* Beasley, William G. (1951). ''Britain and the Opening of Japan, 1834–1858.'' London: Luzac & Company
reprinted by

Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...

, London, 1995. (paper) * ____________. (1955)
Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868''.
London:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. eprinted by RoutledgeCurzon, London, 2001. (cloth)">RoutledgeCurzon.html" ;"title="eprinted by RoutledgeCurzon">eprinted by RoutledgeCurzon, London, 2001. (cloth)* Francis Brinkley">Brinkley, Frank. (1915)
''A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era''.
London: Encyclopædia Britannica. * Coaldrake, William H. (1996
''Architecture and Authority in Japan''.
London:

. (paper) * Cullen, Louis M. (2003)
''A History of Japan, 1582-1941: Internal and External Worlds''.
Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

. (cloth) -- (paper) * Cunningham, Don. (2004)
''Taiho-Jutsu: Law and Order in the Age of the Samurai''.
Tokyo:

Tuttle Publishing Tuttle Publishing, originally the Charles E. Tuttle Company, is a book publishing company that includes Tuttle, Periplus Editions, and Journey Editions.

. (cloth) * Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

.
OCLC 58053128
* Hall, John Whitney. (1955
''Tanuma Okitsugu: Forerunner of Modern Japan''.
Cambridge:

. * Jansen, Marius B. (1995)
''Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration''.
New York:

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's la ...

. * ____________. (1995)
''Warrior Rule in Japan''.
Cambridge:

. * Kinihara, Misako
''The Establishment of the Tosen bugyō in the Reign of Ashikaga Yoshinori'' (唐船奉行の成立 : 足利義教による飯尾貞連の登用)
Tokyo Woman's Christian University. ''Essays and Studies''. 44:2, 27–53. * James Murdoch. (1926). ''A History of Japan''. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co
reprinted by

, 1996. * Naito, Akira, Kazuo Hozumi, and H. Mack Horto. (2003)
''Edo: the City that Became Tokyo.''
Tokyo:

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

. * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard A.R. (1956). ''Kyoto: the Old Capital, 794–1869''. Kyoto: Ponsonby-Fane Memorial. * Roberts, Luke Shepherd. (1998)
''Mercantilism in a Japanese Domain: The Merchant Origins of Economic Nationalism in 18th Century Tosa''.
Cambridge:

. * Sasama Yoshihiko (1995). ''Edo Machi Bugyō Jiten''. Tokyo: Kashiwa-shobo. * Sato, Yasunobu. (2001)
''Commercial Dispute Processing and Japan''.
Amsterdam:

Wolters Kluwer Wolters Kluwer N.V. is a Dutch information services company. The company serves legal, business, tax, accounting, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and healthcare markets. Wolters Kluwer in its current form was founded in 1987 with a merger bet ...

. (cloth) * Schaede, Ulrike. (2000)
''Cooperative Capitalism: Self-Regulation, Trade Associations, and the Antimonopoly Law in Japan''.
Oxford:

. (cloth) * Screech, Timon. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822''. London: RoutledgeCurzon. * Shimada, Ryuto. (2005)
''The Intra-Asian Trade in Japanese Copper by the Dutch East India Company''.
Leiden:

Brill Publishers Brill Academic Publishers () is a Dutch international academic publisher of books, academic journals, and Bibliographic database, databases founded in 1683, making it one of the oldest publishing houses in the Netherlands. Founded in the South ...