The refers to a collection of governing rules compiled and promulgated in 689, one of the first, if not the first collection of

Ritsuryō , , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki'' ...

laws in

classical Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inventi ...

. This also marks the initial appearance of the central administrative body called the '' Daijō-kan'' (Council of State) composed of the three ministers—the '' Daijō-daijin'' (Chancellor), the '' Sadaijin'' (Minister of the Left) and the ''

Udaijin was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''udaijin'' in the context of a central administ ...

'' (Minister of the Right).Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1993)
''The Cambridge History of Japan'', p. 232.
/ref> In 662,

Emperor Tenji , also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')天智天皇 (38)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 52 ...

is said to have compiled the first Japanese legal code known to modern historians. The Ōmi-ryō, consisting of 22 volumes, was promulgated in the last year of Tenji's reign. This legal codification is no longer extant, but it is said to have been refined in what is known as the Asuka Kiyomihara ''ritsu-ryō'' of 689. The compilation was commenced in 681 under Emperor Tenmu. The Emperor died in 686, but the finalization of the Code took a few more years. It was promulgated in 689. These are understood to have been a forerunner of the ''Taihō ritsu-ryō'' of 701.Varley, John. (1980). ''A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: "Jinnō Shōtōki" of Kitabatake Chikafusa'', p. 136 n43. Although not "finalized" (not incorporating a penal code, a ''ritsu'', for instance), the code already incorporated several important regulations (for instance compulsory registration for citizens), which paved the way for the more complete

Taihō Code The was an administrative reorganisation enacted in 703 in Japan, at the end of the Asuka period. It was historically one of the . It was compiled at the direction of Prince Osakabe, Fujiwara no Fuhito and Awata no Mahito. Nussbaum, Louis ...

Notes

References

* Farris, William Wayne. (1998)
''Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues in the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan.''
Honolulu:

University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. * Hall, John Whitney, Delmer M. Brown and Kozo Yamamura. (1993)
''The Cambridge History of Japan.''
Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

. * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Varley, H. Paul, ed. (1980). Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359, '' Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley).'' New York:

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

. {{ISBN, 0-231-04940-4 7th century in Japan Legal history of Japan Legal codes 7th century in law Emperor Tenmu 689

See also

Notes

References