The or Five Commissioners, was an administrative organ of feudal Japan which later evolved into the ''Go-Tairō'' (

Council of Five Elders In the history of Japan, the was a group of five powerful formed in 1598 by the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, shortly before his death the same year. While Hideyoshi was on his deathbed, his son, Toyotomi Hideyori, was still only five years old and a ...

). It was established by lord

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: ...

when he became '' kampaku'' (Imperial regent) in 1585.

Duty

The Commissioners were charged with governing the capital city 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 ...

and the surrounding areas, which were called ''

kinai is a Japanese term denoting an ancient division of the country. ''Kinai'' is a name for the ancient provinces around the capital Nara and Heian-kyō. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kinai''" in . The five provinces were called ''go-kin ...

'' or the Home Provinces. Hideyoshi, however, still maintained a very active interest in administrative matters, and it has been theorized by some scholars that the ''Go-Bugyō'', unlike the ''Go-Tairō'' that replaced it, served more as a committee of specialists and advisors than a group that actually enacted policy decisions. The original five appointed were

Asano Nagamasa was the brother-in-law of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and one of his chief advisors. Asano also fought for Oda Nobunaga and Hideyoshi in a number of campaigns during the Sengoku period of the 16th century in Japan. He was sent to Korea as one of the Thre ...

Maeda Gen'i was a Buddhist priest from Mt. Hiei, retainer of Oda Nobunaga and later one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's '' Go-Bugyō'', along with Ishida Mitsunari, Asano Nagamasa, Mashita Nagamori and Natsuka Masaie. He entered the service of Oda Nobunaga so ...

Mashita Nagamori was a ''daimyō'' in Azuchi–Momoyama period, and one of the '' Go-Bugyō'' appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Also called Niemon (仁右衛門) or by his court title, Uemon-no-jō (右衛門尉). He was sent to Korea as one of the Three Burea ...

Natsuka Masaie was a daimyō in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He served Niwa Nagahide and later Hideyoshi. He was one of the '' Go-Bugyō'', or ''five commissioners'', appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Biography He was born in Owari Province. Masaie served Ni ...

, and

Ishida Mitsunari was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...

. All five were samurai from Ōmi and Owari provinces, and strong supporters of Hideyoshi's former lord,

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

. Asano Nagamasa, held seniority over the Commissioners, who were charged with governing the capital of Kyoto and the Home Provinces or

Kinai is a Japanese term denoting an ancient division of the country. ''Kinai'' is a name for the ancient provinces around the capital Nara and Heian-kyō. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kinai''" in . The five provinces were called ''go-kin ...

. A close advisor to Hideyoshi, Asano devised the land survey and a number of other policies enacted under his rule. Maeda Gen'i, a Buddhist abbot also known as Abbot Tokuzen-in, was given the post of ''Shoshi-dai'', or Commissioner for the Metropolitan Area (of Kyoto). As a result, he addressed a variety of religious matters, as well as acting as a judge in civil disputes. Ishida Mitsunari was made Commissioner of Police, and also governed the area 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 ...

near

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 ...

. Sakai was a major port, and so Ishida dealt heavily with the governance and control of various aspects of trade as well. Natsuka Masaie became Commissioner of Finance, and Mashida Nagamori was assigned to Public Works.

List of ''go-bugyō''

Notes

References

* Sansom, George. (1961). "A History of Japan: 1334-1615." Stanford:

Stanford University Press Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It is currently a member of the Ass ...

Duty

List of ''go-bugyō''

Notes

References

See also