著者

志村 佳名子

出版者

公益財団法人 史学会

雑誌

史学雑誌 (ISSN:00182478)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.122, no.3, pp.305-338, 2013

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The term chosan 朝参, which in general refers to attendance by retainers of the Japanese imperial court, also defined in ancient times as regular attendance by court bureaucrats to perform their administrative duties (chosei 朝政) in the hall of governance (Chodo 朝堂) during work shifts counted in days (jojitsu 上日), which were carefully documented and constituted a crucial portion of a bureaucrat's work performance assessment. This system of court attendance in ancient Japan had originated in the practice of retainers going to court to render obeisance to the sovereign, and from the seventh century on, the practice was progressively formalized into bureaucratic duties. Its establishment within the basic framework of the chosan system was concurrent with the construction of ceremonial spaces within the Fujiwara Palace, such as the Chodo and the Council Hall (Daigokuden 大極殿). The essence of the chosan system was the appearance of courtiers every morning in the courtyard in front of the royal residence to await the appearance of the emperor. The first-of-the-month chosan rule contained in the Ritsuryo Code of Ceremonies and Protcol (Giseiryo 儀制令) was a continuation of this practice. As the Ritsuryo-based bureaucratic system became more entrenched, chosan was transformed into a jojitsu work system that no longer involved the actual appearance of the sovereign before the gathered courtiers. Early Heian Period forms of court attendance and service, which structurally resembled those of Tang China, are thought to have originated in earnest during the first half of the eighth century. In other words, court service as early as the era of the Heijo Palace already had ceased to be based upon the assumption that the sovereign would personally oveserve the affairs of state. The attendance system that recorded days present was already firmly in place. This format of political activity meant that the sovereign and the highest officials addressed the daily affairs of state at the Inner Palace (Dairi 内裏), and, on the first of each month (or the tenth, or on other special occasions), the sovereign presided symbolically over the administrative work carried out by various officials. From the second half of the eighth century on, changes in the mode of political administration were ushered in by the attendance of high level aristocrats at the Inner Palace and the formation of Geki-sei 外記政. Up to the beginning of the ninth century, the. Chodo functioned as the space where officials of the fifth rank and higher presented themselves on a daily or occasional basis. At the beginning of the ninth century, details concerning jojitsu work shifts of officials of fifth rank and higher no longer were reported to the sovereign, and the administrative work carried out at the Chodo decreased in significance. However, even into the tenth century reports to the sovereign regarding jojitsu of officials involved with the Grand Council of State did continue. Using jojitsu as a kind of barometer of proper court service (shibu 仕奉), sovereigns maintained a structure of obligatory reporting meant to keep the legislative body in check.