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In Japan, the Sesshō (摂政) was a title given to a regent who was named to assist an emperor when the emperor was still a child, before the coming of age, or female. The Kampaku (関白 Kanpaku) was theoretically a sort of chief advisor for the emperor, but was the title of a regent who assists an adult emperor. During the Heian era, they were the effective rulers of Japan. There was little, if any, effective difference between the two titles, and several individuals merely changed titles as child emperors grew to adulthood, or adult emperors retired or died and were replaced by child emperors. The two were collectively known as Sekkan (摂関).

Overview

The Sesshō and Kampaku had held the practical powers of the ruling emperor, until shogunates took over the power from them. Most empresses had Sesshō with some exceptions in the ancient period.

In earlier times only members of the imperial family could be appointed to Sessho. Kojiki reported that Emperor Ōjin was assisted by his mother the empress consort Jingū, but it is doubtful if it is a historical fact. The first historical Sessho was Prince Shōtoku who assisted Empress Suiko.

The Fujiwara clan was the primary holders of the Kampaku and Sesshō titles. More precisely those title was held by the Fujiwara Hokke (Fujiwara north family) and its descendants, to which Fujiwara no Yoshifusa belonged. In 844 Fujiwara no Yoshifusa became Sesshō. He was the first Sesshō who didn't belong to the imperial house. In 876 Fujiwara no Mototsune, the nephew and adopted son of Yoshifusa, was appointed to the newly created office Kampaku. After Fujiwara no Michinaga and Fujiwara no Yorimichi, their descendants held those two office exclusively In 12th century there were five families among the descendants of Yorimichi called Sekke. Until 1868 those five families held those title exclusively with two exceptions of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his nephew Toyotomi Hidetsugu.

Sekke consisted in five families: Konoe family, Kujō family, Ichijō family, Takatsukasa family and Nijō family. Both Konoe clan and Kujō clan were derived from Fujiwara no Tadamichi, a descendant of Yorimichi. Other three families were derived from one of those two families.

A retired kampaku is called Taikō (太閤), which commonly came to refer to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The office and title of kampaku fell out of use by convention with the appointment of the first Prime Minister of Japan during the Meiji Restoration. Emperor Meiji abolished the office in 1872.

List

Sesshō and Kampaku of the Heian Era

Sesshō Kampaku Reign Emperor
Fujiwara no Yoshifusa 858 – 872 Emperor Seiwa
Fujiwara no Mototsune 872 – 880 Seiwa, Emperor Yōzei
Fujiwara no Mototsune 880 – 890 Emperor Yōzei, Emperor Kōkō, Emperor Uda
Fujiwara no Tadahira 930 – 941 Emperor Suzaku
Fujiwara no Tadahira 941 – 949 Emperor Suzaku, Emperor Murakami
Fujiwara no Saneyori 967 – 969 Emperor Reizei
Fujiwara no Saneyori 969 – 970 Emperor En'yū
Fujiwara no Koretada 970 – 972 Emperor En'yū
Fujiwara no Kanemichi? 972 – 977 Emperor En'yū
Fujiwara no Yoritada 977 – 986 Emperor En'yū, Emperor Kazan
Fujiwara no Kaneie 986 – 990 Emperor Ichijō
Fujiwara no Kaneie May 5 (lunar calendar), 990 – May 8, 990 Emperor Ichijō
Fujiwara no Michitaka May 8, 990 – May 26, 990 Emperor Ichijō
Fujiwara no Michitaka 990 – 983 Emperor Ichijō
Fujiwara no Michitaka 983 – 995 Emperor Ichijō
Fujiwara no Michikane April 28, 995 – May 8, 995 Emperor Ichijō
Fujiwara no Michinaga 1016 – 1017 Emperor Go-Ichijō
Fujiwara no Yorimichi 1017 – 1019 Emperor Go-Ichijō
Fujiwara no Yorimichi 1019 – 1067 Emperor Go-Ichijō, Emperor Go-Reizei
Fujiwara no Norimichi 1068 – 1075 Emperor Go-Sanjō, Emperor Shirakawa
Fujiwara no Morozane 1075 – 1086 Emperor Shirakawa
Fujiwara no Morozane 1086 – 1090 Emperor Horikawa
Fujiwara no Morozane 1090 – 1094 Emperor Horikawa
Fujiwara no Moromichi 1094 – 1099 Emperor Horikawa
Fujiwara no Tadazane 1105 – 1107 Emperor Horikawa
Fujiwara no Tadazane 1107 – 1113 Emperor Toba
Fujiwara no Tadazane 1113 – 1121 Emperor Toba
Fujiwara no Tadamichi 1121 – 1123 Emperor Toba
Fujiwara no Tadamichi 1123 – 1129 Emperor Sutoku
Fujiwara no Tadamichi 1129 – 1141 Emperor Sutoku
Fujiwara no Tadamichi 1141 – 1150 Emperor Konoe
Fujiwara no Tadamichi 1150 – 1158 Emperor Konoe, Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Konoe Motomi? 1158 – 1165 Emperor Nijō
Konoe Motomi 1165 – 1166 Emperor Rokujō
Fujiwara no Motofusa 1166 – 1172 Emperor Rokujō, Emperor Takakura
Fujiwara no Motofusa 1172 – 1179 Emperor Takakura
Konoe Motomichi 1179 – 1180 Emperor Takakura
Konoe Motomichi 1180 – 1183 Emperor Antoku
Matsudono Shika 1183 – 1184 Emperor Antoku
Konoe Motomichi 1184 – 1186 Emperor Antoku, Emperor Go-Toba
Kujō Kanezane 1186 – 1191 Emperor Go-Toba
Kujō Kanezane 1191 – 1196 Emperor Go-Toba

Famous Sesshō and Kampaku of the Kamakura period

Famous Sesshō and Kampaku of the Muromachi period

Famous Sesshō and Kampaku of the Azuchi-Momoyama period

Famous Sesshō and Kampaku of the Edo period

Sesshō of the modern era

Under the Imperial Household Law, the office of sesshō is restricted to the Imperial Family.

Government of feudal Japan | Japanese historical terms | Japanese nobility | Sessho and Kampaku

Kampaku | Sesshō y Kampaku | Sesshô | 摂政・関白の一覧

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Sessho and Kampaku".

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