Imperial Household Agency#Meiji era

The Imperial Household Agency is headed by its director-general, assisted by the deputy director, appointed by the Cabinet.Imperial Household Agency: [http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-kunaicho/soshiki.html Organization] Its main organizational positions are:

• the Grand Steward's Secretariat
• the Board of Chamberlains
• the Crown Prince's Household
• the Board of Ceremonies
• the Archives and Mausolea Department
• the Maintenance and Works Department
• the Kyoto Office

The current Director-General is {{lang|ja-Latn|Yasuhiko Nishimura|italic=no}}.

The Agency's headquarters is located in the grounds of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The Agency's duties and responsibilities encompass the daily activities of the Imperial household, such as state visits, organised events, preservation of traditional culture and administrative functions, amongst other responsibilities. The Agency is responsible for the various Imperial residences located throughout Japan, and organises guided tours for visitors to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the Katsura Detached Palace, and other residences and locations falling under its remit.

The Agency is responsible for the health, security and travel arrangements of the Imperial family, including maintaining the Imperial line. The Board of the Chamberlains, headed by the Grand Chamberlain, manages the daily life of the Emperor and the Empress, and is responsible for keeping the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. The Grand Master of the Board of the Crown Prince's Household helps manage the schedules, dining menus, and household maintenance of the Crown Prince and his family.

File:Imperial Household Ministry in Meiji Era.JPG in Meiji era]]

File:Imperial Palace Tokyo Sakashita Mon and Imperial Household.JPG

The Imperial Household Agency traces its origins back to institutions established by the Taihō Code (or more formally, {{Nihongo|"The Ritsuryō Code of the Taihō period"|大宝律令|Taihō Ritsuryō}}) promulgated in 701–702 AD.{{cite web|url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-kunaicho/enkaku.html|title=History|work=Imperial Household Agency homepage|access-date=10 March 2019}} [http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/kunaicho/kunaicho/enkaku.html 沿革 (Enkaku)]{{in lang|ja}} The {{lang|ja-Latn|Ritsuryō}} system established the namesake {{Nihongo|Ministry of the Imperial Household|宮内省|Kunai shō}}, a precursor to the present agency; the former code also gave rise to the {{Nihongo|Ministry of Ceremonial|式部省|Shikibu shō}}, which has its legacy in the {{Nihongo|Board of Ceremonies|式部職|Shikibu shoku}} under the current agency, and the {{Nihongo|Ministry of Civil Administration|治部省|Jibu shō}} which oversaw the {{Nihongo|Bureau of Music|雅楽寮|Uta ryō}} that would now correspond to the Agency's {{Nihongo|Music Department|楽部|gakubu}}.{{cite journal|last=Sansom|first=George Bailey|author-link=George Bailey Sansom|year=1932|title=Early Japanese law and administration|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-k4gAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA67|journal=Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan |series=Second Series|volume=9|pages=67–110}} The basic structures remained in place until the Meiji Restoration (1868).

The early Meiji government officially installed the {{Nihongo|Imperial Household Ministry|宮内省|Kunai shō}} on 15 August 1869.{{cite book |last=Wilson|first=Robert Arden|title=Genesis of the Meiji government in Japan, 1868–1871|publisher=Greenwood Press |year=1978 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_0NAQAAMAAJ |page=133|isbn=978-0-837-19091-4}} Though the names are occasionally differentiated in English as the "Imperial Household Agency", versus the former, Meiji period "Ministry of the Imperial Household", both names are rendered with no differentiation in Japanese. However, there is a convoluted history of reorganization around how the government bodies that correspond to constituent subdivisions of the current Agency were formed or empowered during this period.

The {{Nihongo|Department of Shinto Affairs|神祇官|Jingi kan}} and later the {{Nihongo|Ministry of Divinities|神祇省|Jingi shō}} (1871–1872) were briefly established, having been placed in charge of, for example, the {{Interlanguage link|Imperial mausolea|2=ja|3=天皇陵|preserve=1}}{{cite book|last=Kishimoto|first=Hideo|title=Japanese Religion in the Meiji Era|publisher=Ōbunsha|year=1956|format=snippet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KJMyAQAAIAAJ|page=59|isbn=9784022561312|quote=In addition to the Office of Propaganda, the Department of Shinto had the function of caring for Imperial mausolea}} under the {{Nihongo|Office of Imperial Mausolea|諸陵寮}}, one of the tasks designated to the Agency today.

Meanwhile, the Meiji government created the {{Nihongo|Board of Ceremonies|式部局|Shikibu-kyoku}} in 1871, which was soon renamed {{Nihongo|Bureau of Ceremonies|式部寮||Shikibu-ryō}} in 1872. Also in 1872, the Ministry of Divinities was abolished, with the bulk of duties moved to the {{Nihongo|Ministry of Religion|教部省|"Department (Ministry) of Religion and Education"}} and the administration of formal ceremonial functions transferred to the aforementioned Board/Bureau of the Ceremonies.{{Harvnb|Kishimoto|1956|p=65}}, "Within a year, the Department of Religion and Education (kyobu sho) superseded the Shinto Ministry."{{Harvnb|Kishimoto|1956|p=69}}, "The actual directive which abolished the Shinto Ministry on April 21, 1872, read in part as follows: 'Let the purely formal functions be transferred to the Board of Ceremonies, while the Department of Religion and Education take over the duties ...'"{{cite book |last=Thal|first=Sarah |title=Rearranging the Landscape of the Gods: The Politics of a ...|publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2005|format=snippet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4bQbNeJJ_ogC&pg=PA157|page=157|isbn=978-0-226-79421-1}}{{Harvnb|Kishimoto|1956}} keeps calling it "Board of Ceremonies" instead of "Bureau" even after the name change.

The Bureau of the Ceremonies was initially placed under the care of the {{Nihongo|Great Council of State|太政官|Dajō kan}}, but was later transferred to the control of the Imperial Household Ministry in September 1877. The Bureau underwent yet another name change to {{Nihongo|Board of Ceremonies|式部職|Shikibu-shoku}} in October 1884.{{cite book |last=薗田|first=正觀 (Haseyama, Masami )|title=宗敎法槪論 (Shūkyōhō gairon)|publisher=河出書房新社|year=1979|format=snippet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_nRGAAAAMAAJ |page=235|quote=式部寮は太政官に属したが、十年九月宮内省に転じ、十七年十月式部寮は式部職に改められた。}} Since then, the name has remained unchanged and is, today, headed by the Master of Ceremonies.

An Imperial Order in 1908 confirmed that the Imperial Household Minister, as the chief official was then called, held responsible for assisting the Emperor in all matters concerning the Imperial House. The ministry also oversaw the official appointments of Imperial Household Artists and commissioned their work.

The {{Nihongo|Imperial Household Office|宮内府|Kunai-fu}}, a downgraded version of the ministry, was created pursuant to {{Nihongo|Imperial Household Office Law|宮内府法}} Law No. 70 of 1947 during the American Occupation of Japan. Its number of staff was downscaled from 6,200 to less than 1,500, and the Office was placed under the Prime Minister of Japan.{{cite journal|title=法律|editor=大蔵省印刷局 (National Printing Bureau)|journal=官報 (Kanpō "Official Bulletin")|date=1947-04-18|number=6076|format=NDL|url=http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/2962590|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317080711/http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info%3Andljp/pid/2962590|archive-date=17 March 2016}} (Text of Imperial Household Act) Article 13 stipulates authority under premier.In 1947, ahead of the new constitution the Imperial Household Act was promulgated, along with the {{Interlanguage link|Imperial Household Finance Law|2=ja|3=皇室経済法|preserve=1}} (Law No. 4 of 1947) and the Imperial Household Office Law (Law. No. 70 of 1947) {{cite book|last=小森|first=義峯 (Komori, Yoshimine)|title=天皇と憲法(Tennō to kenpō)|publisher=皇學館大學出版部|year=1985|format=snippet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MrAMAAAAYAAJ|page=162|asin=B000J6P1OK|quote=ちなみに、皇室に関して新しく制定された法律としては、この「皇室典範」の外に、皇室経済法(昭和二二年法律四号)、宮内府法(昭和二二年法律七〇 号)などが存する。}} Reprint 2002 {{ISBN|978-4-876-44081-8}}

In 1949, Imperial Household Office was renamed to the Imperial Household Agency, and placed under the fold of the newly created {{Nihongo|Prime Minister's Office|総理府|Sōrifu}}, as an external agency attached to it. In 2001, the Imperial Household Agency was organizationally re-positioned under the {{Nihongo|Cabinet Office|内閣府|Naikakufu}}.

The Agency has been criticized for isolating members of the Imperial Family from the Japanese public, and for insisting on stiffly preserved customs, rather than permitting a more approachable, populist monarchy.

In May 2004, Crown Prince Naruhito criticised the then-Grand Steward of the Imperial Household, Toshio Yuasa, for putting pressure on Crown Princess Masako, Naruhito's wife, to bear a male child. At a press conference, Naruhito stated that his wife had "completely exhausted herself" trying to adapt to the Imperial family's life, and added "there were developments that denied Masako's career (up to our marriage) as well as her personality."[https://web.archive.org/web/20060901025053/http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501060904/story2.html The Future of Japan's Monarchy], Time Asia Magazine[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_2005_Jan_10/ai_n8693402 Imperial family exposed to media speculation in 2004], Japan Policy and Politics, 10 January 2005[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_2004_June_1/ai_n6279536 Crown prince back in Japan, will not meet press], Japan Policy and Politics, 24 May 2004 It has officially been stated that Masako is suffering from an "adjustment disorder", but there has been extensive speculation in the press that she is suffering from clinical depression as a result of her treatment by Imperial Household officials.[http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1359799.ece About a boy: Dynasty, Japan-style] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930212537/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1359799.ece |date=30 September 2007 }}, The Independent on Sunday, 8 July 2007

Increasingly in recent years, the Agency's prevention of archaeological research regarding a large number (more than 740) of Kofun Period tombs claimed to be and designated as "Imperial" has come under criticism from academics. The tombs, located in the Kansai region of western Japan, are considered by many academics as potentially holding important historical information on the origins of Japanese civilization; however, the possibility that these potential finds could verify or further solidify theories of formative civilizational ties with contemporary civilizations in China and the Korean Peninsula, with these civilizations potentially having as much influence on the origins of the Imperial Household itself, is generally considered to be a considerable contributing factor to the ongoing prevention of archaeological research at these sites by the Imperial Household Agency, with a large number of the tombs considered by some to be imperial only in name.Hudson, M. (1999). Ruins of Identity: Ethnogenesis in the Japanese Islands. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.Oguma, E. (2002). A Genealogy of 'Japanese' Self-images (translated by David Askew). Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press.Edwards, W. (2000). Contested access: The Imperial tombs in the postwar period. Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2, 371–392.

The Imperial Household Agency is headed by the Grand Steward ({{Interlanguage link|Imperial Household Agency Law|2=ja|3=宮内庁法|preserve=1}}, Article 8-1), whose appointment or dismissal is subject to the Emperor's approval (Article 8-2).

The Grand Steward is vested with comprehensive control over administrative activities within the Agency, and supervisory authority over the service performance of the staff (8–3). He is empowered to interact with the Prime Minister on matters pertaining to the Agency's authorized duties, either requesting the issuance of Cabinet Office ordinances (8–3), or notifying him on pertinent matters (8–4). He has the authorization to hand down orders or directives to staff members of government organs under the agency's direct control (8–6), and may request the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency to take appropriate measures regarding administrative duties that involve the civilian {{Nihongo|Imperial Guard|皇宮警察|Kōgū Keisatsu}}.

The Grand Stewardship is a post customarily filled by former {{Interlanguage link|Administrative vice-minister{{!}}administrative vice-ministers|2=ja|3=事務次官|preserve=1}} (≒permanent secretaries) at one of several internal affairs (home affairs) type ministries and agencies, or someone with a closely approximating {{linktext|curriculum vitae}} (e.g., Superintendent General of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department), after having served as Vice-Grand Steward.

• Imperial Household Law
• Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan
• Imperial Household Department, China
• Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters
• Office of the Yi Dynasty, also known as Ri Oshoku (李王職), which was part of the Imperial Household Ministry during 1911–1945.

{{Notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{lang|ja-Latn|Shigeru, Yoshida|italic=no}} and {{lang|ja-Latn|Hiroshi Nara|italic=no}}. (2007). {{lang|ja-Latn|Shigeru}}: Last Meiji Man. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. {{ISBN|978-0-7425-3932-7}}/{{ISBN|978-0-7425-3933-4}}; {{OCLC|238440967}}

• {{lang|ja-Latn|Kokusai Kyōiku Jōhō Sentā|italic=no}}. (1986). The Imperial Family of Japan. Tokyo: International Society for Educational Information. {{OCLC|24145536}}

{{Commons category|Imperial Household Agency}}

• {{official website| https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/eindex.html}}

{{Ministries of Japan}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:Cabinet Office (Japan)

Category:Chiyoda, Tokyo

Category:Japanese monarchy

Category:Government agencies established in 1949

Category:1949 establishments in Japan

Category:Royal households