Treatise 39: Offices III

¶Ministry of Popular Affairs (Minbushō)

¶The Ministry of Popular Affairs (Minbushō). (Note: Examining the Nihon Shoki, the Popular Affairs Office (Minkan) first appears in the first year of Shuchō (686), in the reign of Emperor Tenmu.) It has one Minister (Kyō), whose rank is Senior Fourth Rank Lower. He is in charge of the affairs concerning households and population throughout the realm, name registers, labor and corvée, preferential treatment and exemption from corvée for filial sons and righteous husbands, household retainers and bondservants, bridges, roads and ferry crossings, irrigation channels, ponds, mountains and rivers, marshes, thickets and fields. Beneath it two bureaus are established, called the Bureau of Accounts (Shukei-ryō) and the Bureau of Taxation (Shuzei-ryō). As a rule the household registers are compiled once every six years; five registers (five cycles) are always kept, and those older than that are discarded in turn, except that the Register of the Kōgo year alone is never discarded. Under the system of land tax, labor tax and tribute (so-yō-chō), the land tax, silk, coarse silk and the various other products are collected, and the people liable for levies and corvée are recorded. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) The record that sets out clearly the boundaries of provinces and districts on the basis of maps and registers is called the Ministry of Popular Affairs Map Register (Minbushō Zuchō). (Source: Shokugenshō.) The ministry has one Senior Assistant Minister (Taifu; Senior Fifth Rank Lower), one Junior Assistant Minister (Shōfu; Junior Fifth Rank Lower), one Senior Secretary (Daijō; Senior Sixth Rank Lower), two Junior Secretaries (Shōjō; Junior Sixth Rank Upper), one Senior Recorder (Dairoku; Senior Seventh Rank Upper), and three Junior Recorders (Shōroku; Senior Eighth Rank Upper). It has ten clerks (shishō) (Note: The Shoku Nihongi says that in the sixth year of Wadō (713) six were added. In the Engishiki and the Iroha Jiruishō the number is in both cases twenty; the Jiruishō further records five scribes), two ministry attendants (shōshō) (Note: The Shoku Nihongi says that in the eighth year of Jōwa (841) two assistant ministry attendants were established. The Iroha Jiruishō gives four ministry attendants), sixty messengers (shibu) (Note: In the Engishiki and the Iroha Jiruishō the number is in both cases thirty), and four duty attendants (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the ninth year of Enryaku (790), in the reign of Emperor Kanmu, because the ministry's business was exceptionally heavy compared with the other offices, one Senior Secretary was added. (Source: Shoku Nihongi and Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In later ages provisional (gon) posts were established for both the Senior and Junior Assistant Ministers. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.)

¶The Bureau of Accounts (Shukei-ryō). It has one Director (Kami; Junior Fifth Rank Upper). He is in charge of calculating and totaling the tribute and miscellaneous goods, estimating the expenditure of the state, and auditing the accounts and inspecting for errors. (Source: Ryō no Gige and Ryō no Shūge.) It has one Assistant Director (Suke; Senior Sixth Rank Lower), one Senior Secretary (Dai-jō; Senior Seventh Rank Lower), one Junior Secretary (Shō-jō; Junior Seventh Rank Upper), one Senior Clerk (Dai-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Upper), one Junior Clerk (Shō-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Lower), and two calculators (sanshi; Junior Eighth Rank Upper), who are charged with auditing the expenditures arising from the labor tax and tribute. It has six scribes (shishō) (Note: following the Ryō no Gige. The Shoku Nihongi says that in the first year of Wadō (708) four were added, making ten together with the earlier number. The Engishiki gives eleven), two bureau attendants (ryōshō) (Note: the Shoku Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the eighth year of Jōwa (841)), twenty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives ten), and two duty attendants (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the ninth year of Enryaku (790), in the reign of Emperor Kanmu, one Junior Secretary and one Junior Clerk were added. (Source: Shoku Nihongi.) In later ages a provisional post was established for the Assistant Director. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.)

¶The Bureau of Taxation (Shuzei-ryō). It has one Director (Kami; Junior Fifth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the issue and receipt of the granaries and storehouses, and of the land tax, pounded rice, and the milling of grain by water-driven mills. It has one Assistant Director (Suke; Senior Sixth Rank Lower), one Senior Secretary (Dai-jō; Senior Seventh Rank Lower), one Junior Secretary (Shō-jō; Junior Seventh Rank Upper), one Senior Clerk (Dai-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Upper), one Junior Clerk (Shō-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Lower), and two calculators (sanshi; Junior Eighth Rank Lower), who are charged with auditing the tax accounts. It has four scribes (shishō) (Note: following the Ryō no Gige. The Shoku Nihongi says that in the sixth year of Yōrō (722) two were added. The Engishiki gives seven), two bureau attendants (ryōshō) (Note: the Shoku Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the eighth year of Jōwa (841)), twenty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives ten), and two duty attendants (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the first year of Jōgan (859), in the reign of Emperor Seiwa, it was decreed: "The period of service of the scribes of the Bureau of Taxation shall be limited to ten years." (Source: Sandai Jitsuroku.) In later ages a provisional post was established for the Assistant Director. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.)

¶Ministry of Military Affairs (Hyōbushō)

¶The Ministry of Military Affairs (Hyōbushō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It was originally an office held in remote antiquity by the two clans of the Mononobe and the Ōtomo. (Source: Nihon Shoki, Kojiki and Kuji Hongi.) In the time of Emperor Tenmu a Military Administration Office (Hyōseikan) was established. (Source: Nihon Shoki.) With the promulgation of the Taihō Code it was changed into a ministry, and one Minister (Kyō; Senior Fourth Rank Lower) was appointed, who was charged with the name registers of military officers and soldiers within and outside the capital, their performance evaluations, selection and conferral of rank, rank certificates, attendance at court assemblies, stipends and grants, leave and missions, weapons and ceremonial arms, moats and fortifications, beacon fires, and the levying of soldiers. Beneath it five offices were established, called the Office of Military Horses (Hyōba-shi), the Office of Arms Manufacture (Zōhei-shi), the Office of Drums and Pipes (Kosui-shi), the Office of Ships (Shusen-shi), and the Office of Hawks (Shuyō-shi). As a rule the guardsmen (hyōe) furnished by the offices within and outside the capital are inspected and trained by this ministry and disposed of according to their grade. Those who are old and weak and unfit for palace guard duty, those who falsely claimed a hereditary rank by virtue of their family's standing, and those who, being of base status, misrepresented their station, are all released only after examination. When guardsmen (eji) arrive in the capital, their weapons and equipment are always inspected first, and as for the arms held in readiness by the provinces and districts, the registers are audited every year. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) As a rule the evaluation, selection, conferral of rank and appointment of military officers within and outside the capital, and such matters as seasonal stipends and fodder allowances, all follow the precedents of the Ministry of Ceremonial (Shikibushō). (Source: Engishiki.) It has one Senior Assistant Minister (Taifu; Senior Fifth Rank Lower), one Junior Assistant Minister (Shōfu; Junior Fifth Rank Lower), one Senior Secretary (Daijō; Senior Sixth Rank Lower), two Junior Secretaries (Shōjō; Junior Sixth Rank Upper), one Senior Recorder (Dairoku; Senior Seventh Rank Upper), and three Junior Recorders (Shōroku; Senior Eighth Rank Upper). It has ten clerks (shishō) (Note: The Shoku Nihongi says that in the first year of Wadō (708) six were added. The Nihon Kōki says that in the fourth year of Daidō (809) four were added. The Engishiki gives twenty, which agrees with the total of the numbers added in the two works), ten scribes (shosei) (Note: The Ruijū Sandai Kyaku says that they were established in the fourth year of Kōnin (813). This text says that because the number of clerks was small and the labor of copying was heavy, scribes were established following the precedent of the Ministry of Ceremonial), two ministry attendants (shōshō) (Note: The Ruijū Kokushi says that in the seventh year of Tenchō (830) two assistant ministry attendants were established. The number given in the Engishiki is the same), sixty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives thirty), and four duty attendants (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In later ages provisional (gon) posts were established for both the Senior and Junior Assistant Ministers. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.) The beginning of the kondei (youth guards) is not known (Note: Examining the Nihon Shoki, the word kondei first appears in the first year of Emperor Kōgyoku (642). But at that time it was probably not yet established as an official title). It was probably established after the Taihō Code. In the tenth year of Tenpyō (738), in the reign of Emperor Shōmu, it was abolished. In the sixth year of Tenpyō-hōji (762), in the reign of the Deposed Emperor (Emperor Junnin), the kondei were instituted anew, selected from among the sons and younger brothers of district magistrates and from the common people of the four provinces of Ise, Ōmi, Mino and Echizen, and in the event of death, vacancy, old age or illness they were replaced. Their records and grades were sent each year to the Ministry of Military Affairs by way of the annual court-assembly envoys (chōshūshi). (Source: Shoku Nihongi.) In the eleventh year of Enryaku (792), in the reign of Emperor Kanmu, the following was decreed: "We now abolish the soldiers of the various provinces. For the armories, the bell storehouses, the provincial offices and the like, it is fitting to have kondei furnished to guard them in turn." The numbers were then fixed: thirty men each for Yamato, Kawachi, Settsu, Yamashiro, Iga, Mikawa, Izu, Kai, Awa (Bōsō), Wakasa, Iwami, Oki, Aki, Suō, Kii, Awaji, Awa (Shikoku) and Tosa; twenty for Izumi; one hundred each for Ise, Sagami, Kazusa, Mino, Shinano, Kōzuke, Shimotsuke, Echizen, Echigo and Harima; fifty each for Owari, Suruga, Noto, Etchū, Tamba, Tajima, Inaba, Hōki, Mimasaka, Bizen, Bitchū, Bingo, Nagato and Sanuki; sixty for Tōtomi; one hundred and five for Musashi; one hundred and fifty for Shimōsa; and two hundred each for Hitachi and Ōmi. (Source: Ruijū Kokushi.) Under the Engi regulations of Emperor Daigo, the number of kondei was fixed at three hundred or fewer and twenty or more for each province, with differences among them. All were placed under the Ministry of Military Affairs. (Source: Engishiki.) The remainder appears in the Treatise on Military Affairs (Hei-shi).

¶The Office of Military Horses (Hyōba-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the pasturing and breeding of war horses, and of the public and private horses and oxen of the post-stations. It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), one Senior Clerk (Dai-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). It has six messengers (shibu) and one duty attendant (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: According to the Shoku Nihongi, in the sixth year of Wadō (713) four scribes were assigned to it as provisional posts.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, it was merged into the Left and Right Bureaus of Horses. (Source: appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō.)

¶The Office of Arms Manufacture (Zōhei-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the manufacture of weapons, and of the household registers and name lists of the artisan households. It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), one Senior Clerk (Dai-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper), one Junior Clerk (Shō-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower), and twenty miscellaneous artisans (zōkōbu) (Note: According to the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku, in the third year of Daidō (808) two senior skilled craftsmen were abolished. The Sandai Jitsuroku says that in the first year of Gangyō (877), because the miscellaneous artisan households of Yamashiro were restored to their former state, twenty miscellaneous artisan households of Tōtomi were abolished). It has two scribes (shishō) (Note: the Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the fourth year of Daidō (809)), twelve messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the miscellaneous artisan households. (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, the smiths, armorers, quiver-makers, bow-makers (Yuge), arrow-makers and the like together number four hundred and sixty households, which are called miscellaneous households (zakko) and are exempted from the tribute levy; the nail-craftsmen, shield-makers (Tatenui) and the like together number seventy-two households, which are named occupational corporations (shinabe) and are exempted from labor service.) In the sixteenth year of Tenpyō (744), in the reign of Emperor Shōmu, this office was abolished. (Source: Shoku Nihongi.) It was later re-established. In the eighth year of Kanpyō (896), in the reign of Emperor Uda, it was merged into the Bureau of Armories (Hyōko-ryō). (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku and appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō.)

¶The Office of Drums and Pipes (Kosui-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the training of drumming and piping. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) The great drum (gaiko) is beaten to signal labor, the Jin drum is beaten to accompany the bells, and the training in drum and horn begins in the tenth month and ends in the second month, and on the first day of the third month it is tested in the courtyard of the office itself. (Source: Ryō no Shūge.) It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), one Senior Clerk (Dai-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has two scribes (shishō) (Note: the Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the fourth year of Daidō (809)), ten messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the drum-and-pipe households (kosuiko). (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, the great horn-blowers number two hundred and eighteen households, each household studying from the ninth month to the second month; these are treated like the occupational corporations and are exempted from tribute. The Sandai Jitsuroku says that in the fourth year of Gangyō (880) the Ministry of Military Affairs submitted: "The drum-and-pipe households of Yamashiro number about seventy-five hearths; they are exempted from tribute, labor service and miscellaneous duties so that they may study the drum and horn, but the provincial governor has struck two hearths from the list. We ask that they be restored to their former number." This was granted. The Engishiki says that seventy-five hearths in Yamashiro, two in Settsu and twenty-three in Kawachi were placed under the Bureau of Armories, a reduction of one hundred and eighteen households from the former number.) In the fifteenth year of Enryaku (796), in the reign of Emperor Kanmu, thirty-four wind-instrument players (suibe) were established, and, following the precedent of the miscellaneous attendants of the Bureau of Court Music (Gagaku-ryō), they were permitted to have their registers audited. (Source: Nihon Kōki.) In the nineteenth year (800), this office submitted: "Horns and gongs are both used in military campaigns, but at present there are only three senior horn-players on permanent duty, and there is no master of the gong. We ask that a senior gong-player be appointed to instruct the pupils." This was granted. (Source: Ryō no Shūge and Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the eighth year of Kanpyō (896), in the reign of Emperor Uda, it was abolished and merged into the Bureau of Armories. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku and appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō.)

¶The Office of Ships (Shusen-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Lower). He is in charge of the affairs concerning public and private boats, oars and boat equipment. This was originally held in remote antiquity by the Fune clan. (Source: from "remote antiquity" onward, Nihon Shoki.) It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Upper), one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower), six messengers (shibu) and one duty attendant (jikichō). The boat households (funeko) take turns by rotation in watching over all the government boats wherever they lie. (Source: Ryō no Shūge. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, one hundred boat-guard households are in Settsu and are treated as occupational corporations; they serve in rotation with ten households forming one shift, and are exempted from tribute and labor service.) In later ages this office was abolished and was never re-established. (Source: appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō.)

¶The Office of Hawks (Shuyō-shi). In the beginning, in the reign of Emperor Nintoku, Sakenokimi of Kudara was made to rear hawks, and the hawk-rearing corporation (Takakai-be) was established. The office of hawk-keeper probably arose from this. (Source: from "in the beginning, Nintoku" onward, Nihon Shoki.) Under the Taihō system one Head (Kami; Junior Sixth Rank Lower) was appointed and put in charge of the training of hawks and hounds. It has one Assistant (Suke) (Note: In this text the rank is missing, and one manuscript lacks these three characters) and one Clerk (Reishi; Lesser Initial Rank Lower). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has two scribes (shishō) (Note: the Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the fifteenth year of Enryaku (796)), six messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the hawk households (takato). (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, seventeen hawk-rearing households are in Yamato, Kawachi and Settsu; they are named occupational corporations and are exempted from tribute and service.) In the eighth year of Tenpyō-hōji (764), in the reign of the Deposed Emperor (Emperor Junnin), the Office of Hawk-Releasing (Hōyō-shi) was abolished and an Office of Life-Releasing (Hōjō-shi) was established. (Source: Shoku Nihongi. Note: From this it appears that the Office of Hawks was also called the Office of Hawk-Releasing.) Afterwards the Office of Hawks was re-established. (Source: Nihon Kiryaku. Note: According to this text, the re-establishment of this office was probably in the Enryaku era of Emperor Kanmu.) In later ages the location of this office can no longer be found. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.)

¶Ministry of Justice (Gyōbushō)

¶The Ministry of Justice (Gyōbushō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It was originally an office held in remote antiquity by the Mononobe clan. (Source: Nihon Shoki. Note: Examining this text, in the time of Emperor Tenmu there was a Punishment Office (Gyōkan), which was probably this same function.) With the promulgation of the Taihō Code, one Minister (Kyō; Fourth Rank of an Imperial Prince, Senior Fourth Rank Lower) was appointed, who was charged with interrogating in prisons and determining the names of punishments, deciding doubtful cases, the name registers of free persons and base persons, and matters of imprisonment and debt. Beneath it two offices were established, called the Office of Confiscations and Redemption Fines (Zōshoku-shi) and the Office of Prisons (Shūgoku-shi). As a rule, criminals sentenced to penal servitude or heavier are sent to this ministry, and criminals arrested by the Guards Headquarters who have no registered home in the capital are likewise sent to the ministry. In carrying out a death sentence, for persons of the Fifth Rank or above resident in the capital, an officer of the rank of Junior Assistant Minister or above supervises the execution; for those outside the capital, an officer of the rank of vice-governor or above supervises it; and in all other cases an officer of the rank of Junior Assistant Minister or vice-governor or below does so. As a rule, in cases of crimes whose perpetrators are entitled to deliberation, the Senior Assistant Minister, the Junior Assistant Minister and the judges deliberate and decide the matter at the Council of State (Daijōkan). The ministry has one Senior Assistant Minister (Taifu; Senior Fifth Rank Lower), one Junior Assistant Minister (Shōfu; Junior Fifth Rank Lower), two Senior Secretaries (Daijō; Senior Sixth Rank Lower), two Junior Secretaries (Shōjō; Junior Sixth Rank Upper), one Senior Recorder (Dairoku; Senior Seventh Rank Upper), two Junior Recorders (Shōroku; Senior Eighth Rank Upper), and ten clerks (shishō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.)

¶Two Senior Judges (Dai-hanji; Senior Fifth Rank Lower). They are in charge of reviewing the records of interrogations, determining the names of punishments, and adjudicating the various lawsuits. There are four Middle Judges (Chū-hanji; Senior Sixth Rank Lower) and four Junior Judges (Shō-hanji; Junior Sixth Rank Lower). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) Afterwards the Middle Judges were eliminated and the number was fixed at one Senior Judge and two Junior Judges. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku. Note: According to this text, the year and month are not known.) By the time of Emperor Uda there were two each of Senior, Middle and Junior Judges. In the fourth year of Kanpyō (892) the Middle Judges were suspended and the number made one each of Senior and Junior Judges. (Source: Honchō Monzui and Kanshoku Hishō.) In the fourth year of Enchō (926), in the reign of Emperor Daigo, one Senior Judge was added. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō.) In later ages the number was again reduced to one, and one Middle Judge was established. (Source: Shokugenshō.) There are two Senior Clerks (Dai-sakan; Senior Seventh Rank Lower). They are in charge of copying out the written judgments, and in other respects follow the standard of the clerks (shi) of the Department of Deities (Jingikan). There are two Junior Clerks (Shō-sakan; Senior Eighth Rank Lower). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has four scribes (shishō) (Note: the Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the eighteenth year of Enryaku (799)), and ten Senior Interrogators (Dai-tokibe; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), who are charged with investigating and questioning in lawsuits. There are twenty Middle Interrogators (Chū-tokibe; Senior Eighth Rank Lower) and thirty Junior Interrogators (Shō-tokibe; Junior Eighth Rank Lower). It has two ministry attendants (shōshō), eighty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives thirty), and six duty attendants (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) When the court first established the interrogators is not known. In the fourth year of Empress Jitō (690), one hundred interrogators were attached to this ministry. (Source: Nihon Shoki.) With the Taihō era the number was fixed at sixty. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, they were all abolished. (Source: Ruijū Kokushi.) The Ministry of Justice ranks among the Eight Ministries; it is in charge of the adjudication of prisons, penal law and litigation, and is truly a weighty office. (Source: the general sense of the Ryō no Gige and the Shokugenshō.) After the Kōnin era, its authority passed to the Police Commissioners (Kebiishi), and the ministry retained the name but lost the substance. (Source: Shokugenshō.) In the seventh year of Jōgan (865), in the reign of Emperor Seiwa, this ministry submitted: "By past usage the name Gyōbushō has been read as 'the office of lawsuits.' Now if names are not correct, affairs do not follow; the name should summon the reality, and the affair should model the image. How can an office of judgment be called an office of lawsuits? We request that the Gyōbushō be read as 'the office of judging the law.'" By imperial command the title was changed and it was fixed as the Office of Settling Lawsuits (Jōshō-shi). (Source: Sandai Jitsuroku.) In later ages provisional (gon) posts were established for both the Senior and Junior Assistant Ministers. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.)

¶The Office of Confiscations and Redemption Fines (Zōshoku-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the recording and collection of confiscated property and its allotment, of confiscated goods and redemption fines, and of lost and stray miscellaneous articles. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) As a rule, goods forfeited to the state are distributed among the various offices: weapons are sent to the armories, documents to the Bureau of Books and Documents (Zushoryō), valuables to the Ministry of the Treasury (Ōkurashō), and household retainers and bondservants to the Office of Government Bondservants (Kannu-shi). As a rule, the confiscated goods and redemption fines of the provinces are paid into this office and applied to the clothing, food, mats and medicine of prisoners and to the repair of prison buildings and the like. (Source: Ryō no Shūge.) It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), one Senior Clerk (Dai-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). It has ten messengers (shibu) and one duty attendant (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, it was merged into the Ministry of Justice. (Source: Ryō no Shūge and Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶The Office of Prisons (Shūgoku-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the confinement of criminals, the work assignments of convict labor, and matters of exile and flogging. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) As a rule, criminals arrested by the Guards Headquarters and offenders of penal servitude or heavier sent by the various judicial offices are all confined by this office; convicts are set to work building roads and bridges and sweeping away filth around the palace, and women are assigned to sewing and rice-pounding. (Source: Ryō no Shūge and Engishiki.) It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), one Senior Clerk (Dai-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has two scribes (shishō). (Source: Nihon Kōki, which says they were established in the fourth year of Daidō (809).) It has forty Mononobe attendants (mononobe), who are charged with taking charge of the punishment of criminals, and twenty Mononobe laborers (mononobe-no-yoroboshi). (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, the Mononobe are one class of tomobe (hereditary service groups), and their appointment by the Ministry of Ceremonial is the same as that of the gate-guards (kadobe) of the Gate Guards Headquarters (Emon-fu). It also says that the Mononobe laborers are all assigned to the corvée attendants (jichō).) It has six messengers (shibu). (Source: Engishiki.) The Mononobe were in fact a branch of the Mononobe-no-Muraji, whose main line in remote antiquity had charge of military and penal affairs. After the Taihō era the main line had already declined, while its branches remained attached to the Ministry of Justice and performed menial duties. By the Tenchō era (824-834) there was no one left to fill these posts, and persons of other surnames came to be selected for them. (Source: the general sense of the Nihon Shoki, Shōjiroku, Kuji Hongi, Ryō no Gige, Ruijū Kokushi and Engishiki.)

¶Ministry of the Treasury (Ōkurashō)

¶The Ministry of the Treasury (Ōkurashō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In remote antiquity the court established a Sacred Storehouse (Imikura) and had the Imibe clan take charge of it. By the reign of Emperor Richū an Inner Storehouse (Uchikura) was further established. Emperor Yūryaku in turn built the Great Storehouse (Ōkura), made Hata-no-Kimi Sake its chief, had the Eastern and Western Fumi clans audit and record the registers, and made the Hata and Han (Aya) clans the key-keepers (shuyaku), to oversee the Three Storehouses. (Source: Kogo Shūi and Shōjiroku.) By the time of Emperor Tenmu there was a Ministry of the Treasury. (Source: Nihon Shoki.) The promulgation of the Taihō Code followed that system. One Minister (Kyō; Senior Fourth Rank Lower) was appointed, who was charged with the issue and receipt of the tribute goods of the provinces, and with coin and currency, gold and silver, pearls and jewels, copper and iron, bone and horn, feathers and hair, lacquer, curtains and tents, weights and balances, lengths and measures, buying and selling, appraisal of prices, and the miscellaneous goods presented as tribute from the four quarters. Beneath it five offices were established, called the Office of Casting (Tenchū-shi), the Office of Furnishings (Kamon-shi), the Office of Lacquer (Nuribe-shi), the Office of Sewing (Nuibe-shi) and the Office of Weaving (Oribe-shi). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) As a rule, the tents and hangings, grants and gifts, and alms used for the sacrifices to the various deities, the court ceremonies, the Confucian Sekiten rites and Buddhist assemblies, the spring and summer seasonal stipends and seasonal garments of the various offices, the grants of stipends at the seasonal banquets (sechie), and the rewards and gifts to foreign guests, are all issued by this ministry. (Source: Engishiki.) It has one Senior Assistant Minister (Taifu; Senior Fifth Rank Lower), one Junior Assistant Minister (Shōfu; Junior Fifth Rank Lower), one Senior Secretary (Daijō; Senior Sixth Rank Lower), two Junior Secretaries (Shōjō; Junior Sixth Rank Upper), one Senior Recorder (Dairoku; Senior Seventh Rank Upper), two Junior Recorders (Shōroku; Senior Eighth Rank Upper), and six clerks (shishō) (Note: The Shoku Nihongi says that in the sixth year of Wadō (713) six clerks were added. The Nihon Kōki says that in the fourth year of Daidō (809) eight more were added, making twenty together with the earlier number. The number recorded in the Engishiki agrees with this). It has two Senior Key-keepers (Dai-shuyaku; Junior Sixth Rank Lower), two Junior Key-keepers (Shō-shuyaku; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), and sixty storehouse men (kurabe). (Source: Ruijū Kokushi, which says that in the seventeenth year of Enryaku (798) the number of storehouse men was fixed at forty.) It has four appraisers (kachō). (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku, the number of appraisers is now four, but from before only two had been appointed; in the second year of Jōgan (860) the Ministry of Ceremonial made additional appointments on the basis of the code, but this harmed the conduct of business, and in the thirteenth year (871) the ministry requested that two be removed. Further, examining the Iroha Jiruishō, it gives four.) In the eighteenth year of Enryaku (799), in the reign of Emperor Kanmu, one each of the Senior and Junior Key-keepers was eliminated. In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, one Senior Secretary and one Senior Recorder were added. In the second year of Kōnin (811), in the reign of Emperor Saga, thirty officials of the Bureau of Sewing (Nuidono-ryō) were detached and assigned to this ministry to sew tents and hangings. (Source: Nihon Kōki.) It has two Masters of Footwear (Tenri; Senior Eighth Rank Upper), who are charged with sewing and making boots, shoes and saddlery and with overseeing the Kudara hand-craftsmen (Kudara-no-tebe). It has ten Kudara hand-craftsmen, who are in charge of miscellaneous sewing. (Note: Examining the Ryō no Gige, both the Ministry of the Treasury and the Inner Storehouse Bureau have Masters of Footwear, and their duties are similar. Only, the Inner Storehouse serves the Emperor's own use, while the Treasury is in charge of bestowals, so what they are in charge of is entirely different.) It has one Master of Leather (Tenkaku; Senior Eighth Rank Upper), who is charged with dyeing and preparing miscellaneous leather (Note: the source has the character for "grass" in place of "leather" here, evidently a slip) and with overseeing the Koma craftsmen (komabe). It has six Koma craftsmen, who are in charge of dyeing leather. It has two ministry attendants (shōshō) (Note: The Engishiki lists two assistant ministry attendants), sixty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives twenty), four duty attendants (jikichō), six errand attendants (kushichō), and the Kudara households and Koma households. (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, the Koma people of the Oshinumi households, Chikushi (Takeshi), Miyagōri and elsewhere, together with the Great Koma dyers, number sixty-two households in all; they are treated as occupational corporations and exempted from tribute. The Koma, Kudara and Silla people of Kii number thirty in all and are exempted from miscellaneous labor service. The ten Kudara hand-craftsmen households and eleven Kudara households are all classed as miscellaneous households and exempted from tribute. The cloth-dyers, the Asuka shoe-sewers, the stool-makers, the canopy-sewers, the large-hat sewers, the bridge-builders and the like number one hundred and fifty-one households in all; they are treated as occupational corporations and exempted from miscellaneous labor service. It also says that only the ten Kudara hand-craftsmen are entitled to performance evaluations.) In the first year of Daidō (806), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, the two Masters of Footwear, the ten Kudara hand-craftsmen, the one Master of Leather (Note: written with the character for "grass" in the source), the six Koma craftsmen and the Koma households were placed under the Inner Storehouse Bureau. (Source: Ruijū Kokushi and Ryō no Shūge.) In later ages provisional (gon) posts were established for both the Senior and Junior Assistant Ministers. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.)

¶The Office of Casting (Tenchū-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the casting of gold, silver, copper and iron, the glazing and decoration of glass, and the household registers and name lists of the jewel-makers and the artisan households. It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), one Senior Clerk (Dai-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper), one Junior Clerk (Shō-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower), ten miscellaneous artisans (zōkōbu), ten messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the miscellaneous artisan households. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the fifth year of Hōki (774), in the reign of Emperor Kōnin, it was abolished and merged into the Bureau of Artisans (Takumi-ryō). (Source: appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō.)

¶The Office of Furnishings (Kamon-shi). It was originally an office held in remote antiquity by the Kamon-no-Muraji. When Hikonagisatake-ugayafukiaezu-no-Mikoto was first born in a palace on the seashore, Ame-no-Oshihito-no-Mikoto attended in the birth chamber, made a broom and swept out the crabs, and was therefore called Kaniomori ("crab-keeper"). Kaniomori is the same as Kamon. His descendants held this office generation after generation and became the Kamon clan. (Source: from "that is, remote antiquity" onward, Kogo Shūi and Shōjiroku.) In the Taihō era it was established as an office. One Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper) was appointed, charged with laying out furnishings and sweeping and sprinkling, mats and bedding, and cattail, rush and reed blinds and the like. It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower) and one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has two scribes (shishō) (Note: the Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the eighteenth year of Enryaku (799); the Engishiki gives five), ten furnishing attendants (kamori), six messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives ten), one duty attendant (jikichō), and twenty errand attendants (kushichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the eleventh year of Kōnin (820), in the reign of Emperor Saga, the senior nobles (kugyō) submitted the following: "Although the two offices of Kamon and Uchi-no-Kamon (Inner Furnishings) are different, if we consider what they are charged with, it is no more than the laying out of furnishings. Yet when a temporary seat is to be set up for a public assembly, the two defer to each other and have repeatedly caused negligence. Moreover, the offices are many and the business is little, which is truly improper. We consider that government should aim at brevity and essentials, and that affairs should value the continuity of precedent. We ask that the two offices be combined into one, called the Bureau of Furnishings (Kamon-ryō), placed under the Ministry of the Imperial Household, and given these duties. We ask that all its officials be the same as those of the Bureau of Palace Maintenance (Tonomo-ryō)." This memorial was approved. (Source: Ruijū Kokushi and Ryō no Shūge.) After this, the Director, Assistant Director, Secretaries and Clerks were all the same as in the Bureau of Palace Maintenance. By the time of Emperor Go-Daigo, the Assistant Director had a provisional post, filled by a lesser noble (shodaibu) of the Sixth Rank, and the Secretaries were divided into senior and junior, both filled by warriors (samurai) of the Sixth Rank. (Source: Shokugenshō. Note: The Iroha Jiruishō says there are bureau attendants.)

¶The Office of Lacquer (Nuribe-shi). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It is said that, in the beginning, because Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto had Tokoishi-no-Sukune gather lacquer and apply and dry it, he was ordered to be appointed to the office of lacquer-workers (nuribe). (Source: Honchō Kotohajime, as cited in the Iroha Jiruishō.) Afterwards there was a Nuribe-no-Miyatsuko, who probably held this office. (Source: Shōjiroku.) In the reform of the Taihō era one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Lower) was appointed, charged with the lacquering of miscellaneous articles. It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Upper) and one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). It has twenty lacquer-workers (nuribe) (Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, of the twenty lacquer-workers seven are tomo-no-miyatsuko (hereditary service chiefs), who are exempted from service after a number of years; ten lacquer-worker households are treated as occupational corporations and exempted from tribute and service; both the lacquer-workers and the tomobe are entitled to performance evaluations). It has six messengers (shibu) and one duty attendant (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, an edict had it merged into the Bureau of Artisans. (Source: Ryō no Shūge and Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶The Office of Sewing (Nuibe-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Lower). He is in charge of the cutting and sewing of clothing. It was probably an office held in remote antiquity by the Kinunui-no-Miyatsuko. (Source: from "remote antiquity" onward, Shōjiroku.) It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Upper) and one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). It has four sewing men (nuibe), six messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the sewing-women groups (nuime-be). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Daidō (808) it was merged into the Bureau of Sewing (Nuidono-ryō). (Source: Ryō no Shūge and Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶The Office of Weaving (Oribe-shi). In remote antiquity it was an office held by the Hattori-no-Muraji. In the time of Emperor Ingyō an office was first established and put in overall charge of the weavers of the various provinces. (Source: from "remote antiquity" onward, Shōjiroku.) Under the Taihō system one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Lower) was appointed, charged with the weaving of brocade, twill, pongee and gauze and with miscellaneous dyeing. It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Upper) and one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has two scribes (shishō) (Note: the Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the fourth year of Daidō (809); the Engishiki gives four). It has four pattern-weavers (ayahiki-shi; Greater Initial Rank Lower), who are charged with picking out the patterns of brocade, twill, gauze and the like, eight pattern-weaver apprentices, and six messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives four). It has one duty attendant (jikichō) and the dyer households (someko). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Daidō (808), two pattern-weavers were eliminated. (Source: Ryō no Shūge and Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) Before long the office was abolished and merged into the Bureau of Sewing. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶Ministry of the Imperial Household (Kunaishō)

¶The Ministry of the Imperial Household (Kunaishō). In the time of Emperor Tenmu there was an Imperial Household Office (Kunaikan), in which posts such as Minister (kyō) and Director (daibu) were established. (Source: from "Tenmu" onward, Nihon Shoki.) Under the Taihō system it was changed into a ministry. One Minister (Kyō; Senior Fourth Rank Lower) was appointed, who was charged with the issue and receipt of the tribute and miscellaneous goods of the provinces, pounded rice and the produce of the official fields, and with reporting to the throne and proclaiming the delicacies of the various regions offered for the imperial table. The official fields are distributed within the home provinces; the ministry estimates the kinds of crops to be planted in the following year and the number of plots and strips, calculates the labor according to the regulations, reports to the Council of State for allocation, weighs the size of the harvest at the end of the year, and submits it for performance evaluation, with praise or censure. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It reports on the number and thickness of the ice-houses and presents samples of the ice. (Source: Engishiki.) Beneath it one office is established, called the Office of the Palace Table (Daizenshiki); four bureaus are established, called the Bureau of Carpentry (Mokuryō), the Bureau of Palace Kitchens (Ōiryō), the Bureau of Palace Maintenance (Tonomoryō) and the Bureau of Medicine (Tenyakuryō); and thirteen offices are established, called the Office of Imperial Clan Affairs (Ōgi-shi), the Office of the Inner Table (Naizen-shi), the Office of Sake Brewing (Zōshu-shi), the Office of Smiths (Kaji-shi), the Office of Government Bondservants (Kannu-shi), the Office of Gardens and Ponds (Enchi-shi), the Office of Earthworks (Doku-shi), the Office of Court Ladies (Uneme-shi), the Office of Water (Shusui-shi), the Office of Oil (Shuyu-shi), the Office of Inner Furnishings (Uchi-no-kamon-shi), the Office of Boxes and Pottery (Hakosue-shi) and the Office of Inner Dyeing (Uchi-no-some-shi). It has one Senior Assistant Minister (Taifu; Senior Fifth Rank Lower), one Junior Assistant Minister (Shōfu; Junior Fifth Rank Lower), one Senior Secretary (Daijō; Senior Sixth Rank Lower), two Junior Secretaries (Shōjō; Junior Sixth Rank Upper), one Senior Recorder (Dairoku; Senior Seventh Rank Upper), two Junior Recorders (Shōroku; Senior Eighth Rank Upper (Note: The Ruijū Sandai Kyaku says that one was added, but that the year and month are not known)), and ten clerks (shishō) (Note: The Shoku Nihongi says that in the sixth year of Wadō (713) ten were added. The Ruijū Kokushi says that in the fourteenth year of Jōgan (872) two were eliminated. The Engishiki gives eighteen). It has two ministry attendants (shōshō), sixty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives twenty), and four duty attendants (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In later ages provisional (gon) posts were established for both the Senior and Junior Assistant Ministers. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.)

¶The Office of the Palace Table (Daizenshiki). It has one Director (Daibu; Senior Fifth Rank Upper). It is in charge of the tribute and miscellaneous goods of the provinces, of the preparation of dishes, pickles and minced-meat relishes, sauces, fermented beans and miso, and of the provisioning of relishes, fruits and miscellaneous cakes; it leads the cooks (zenbu) in supplying these. It has one Assistant Director (Suke; Junior Fifth Rank Lower), one Senior Secretary (Dai-shin; Junior Sixth Rank Lower), one Junior Secretary (Shō-shin; Senior Seventh Rank Upper), one Senior Clerk (Dai-sakan; Senior Eighth Rank Lower), one Junior Clerk (Shō-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Upper), two Masters of Sauces (Shushō; Senior Seventh Rank, in charge of preparing miscellaneous sauces, fermented beans, miso and the like) and two Masters of Fruits and Cakes (Shukahei; Senior Seventh Rank Lower, in charge of preparing fruits, sweets and miscellaneous cakes). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has four scribes (shishō) (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi, which says they were established in the sixth year of Wadō (713). The Nihon Kōki says that in the fourth year of Daidō (809) four were added. The Engishiki gives eight). It has one hundred and sixty cooks (zenbu), who are in charge of preparing the food of the common officials. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has two office attendants (shokushō) (Note: the Shoku Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the second year of Jōwa (835)), thirty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives fifteen), two duty attendants (jikichō), eighty errand attendants (kushichō), and the miscellaneous provisioning households (zōkyōko). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In remote antiquity there were surnames such as Ukai-be no Obito, E-no-Obito and Abiko-no-Kimi, who probably served in this office. (Source: Shōjiroku.) After the Taihō era their groups were still called occupational corporations (shinabe) and were attached to this office. These are the miscellaneous provisioning households. (Source: Ryō no Shūge. Note: This text says that the cormorant-fishers, river-men, net-haulers and the like together number two hundred and seventy-four households, which are treated as occupational corporations and exempted from tribute and miscellaneous labor service. The net-haulers are the Abiko.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, the Masters of Sauces and the Masters of Fruits and Cakes were abolished. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku and Ruijū Kokushi.) Before long, because the administrative duties had come to be assigned to the office and its business had become still more complicated, one each of Junior Secretary and Junior Clerk was added. (Source: Nihon Kōki and Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In later ages provisional (gon) posts were established for both the Director and the Assistant Director. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.) There was also one Superintendent of the Imperial Kitchen (Mizushidokoro Bettō), a courtier of the Fourth Rank with access to the imperial presence, appointed to take charge of presenting the imperial meals, sake and relishes. (Source: Shūgaishō.) Later the Head of the Inner Storehouse Bureau was appointed to the superintendency (Source: Shokugenshō), and twenty cook-guards of the Takiguchi (zenbu Takiguchi) were placed in his charge. These are the cormorant-fishers, river-men and weir-keepers and the like. (Source: Kakaishō.)

¶The Bureau of Carpentry (Mokuryō). It has one Director (Kami; Junior Fifth Rank Upper). He is in charge of construction work, building, and the procurement of timber. In the beginning, in the time of Emperor Kōtoku, there was a Chief Architect (Shōsaku-taishō). (Source: from "in the beginning, Emperor Kōtoku" onward, Nihon Shoki.) Under the Taihō system it was probably changed to its present name. It has one Assistant Director (Suke; Senior Sixth Rank Lower), one Senior Secretary (Dai-jō; Senior Seventh Rank Lower), two Junior Secretaries (Shō-jō; Junior Seventh Rank Upper), one Senior Clerk (Dai-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Upper) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Lower). (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: the Engishiki gives two Junior Clerks.) It has four scribes (shishō) (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi, which says they were established in the sixth year of Yōrō (722). Examining the Nihon Kōki, in the twenty-fifth year of Enryaku (806) the Palace Construction Office (Zōgū-shiki) was suspended and merged into the Bureau of Carpentry, and because business had become heavy, six scribes were added, making twelve together with the earlier number. From this, it appears that two had been added before then. In the fourth year of Daidō (809) four were eliminated. In the third year of Kōnin (812) six were added again. In the ninth year (818) the number was fixed at six. The Engishiki gives eleven), four calculators (sanshi) (Source: Engishiki), two bureau attendants (ryōshō) (Source: Ruijū Kokushi, which says they were established in the second year of Jōwa (835)), twenty craftsmen (kōbu) (Note: the Engishiki gives fifty), twenty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives ten), two duty attendants (jikichō), and errand attendants (kushichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, the seventeen senior carpenters on permanent duty were reduced to eight, and the two senior smiths on permanent duty were reduced to one. In the first year of Jōwa (834), in the reign of Emperor Ninmyō, fourteen of the senior craftsmen on permanent duty in this bureau were set aside, and one senior tile-maker on permanent duty was established. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) By an ordinance of the second year (835), the senior miscellaneous craftsmen on permanent duty in the bureau were each assigned grades according to their skill. In the former evaluation registers they had been entered together as "senior carpenters on permanent duty" without distinguishing the grades of their trades. From then on, for senior craftsmen on permanent duty and for craftsmen of each grade, suitable persons were to be selected, distinguished by trade, and appointed to fill vacancies. The numbers were fixed at eight carpenters, two earthworkers, two tile-makers, one lathe-worker, two cypress-bark roofers, two smiths and one lime-worker. (Source: Shoku Nihon Kōki.) In later ages provisional (gon) posts were established for both the Director and the Assistant Director. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.)

¶The Bureau of Palace Kitchens (Ōiryō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the beginning, in the reign of Emperor Seimu, Oonagata-no-Mikoto prepared and presented the imperial rice. The Emperor admired its fragrance and fine flavor and by edict bestowed on him the surname Ōme-no-Muraji, putting him in charge of the palace kitchens and at the same time having him concurrently hold the office of the imperial rice fields. His descendants served in this matter generation after generation. (Source: Tame-no-Sukune Honkeichō, as cited in the Seiji Yōryaku, with reference to the Shōjiroku.) Under the Taihō system it was established as a bureau. One Director (Kami; Junior Fifth Rank Lower) was appointed, charged with distributing the pounded rice and miscellaneous grains of the provinces as provisions for the various offices. It has one Assistant Director (Suke; Junior Sixth Rank Upper), one Secretary (Jō; Junior Seventh Rank Upper), one Senior Clerk (Dai-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Lower) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-sakan; Greater Initial Rank Upper). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has four scribes (shishō) (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi, which says they were established in the second year of Yōrō (718); the Engishiki gives five). It has sixty kitchen men (ōibe) (Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, there are twenty-five kitchen households, which are treated as occupational corporations and exempted from miscellaneous labor service). It has twenty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives ten), two duty attendants (jikichō) and thirty errand attendants (kushichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In later ages the Assistant Director had a provisional post and the Secretaries were divided into senior and junior, all persons of the Sixth Rank being appointed to them, the same as in the Bureau of Furnishings. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō. Note: The Iroha Jiruishō says there are two bureau attendants.)

¶The Bureau of Palace Maintenance (Tonomoryō). It has one Director (Kami; Junior Fifth Rank Lower). He is in charge of providing the imperial palanquins and carriages, canopies and hats, parasols and fans, curtains and hangings, of the bath and of sweeping and sprinkling, and of lamps and torches, pine kindling and charcoal fires. It has one Assistant Director (Suke; Junior Sixth Rank Upper), one Secretary (Jō; Junior Seventh Rank Upper), one Senior Clerk (Dai-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Lower) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-sakan; Greater Initial Rank Upper). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has five scribes (shishō) (Source: Engishiki. Note: Examining the Nihon Kōki, in the fourth year of Daidō (809) two scribes were added to the Bureau of Palace Maintenance. This means that scribes had been established before the Daidō era, but when that was is not known). It has forty palace attendants (tonomobe), twenty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives ten), two duty attendants (jikichō) and eighty errand attendants (kushichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the sixth year of Gangyō (882), in the reign of Emperor Yōzei, the Bureau of Palace Maintenance submitted the following: "Examining the Statute on Official Personnel, it provides that the forty palace attendants are to be filled by persons of the five surnames Hioki, Kobe, Kurumamochi, Kasatori and Kamo. Now those clans have in some cases died out entirely, and in others there are those who have no wish to serve in the bureau directly, so that in assigning miscellaneous duties we are constantly troubled by the smallness of our numbers. In order to get public business done, we have provisionally filled posts with persons of other surnames. When those who have accumulated merit and service are transferred to the Ministry of Ceremonial, the ministry always rejects them on the ground that they are not entered in the evaluation registers. In addition to the five commoners of other surnames who were appointed in the sixth year of Jōwa (839), we ask that ten persons of other surnames be added to the established grades. For the remaining twenty-five, we shall wait for persons of the five surnames to appear and then fill the posts." This was granted. (Source: Sandai Jitsuroku.) As for the Director of Palace Maintenance, in later ages the Ozuki clan held the office hereditarily generation after generation. The Assistant Director had a provisional post and the Secretaries were divided into senior and junior, on the same pattern as in the Bureau of Furnishings. (Source: Shokugenshō.)

¶The Bureau of Medicine (Tenyakuryō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In ancient times there were such clans as the Kusushi and the Kusuri-no-Omi, who probably took charge of this office. (Source: Shōjiroku.) In the time of Emperor Tenmu there was a Bureau of Outer Medicine (Geyakuryō). In the time of Empress Jitō there were a Doctor of Medicine and a Doctor of Incantation. (Source: Nihon Shoki.) With the Taihō era this bureau was established, with one Director (Kami; Junior Fifth Rank Lower) appointed, who was charged with treating illness by means of the various medicines, and with the medicinal herb gardens. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) As a rule, on imperial progresses the attending physicians lead the medicine students and accompany the imperial party bringing the imperial medicines. (Source: Engishiki.) When a person of the Fifth Rank or above falls ill, a report is made and a physician is sent to treat him. (Source: Ryō no Shūge.) Every year miscellaneous medicines are issued for the use of the various offices. (Source: Engishiki.) It has one Assistant Director (Suke; Junior Sixth Rank Upper), one Secretary (Jō; Junior Seventh Rank Upper), one Senior Clerk (Dai-sakan; Junior Eighth Rank Lower) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-sakan; Greater Initial Rank Upper). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has four scribes (shishō) (Note: the Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the fifteenth year of Enryaku (796)), ten physicians (ishi; Junior Seventh Rank Lower, in charge of treating illness and of diagnosis), one Doctor of Medicine (I-hakase; Senior Seventh Rank Lower, in charge of prescriptions and the pulse classics and of teaching the medical students), and forty medical students (isei). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has one Woman Doctor of Medicine (Nyoi-hakase; Senior Seventh Rank Lower) (Note: The Shoku Nihongi says that she was established in the sixth year of Yōrō (722). The rank follows the Shokugenshō. The Shūgaishō gives Junior Seventh Rank Lower). It has five acupuncturists (harishi; Senior Eighth Rank Upper, in charge of treating all kinds of sores and of tonification and drainage), one Doctor of Acupuncture (Hari-hakase; Junior Seventh Rank Lower, in charge of teaching the acupuncture students), and twenty acupuncture students. It has two masseurs (anmashi; Junior Eighth Rank Upper, in charge of treating all fractures and injuries), one Doctor of Massage (Anma-hakase; Senior Eighth Rank Lower) (Note: the Iroha Jiruishō gives two), in charge of teaching the massage students, and ten massage students. It has two incantation masters (jugonshi; Senior Eighth Rank Upper, in charge of incantations), one Doctor of Incantation (Jugon-hakase; Junior Seventh Rank Upper, in charge of teaching the incantation students), and six incantation students. It has two herb-garden masters (yakuenshi; Senior Eighth Rank Upper, in charge of knowing the kinds and properties of medicines, of planting and gathering the various herbs of the garden, and of teaching the herb-garden students), and six herb-garden students. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has one bureau attendant (ryōshō) (Source: Sandai Jitsuroku, which says it was established in the fourth year of Jōgan (862)), twenty messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives ten), two duty attendants (jikichō), and the medicine households and milk households. (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, seventy-five medicine households and fifty milk households are all treated as occupational corporations and exempted from tribute and miscellaneous labor service.) In the third year of Yōrō (719), in the reign of Empress Genshō, the senior milk-makers on permanent duty in this bureau were for the first time permitted to carry the ceremonial tablet (shaku). (Source: Shoku Nihongi.) In the eleventh year of Kōnin (820), in the reign of Emperor Saga, this bureau submitted the following: "In the court of Emperor Kōtoku, Yamato-no-Kusuri-no-Omi Fukutsune, of the rank of Daisenjō, studied the art of milk preparation and was first granted the post of senior milk-maker on permanent duty. From then on his descendants have succeeded one another in serving in this matter, and it has not lapsed to this day. But because they hold the post for life, negligence easily arises; we ask that capable persons from within the family be selected and appointed, with six years as the limit." This memorial was approved. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the second year of Tenchō (825), in the reign of Emperor Junna, the senior milk-makers on permanent duty were renamed milk masters (nyūshi). (Source: Ruijū Kokushi and Ruijū Sandai Kyaku. Note: the Iroha Jiruishō gives one milk master, which is this.) In the eighth year of Kanpyō (896), in the reign of Emperor Uda, the Office of Inner Medicine (Uchi-no-kusuri-no-tsukasa) was suspended, and four attending physicians, one Woman Doctor of Medicine and ten medicine students were placed under this bureau. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku and appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō.) Since the system of hereditary offices arose, the Wake clan and the Tanba clan have held the post of the Bureau of Medicine hereditarily generation after generation. (Source: Shokugenshō, with reference to the Wake genealogy. Note: Examining the two clans of Wake and Tanba, they have held the Bureau of Medicine generation after generation. According to the genealogies of the two clans, the Wake began with Shigure, who became Director of the Bureau of Medicine in the time of Emperor Murakami, and the Tanba began with Yasuyori, who became Doctor of Acupuncture and Doctor of Medicine and whose son Shigeaki became Director of the Bureau of Medicine. Yasuyori was a man of the time of Emperor En'yū.) There was also a Milk-Cow Court (Nyūgyūin), with a Superintendent (bettō) and a custodian of milk masters (nyūshi-azukari) appointed. (Source: Saigūki.) In later ages the Assistant Director had a provisional post, the Secretaries were divided into senior and junior, and provisional posts were established for the attending physicians, the Doctor of Medicine, the Woman Doctor of Medicine and the Doctor of Acupuncture. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō. Note: The Iroha Jiruishō gives five attending physicians and three provisional posts.)

¶The Office of Imperial Clan Affairs (Ōgi-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the name registers of the imperial relatives. As a rule, the sons and the brothers of the sovereign all become princes (shinnō). (Note: The daughters and sisters of the sovereign become princesses (naishinnō).) Grandsons of the sovereign and below become princes of the blood (shoō). Once five generations have passed from a prince, although they still bear the title of prince of the blood, they are no longer in the register of imperial relatives. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) Those who are granted a surname and become subjects are, if of the fifth generation or beyond, likewise conferred the Senior Sixth Rank Upper; those of the seventh generation or beyond who inherit as heirs are conferred the Senior Sixth Rank Lower; the others are treated as commoners. (Source: Engishiki.) It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), one Senior Clerk (Dai-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has two scribes (shishō) (Note: the Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the fifteenth year of Enryaku (796)), ten messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives six) and one duty attendant (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In later ages a prince of the blood of the Fifth Rank was made Head. (Source: Kanshoku Hishō and Shokugenshō.)

¶The Office of the Inner Table (Naizen-shi). This is an office held hereditarily by the two clans of Takahashi and Azumi. (Source: Ryō no Gige, Nihon Shoki, Ruijū Kokushi and Shōjiroku.) The Takahashi clan was originally called the Kashiwade clan. In the time of Emperor Keikō, their ancestor Iwakamutsukari led the Kashiwade-no-Ōtomo-be in serving the imperial meals and was appointed chief of the office of the table. (Source: Takahashi Ujibumi, as cited in the Seiji Yōryaku.) The Azumi clan takes Ōhama-no-Sukune as its ancestor. In the time of Emperor Ōjin he became chief of the sea-people (ama). From then on the descendants of the two clans both took charge of the imperial meals. (Source: Honchō Getsuryō.) When the Taihō Code was promulgated, the Office of the Palace Table and the Office of the Inner Table were established, and the two clans were simply appointed to the Office of the Inner Table. Two Masters of the Table (Bugen; Senior Sixth Rank Upper) were fixed, who were charged with general supervision of the imperial meals and with tasting the food first when it was presented. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the second year of Jingo-keiun (768), in the reign of Empress Shōtoku, an edict stated: "In accordance with the code, those of the two clans of Takahashi and Azumi who are appointed to the Office of the Inner Table are to be Masters of the Table. Those of other clans who are appointed to it are to be named Head (Kami)." (Source: Shoku Nihongi.) In the Enryaku era of Emperor Kanmu the Azumi clan was found guilty of an offense and exiled. It is said that in later ages only the Takahashi clan served in the office, and a Head was never again appointed. (Source: Ruijū Kokushi, Shokugenshō and Shūgaishō.) It has six Masters of Dishes (Tenzen; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), who are charged with serving the food and blending it, and with the cool and warm seasonings of the various flavors. It has one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has two scribes (shishō) (Note: the Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the fourth year of Daidō (809)), and forty cooks (zenbu), who are in charge of preparing the imperial food. It has ten messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives six), one duty attendant (jikichō) and twenty errand attendants (kushichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the Enryaku era, by imperial command, one net-hauling chief and one river chief, formerly under the Office of the Palace Table, and one chief of the Chikuma Imperial Kitchen, were transferred to be attached to this office. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, one senior cooking chief on permanent duty and one senior kitchen chief on permanent duty of the Office of the Inner Table were suspended. (Source: Nihon Kōki.) In the first year of Emperor Saga's reign, forty cooks were added. (Source: Ruijū Kokushi.) In the seventh year of Gangyō (883), in the reign of Emperor Yōzei, the Office of Presented Goods (Shinmotsudokoro) and the like attached to this office were suspended, and supernumerary Ōmi tribute-bearers were established. (Source: Sandai Jitsuroku.) In later ages a Superintendent (bettō) was established over the Inner Table to take charge of the affairs of this office, and a Counselor (Nagon) was appointed to it. (Source: Shokugenshō.) A Shinmotsudokoro was also established, with a Vice-Commander of the Palace Guards (Konoe jishō) as superintendent and the Master of the Table as custodian. (Source: Shūgaishō.)

¶The Office of Sake Brewing (Zōshu-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of brewing sake and vinegar. This was originally the office of the Sakabe-no-Kimi in remote antiquity. Even with the reform of the Taihō era, members of that clan continued to be used as subordinate officials. (Source: from "remote antiquity" onward, Shōjiroku and Ruijū Kokushi.) It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower) and one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has four scribes (shishō) (Note: The Nihon Kōki says that two were established in the fifteenth year of Enryaku (796). The Ruijū Kokushi says that two were added in the seventh year of Kōnin (816). The Engishiki likewise gives four). It has sixty sake-men (sakabe), who are in charge of serving the cups. It has twelve messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives six), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the sake households. (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, eighty-five sake households are treated as occupational corporations and exempted from tribute and miscellaneous labor service.) In the eighth year of Tenchō (831), in the reign of Emperor Junna, because the members of the Sakabe clan in this office had many vacancies, twenty persons of other clans were used to fill them. (Source: Ruijū Kokushi.) In the seventh year of Kōnin (816), in the reign of Emperor Saga, this office submitted: "In the second year of Daidō (807), twenty sake-men were cut. But at present they are assigned to the Heijō Palace and to the Empress's Palace, and are not sufficient to serve here. We ask that they be restored as before." This was granted. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶The Office of Smiths (Kaji-shi). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the age of the gods, Ame-no-Mahitotsu-no-Kami took charge of this office. (Source: Kogo Shūi.) Afterwards there were such offices as the Yamato smiths (Yamato-no-kanuchibe) and the Korean smiths (Kara-no-kanuchibe). (Source: Nihon Shoki and Kojiki.) Under the Taihō system an office was established, with one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper), charged with the making of copper and iron utensils and the household registers and name lists of the smith households. It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), one Senior Clerk (Dai-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper) and one Junior Clerk (Shō-reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). It has twenty smiths (kanuchibe), sixteen messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the smith households. (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, three hundred and thirty-eight smith households are treated as miscellaneous households and exempted from tribute and labor service.) In the sixteenth year of Tenpyō (744), in the reign of Emperor Shōmu, it was abolished. (Source: Shoku Nihongi.) It was later re-established. In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, an edict had it merged into the Bureau of Carpentry. (Source: Ruijū Kokushi and Ryō no Shūge.)

¶The Office of Government Bondservants (Kannu-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the name registers of government households and bondservants (kanko, nuhi) and of the allotted rice fields (kubunden). It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower), one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper), ten messengers (shibu) and one duty attendant (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, an edict had it merged into the Bureau of Palace Maintenance. (Source: Ryō no Shūge.)

¶The Office of Gardens and Ponds (Enchi-shi). In remote antiquity there was the Sonobe clan, who probably took charge of this office. (Source: from "remote antiquity" onward, Shōjiroku.) It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the planting of vegetables and fruit trees in the various gardens and ponds. It has one Assistant (Suke; Junior Seventh Rank Lower) and one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Upper). (Note: The Nihon Kōki says that in the fourth year of Daidō (809) one scribe was eliminated. But as to the establishment of that scribe, nothing is seen in any of the books.) It has six messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the garden households. (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, three hundred garden households are treated as occupational corporations and exempted from tribute and miscellaneous labor service.) In the eighth year of Kanpyō (896), in the reign of Emperor Uda, it was merged into the Office of the Inner Table. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku and appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō.)

¶The Office of Earthworks (Doku-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Senior Sixth Rank Lower). He is in charge of earthwork and the management of tile-clay, and of the burning of lime. It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Upper) and one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower). It has twenty mud-workers (hijibe), ten messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the mud-worker households. (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In remote antiquity there was a Hijibe-no-Miyatsuko, who probably took charge of this office. (Source: Nihon Shoki.) After the Taihō era the mud-workers were still called tomobe (hereditary service groups) and were attached to this office. (Source: Ryō no Shūge. Note: This text also says that fifty-one mud-worker households are treated as occupational corporations and exempted from tribute and labor service.) In later ages this office was abolished. (Source: appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō. Note: Examining the fact that this office is not listed in the Engishiki, its abolition was probably before the Engi era.)

¶The Office of Court Ladies (Uneme-shi). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) The court ladies (uneme) were established in remote antiquity as female officials who attended the imperial meals, and the Uneme-no-Omi were successively its chiefs. (Source: Nihon Shoki and Shōjiroku.) Under the Taihō system an office was established, with one Head (Kami; Junior Sixth Rank Lower), charged with supervising the court ladies. It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Upper) and one Clerk (Reishi; Greater Initial Rank Lower) (Source: Ryō no Gige), and the Uneme-no-Asomi were appointed to these posts. (Source: Engishiki.) It has two scribes (shishō) (Note: the Shoku Nihon Kōki records that they were established in the eighth year of Jōwa (841)), six court-lady attendants (unebe), and twelve messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki and the Iroha Jiruishō both give six). It has one duty attendant (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, an edict had this office merged into the Bureau of Sewing. (Source: Ruijū Kokushi.) In the third year of Kōnin (812), in the reign of Emperor Saga, it was re-established. (Source: Nihon Kōki.) In the ninth year of Kanpyō (897), in the reign of Emperor Uda, an edict stated: "In recent years the court ladies selected and presented by the provinces have sometimes been five or six from a single province and sometimes not one at all. This is because there has been no fixed rule. From now on the fixed number shall be forty-seven: thirty-three provinces, including Yamashiro, Yamato, Owari and Mikawa, shall each present one; four provinces, including Ise and Sanuki, shall each present two; and the two provinces of Ōmi and Harima shall each present three." (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶The Office of Water (Shusui-shi). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) This was originally an office held hereditarily by the Mondori-no-Miyatsuko in remote antiquity. (Source: Nihon Shoki and Shōjiroku.) Under the Taihō system it was established as an office, with one Head (Kami; Junior Sixth Rank Upper), charged with the sacrifices, the Confucian and Buddhist rites and assemblies, the presentation of drinking water and thick rice gruel, and the ice-houses. As a rule, before the beginning of spring, the period of the earth-king is observed, one well in the capital that corresponds to the emperor's vital energy is chosen, and the Mugitsu-no-Obito clan is made to clean and worship it; on the day of the beginning of spring the water is drawn and presented. For mourning for the Empress (Chūgū), the High Priestess (Saiō) and the princes, ice is in every case presented. (Source: drawn from the Ryō no Gige and Engishiki.) The ice-houses were probably in ancient times in the charge of the Hi clan. (Source: Shōjiroku.) It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Lower) and one Clerk (Reishi; Lesser Initial Rank Upper). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) It has two scribes (shishō) (Source: Nihon Kōki, which says they were established in the fourth year of Daidō (809)). It has forty water-men (mondobe) (Note: the Engishiki gives twenty-four), ten messengers (shibu) (Note: the Engishiki gives six), one duty attendant (jikichō), twenty errand attendants (kushichō), and the ice households (himuroko). (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, one hundred and forty-four ice households are treated as occupational corporations and exempted from tribute and miscellaneous labor service.) In the seventh year of Kōnin (816), in the reign of Emperor Saga, this office submitted: "The forty water-men serve three offices, but their number is small and not sufficient for the work. We ask that twelve miscellaneous attendants be added to the roll to be assigned to these duties." This was granted. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku and Ryō no Shūge. Note: Examining the Engishiki, it gives the water-men as forty. Probably the number was restored to the old figure after the Kōnin era.) In the eleventh year of Jōwa (844), in the reign of Emperor Ninmyō, this office submitted: "The office has no seal and uses only plain paper. Since this makes our business casual and careless, we ask that, following the precedent of the Offices of the Inner Table and of Court Ladies, a seal be granted to this office." This was granted. (Source: Shoku Nihon Kōki.) It is said that in later ages the descendants of Kiyohara Yorinari, Head of the Office of Water, held the office hereditarily generation after generation. (Source: Shokugenshō and the Kiyohara genealogy.)

¶The Office of Oil (Shuyu-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Junior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of obtaining fats and oils from the provinces. It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Lower) and one Clerk (Reishi; Lesser Initial Rank Upper). It has six messengers (shibu) and one duty attendant (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the eighth year of Kanpyō (896), in the reign of Emperor Uda, it was merged into the Office of the Inner Table. (Source: Ruijū Sandai Kyaku and appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō.)

¶The Office of Inner Furnishings (Uchi-no-kamon-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Junior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of laying out the imperial couches, narrow mats, matting, bamboo screens, blinds and rush coverings. It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Lower) and one Clerk (Reishi; Lesser Initial Rank Upper). It has thirty furnishing attendants (kamori), ten messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō) and forty errand attendants (kushichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the eleventh year of Kōnin (820), in the reign of Emperor Saga, it was merged into the Office of Furnishings. (Source: Ryō no Shūge.)

¶The Office of Boxes and Pottery (Hakosue-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Junior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of boxes and pottery dishes. It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Lower), one Clerk (Reishi; Lesser Initial Rank Upper), six messengers (shibu), one duty attendant (jikichō), and the box households. (Source: Ryō no Gige. Note: Examining the Ryō no Shūge, one hundred and ninety-seven box households are treated as miscellaneous households and exempted from the tribute levy.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, it was merged into the Office of the Palace Table. (Source: Ryō no Shūge and Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶The Office of Inner Dyeing (Uchi-no-some-shi). It has one Head (Kami; Junior Sixth Rank Upper). He is in charge of the miscellaneous dyeing for the imperial use. It has one Assistant (Suke; Senior Eighth Rank Lower), one Clerk (Reishi; Lesser Initial Rank Upper) and two dyers (someshi; Lesser Initial Rank Upper). It has six messengers (shibu) and one duty attendant (jikichō). (Source: Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Daidō (808), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, it was merged into the Bureau of Sewing. (Source: appendix to the Kanshoku Hishō.)