Daikan

Daikan (代官) was an official in Japan that acted on behalf of a ruling monarch or a lord at the post they had been appointed to. Since the Middle Ages, daikan were in charge of their territory and territorial tax collection. In the Edo period, daikan were local governors in charge of the government and security of domain and shogunate territories.[1]

Not to be confused with Dahan (solar term).

History

In the Middle Ages, azukaridokoro and ukesho referred to daikan of a feudal lord, and shugo-dai and jitō-dai referred to daikan of shugo and jitō governors, respectively. In the Azuchi-Momoyama period, territorial rulers in charge of local tax collection were called daikan.[2]

In the Edo period, high-ranking hatamoto retainers of the shogun were appointed daikan to govern the shogunal demesne across Japan and were given a 50,000-100,000 koku territory. The daikan worked from their administrative headquarters (jin'ya) at their territory or their mansion in Edo, under the Commissioner of Finance (kanjō bugyō), and had a dozen of tetsuki and tedai officials under their service. Hereditary succession of the position was common.[3] In 1867, at the end of the Edo period, there were 37 daikan.[4]

In the latter half of the Edo period, the feudal domains followed the example and appointed their own daikan, district magistrates, who were called gun-dai or kōri bugyō.[3][4]

References
  1. Nihon dai hyakka zensho. Shōgakkan. 1989. 代官. ISBN 4-09-526001-7. OCLC 14970117.
  2. Gibney, Frank (1995). Britannica international encyclopaedia. Japan: TBS-BRITANNICA. 代官. OCLC 55231838.
  3. Nihon shi jiten. Ōbunsha. 2000. 代官. ISBN 4-01-035313-9. OCLC 48424621.
  4. Maipedia shōhyakka jiten. Heibonsha. 1995. 代官. OCLC 38516410.
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