The Tokugawa Administration

The Tokugawa dynasty ruled Japan from the period 1600-1868 that was known as the Tokugawa or Edo period, as Edo was the Capital city at this time (O’Neill,115).This clan came to power via Iyasu’s victory in the battle of Sekigahara in 1600 over the forces loyal to the house of Toyotomi (Gordon, 11). This was the last warrior clan to rule Japan, ending with the restoration of Imperial power in 1868 (O’Neill, 115). The warriors of this clan were known as samurai, a Japanese word meaning “one who serves”, the military elite that went on to establish themselves as the ruling class of military nobility over Japan from 1185-1868 (O’Neill, 106). They were also called bushi, another word for warrior (O’Neill, 108). The Tokugawa regime was known for its elaborate system of civil administration based on the Confucian philosophy (Totman, 98). This system was also established in order to maintain peace and consolidate power (Gordon, 9). It is the organs of this regime that will be analyzed in detail throughout this essay.

Before one can analyze of the organs of the Tokugawa administration one must first define the word administration then have a background understanding of this government via the understanding of the polity of the regime as and the basic political unit thereof.

The word administration is basically defined as the running or activity of an organization. (“Administration”, def.1).

The Tokugawa polity was the bakuhan, the political system in which the bakufu ruled the state through regional leaders called daimyo, of whom ruled territories called han (4, Hall). This government is considered essentially feudalistic despite the controversy over using this European term to describe an Asian regime (8, Hall). Feudalistic regimes...

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