Gyoshidai - Imperial Censorship

This was the government office in charge of supervision in old China, and is equivalent to the prosecutor's office in Japan today. Its power was so great that it was feared by many officials. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Chief Censor was one of the three Dukes and was at the center of administration, but during the Later Han dynasty, the government organization was improved and the Imperial Censorship Office was established with the Chief Censor. During the Tang dynasty, it controlled three departments: the Taiyuan, the Dianyuan, and the Censorship Office, each of which had a Samurai Imperial Censor, a Samurai Imperial Censor in the Dianyuan, and a Supervisory Imperial Censor. During the Yuan dynasty, the Deputy Imperial Censorship Office was established in the provinces, and at the beginning of the Ming dynasty, the Imperial Censorship Office was abolished and the Censorship Office took over its role, which continued into the Qing dynasty. The governors and governors of each province in the Ming and Qing dynasties also bore the title of Imperial Censor, and the Imperial Censorship Office was important as the ears and eyes of the autocratic rule. The Control Yuan, which is part of the five-branch government (legislative, executive, judicial, examination, and inspection) established by Sun Yat-sen in the Republic of China, is also linked to the tradition of the Imperial Censorship. It is equivalent to the Danjodai in the Japanese Ritsuryo system.

[Atsushi Ikeda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧中国の監察をつかさどる官庁で、今日の日本の検察庁に相当する。その権能は甚だ強大で多くの官吏にとって恐怖の的となった。秦(しん)・漢時代の御史大夫(たいふ)は三公(さんこう)の一人で行政の中枢に位置したが、後漢(ごかん)時代に官庁組織が整い、御史中丞(ちゅうじょう)を長官とする御史台が確立した。唐代には台院、殿院、察院の3部局を統(す)べ、それぞれに侍御史、殿中侍御史、監察御史が所属した。元代には地方に行御史台を設け、明(みん)初に御史台は廃されて都察院がその役割を引き継ぎ、清(しん)朝に及んだ。明・清の各省長官総督、巡撫(じゅんぶ)も御史の肩書を帯び、専制支配の耳目として御史は重視された。民国の孫文(そんぶん／スンウェン)の五権（立法、行政、司法、考試、監察）政体の一環をなす監察院も、御史台の伝統に連なるものである。日本の律令(りつりょう)制の弾正台(だんじょうだい)にあたる。

［池田　温］

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