Three professions - Sanshoku

The central organization of the Restoration government from December 9, 1867 (Keio 3) to April 21, the following leap year. The Restoration government, which was born with the restoration of imperial rule in December 1867, abolished governing institutions such as the regent, the chancellor, and the shogunate, and established three offices: the president, the councilor, and the councilor. The three offices can be considered a policy-making organization, and the source of the idea for them was the debate over the upper and lower houses of parliament at the end of the Edo period. The councilor was equivalent to the upper house, and the councilor was equivalent to the lower house. Therefore, the councilor was appointed by high-ranking courtiers and feudal lords, and the councilor was appointed by low-ranking courtiers and samurai from powerful domains in the southwest. The president was appointed and Prince Arisugawa Taruhito was appointed because Emperor Meiji was still in his youth. Later, a vice president was appointed, and Sanjo Sanetomi and Iwakura Tomomi were appointed. The Meiji government, which had won the Battle of Toba-Fushimi and had taken control of the Kinki and Western Japan, needed an administrative organization, and on January 17, 1868 (Keio 4), seven departments were established under the Three Departments: Jingi, Domestic Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Navy and Army, Accounting, Criminal Law, and Institutions (the Three Departments and Seven Departments System). Councilors were appointed to the governors-general who were the heads of the departments, and councilors were appointed to the vice ministers or high-ranking officials, Kakari. On February 3, the seven departments were abolished and replaced with eight bureaus (the Three Departments and Eight Bureaus System). Each of the seven departments became a bureau (only the Navy and Army were renamed Military Defense), and the General Affairs Bureau was established at the top. Influential feudal lords from Satsuma, Choshu and Tosa, such as Kido Takayoshi, Komatsu Tatewaki, Goto Shojiro and Okubo Toshimichi, were appointed as advisors. Although the political guidance of the influential feudal lords was insufficient, it was guaranteed by the system, and the centralized character of the system was strengthened. However, the three offices system was only a temporary organization, and it was abolished on April 21st of the leap year and replaced by the Dajokan system based on the Seitai-sho.

[Inoue Isao]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1867年（慶応3）12月9日から翌年閏(うるう)4月21日に至る間の、維新政府の中央組織。67年12月の王政復古によって誕生した維新政府は、摂政、関白、幕府などの統治機関を廃し、総裁、議定(ぎじょう)、参与からなる三職を置いた。三職は政策決定機構というべきで、着想の源泉は幕末の上下議院論にある。議定は上院に、参与は下院に相当する。したがって議定は上級廷臣、諸侯から、参与は下級廷臣ならびに西南雄藩の藩士から任命された。総裁が置かれ、有栖川宮熾仁(ありすがわのみやたるひと)親王が任命されたのは、明治天皇が弱年であったからであろう。なお、のちに副総裁が置かれて、三条実美(さねとみ)と岩倉具視(ともみ)が任命された。鳥羽(とば)・伏見(ふしみ)の戦いに勝利を収め近畿、西日本を支配下に置いた維新政権は行政組織を必要とし、1868年（慶応4）正月17日、三職のもとに神祇(じんぎ)、内国、外国、海陸軍、会計、刑法、制度の七科を置いた（三職七科制）。科の長官たる総督には議定が、次官ないし高級官吏ともいうべき掛(かかり)には参与が任命された。2月3日、七科は廃され、八局となった（三職八局制）。七科はそれぞれ局（海陸軍のみは軍防と改称）となり、首位に総裁局が設置された。ここには、木戸孝允(たかよし)、小松帯刀(たてわき)、後藤象二郎(しょうじろう)、大久保利通(としみち)ら薩長土(さっちょうど)の有力藩士が顧問として任命された。有力藩士の政治指導が不十分ながら制度的に保証されたわけであり、中央集権的な色彩が強まったわけである。しかし、三職制はしょせん臨時の機構であり、閏4月21日に廃止されて、政体書に基づく太政官(だじょうかん)制がこれにかわった。

［井上　勲］

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