Regent politics - Regent government

During the Kamakura period, the Hojo clan held real power in the shogunate through their regent status. It is positioned between the early Kamakura-dono (shogun) dictatorship and the later Tokuso despotism. In 1203 (Kennin 3), when Hojo Tokimasa deposed Minamoto no Yoriie and installed Sanetomo as Kamakura-dono, he was appointed Mandokoro betto (regent) and took control of the government. In 1205 (Genkyu 2), Tokimasa attempted to depose Sanetomo and install his son-in-law Hiraga Tomomasa as shogun, but failed. After Yoshitoki became regent, Masako and Yoshitoki took control of the government. In 13th year (Kenpo 1), Yoshitoki defeated Wada Yoshimori, the head of the Samurai-dokoro, and became both the head of the Mandokoro and the head of the Samurai-dokoro, with both positions being hereditary within the Hojo clan. After Sanetomo was killed in 1819 (Jokyu 1), the shogunate welcomed Kujo Yoritsune from the regent family, but Masako became the de facto Kamakura Shogun, and with the help of regent Yoshitoki, they also won the Jokyu War in 1821. After Masako died in 1825 (Karoku 1), regent Hojo Yasutoki increased the number of regents to two (one of whom was a joint secretary), established a new council of councilors, and conducted government by consultation, and the following year, Yoritsune was officially appointed Seii Taishogun.

There are two aspects to regent politics. The first is that it was politics carried out by the Hojo clan as regents, and in that sense it can be said that regent politics was "established" in 1203. The second is that it was a council government, different from the Kamakura Shogunate dictatorship and the Tokuso autocracy. From this second point of view, the government up until the time of Masako was dictatorial and should be included in the Kamakura Shogunate dictatorship, and after Masako's death in 1222, Yasutoki was said to have "established" regent politics as a council government. This council government was a political system appropriate for the shogunate, which had entered a period of stability after the Jōkyū War, and in 1232 (the first year of the Jōei era) the Goseibai Shikimoku was enacted, which established the standards for trials and allowed regent politics to be run smoothly.

The nature of regency politics began to change when Hojo Tokiyori became regent in 1246 (Kangen 4). Tokiyori eliminated dissident forces one by one, including the Nagoe clan, who were disgruntled members of the Hojo clan, the powerful Miura clan, and the regents Yoritsugu and Yoritsugu. He also interfered in the politics of the Imperial Court, including the decision on the retired emperor (chiten no kimi) who would rule as a cloistered emperor, the emperor, and the selection of regents. Even after retiring from regent status, Tokiyori held real power as Tokuso, and the source of power in the shogunate came to be the Tokuso rather than the regent. The management of the shogunate also began to shift from deliberations by the Hyojoshu to "Yoriai," meetings privately hosted by the Tokuso. From these points of view, it is correct to include the time of Tokiyori in the period of Tokuso autocracy, but during this period the targets of autocracy were particularly the Imperial Court, the nobility, and temples and shrines, and for the Gokenin, a protective policy was adopted out of a need to gain their support. The conflict between the Tokuso autocracy and the Gokenin became evident from the time of Sadatoki, and the Shimotsuki Incident in 1285 (Kōan 8) was a turning point.

[Masayoshi Kamiyokote]

"Kamiyokote Masataka, 'Studies on the Medieval Political History of Japan' (1970, Hanawa Shobo)" ▽ "Kamiyokote Masataka, 'The Kamakura Shogunate and the Court Noble Government' (included in 'Iwanami Lecture Series on Japanese History 5', 1975, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Miura Shuko, 'Research on Japanese History, New Volume 1' (1982, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Yasuda Motohisa, 'Kamakura Regent Politics' (Kyouikusha Rekishi Shinsho)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉時代、北条(ほうじょう)氏が執権の地位によって、幕府の実権を掌握した政治体制。前期の鎌倉殿(かまくらどの)（将軍）独裁政治、後期の得宗(とくそう)専制政治の中間に位置づけられる。1203年（建仁3）北条時政(ときまさ)は源頼家(よりいえ)を廃して実朝(さねとも)を鎌倉殿にたてた際、政所別当(まんどころべっとう)（執権）に就任し、政権を握った。1205年（元久2）時政は実朝を廃して女婿の平賀朝雅(ひらがともまさ)を将軍にたてようとして失敗、義時(よしとき)が執権となってのちは、政子(まさこ)・義時が政権を握った。13年（建保1）義時は侍所(さむらいどころ)別当和田義盛(よしもり)を滅ぼし、政所・侍所別当を兼ね、その後、北条氏は両職を世襲した。19年（承久1）に実朝が殺されると、幕府は摂関家から九条頼経(くじょうよりつね)を迎えたが、政子が実質的な鎌倉殿となり、執権義時がこれを助け、21年の承久(じょうきゅう)の乱でも勝利を収めた。25年（嘉禄1）政子が没してのち、執権北条泰時(やすとき)は執権を2名に増員（うち1名が連署(れんしょ)）し、評定衆(ひょうじょうしゅう)を新設して、合議政治を行い、翌26年には頼経が正式に征夷大将軍(せいいたいしょうぐん)に任命された。

　執権政治には二つの側面がある。第一は、北条氏が執権として行う政治という側面で、その意味では執権政治は1203年に「成立」したといえる。第二は、鎌倉殿独裁政治や得宗専制政治とは異なる合議政治という側面である。この第二の点からみると、政子の時代までの政治は独裁的であり、鎌倉殿独裁政治に含めるのが妥当で、25年の政子の没後、泰時によって合議政治としての執権政治が「確立」されたということができよう。この合議政治は、承久の乱後、安定期を迎えた幕府にふさわしい政治体制で、32年（貞永1）には「御成敗式目(ごせいばいしきもく)」が制定され、裁判の基準が定まり、執権政治は円滑に運営された。

　1246年（寛元4）北条時頼(ときより)が執権となったころから執権政治は変質し始める。時頼は、北条一門の不満分子である名越(なごえ)氏、有力御家人三浦(ごけにんみうら)氏、摂家将軍頼経・頼嗣(よりつぐ)ら反対勢力を次々に排除した。さらに院政を行う上皇（治天(ちてん)の君(きみ)）や天皇の決定、摂関の人選をはじめ、朝廷の政治にも干渉した。時頼は執権を退いてのちも得宗として実権を握り、幕府権力の根源は執権よりも得宗に置かれるようになった。幕政の運営も評定衆の評議から、得宗が私的に主宰する「寄合(よりあい)」に移り始めた。これらの点からみて、時頼の時代は得宗専制期に含めるのが正しいが、この時期には専制の対象はとくに朝廷、貴族、寺社に向けられ、御家人に対しては、その支持を得る必要からむしろ保護政策をとった。得宗専制と御家人との対立が顕著となるのは貞時(さだとき)の時代からであり、1285年（弘安8）の霜月(しもつき)騒動はその画期である。

［上横手雅敬］

『上横手雅敬著『日本中世政治史研究』（1970・塙書房）』▽『上横手雅敬著「鎌倉幕府と公家政権」（『岩波講座　日本歴史5』所収・1975・岩波書店）』▽『三浦周行著『日本史の研究　新輯1』（1982・岩波書店）』▽『安田元久著『鎌倉執権政治』（教育社歴史新書）』

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