Seii Taishogun - Shogun

Generally, it refers to the head of the samurai government (bakufu) that began with Minamoto no Yoritomo, but originally it referred to the temporary commander-in-chief appointed by the Imperial Court to subjugate the Emishi. The Ritsuryo government often sent out armies to subjugate the Emishi, and in 721 (Yoro 5) appointed Tajihi no Agatamori as the person in charge and called him "Seii Taishogun". However, after that, during the Nara period, the commander of the Emishi subjugation army was not called Seii Taishogun. However, starting with Otomo no Otomaro in 794 (Enryaku 13), several other Shoguns were appointed as Seii Taishogun until the beginning of the 9th century. Among them, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro was famous and had a great reputation as a warrior, but the reign was abolished after Funya no Watamaro was appointed in 813 (Kōnin 4). The reason for this is thought to be that the suppression of the Emishi had been completed by this time.

However, with the establishment of the military government at the end of the 12th century, the title of Seii Taishogun was revived and took on a new political significance. First, in 1184 (Genryaku 1), Minamoto (Kiso) Yoshinaka, who defeated the Taira clan and entered Kyoto, was appointed Seii Taishogun. However, this title no longer had anything to do with the conquest of the Emishi, but Yoshinaka wanted it as an official title suitable for the head of a military clan to give authority to his own hegemony. Next, Minamoto no Yoritomo also aspired to be appointed to this position, but was opposed by Emperor Goshirakawa, and it was not until 1192 (Kenkyu 3) after the death of the Emperor that this title was finally realized. After Yoritomo, successive heads of the Kamakura shogunate held this position, so the title Seii Taishogun came to mean the position of the head of military government in charge of the military power of the country. Ashikaga Takauji also held this position when the Muromachi Shogunate was established, and successive heads of the Muromachi Shogunate were also appointed to this position. This position was inherited by the Edo Shogunate, and continued to be passed down from generation to generation after Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed in 1603 (Keicho 8), until it was abolished with the Restoration of Imperial Rule in 1867 (Keio 3). The reason why the military government was called the Shogunate comes from the Chinese style of calling the Shogun's residence the Shogunate.

[Tanaka Fumihide]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

一般的には源頼朝(よりとも)に始まる武家政権（幕府）の首長をさすが、本来は蝦夷(えぞ)征討のため朝廷から臨時に任ぜられた総指揮官のことをいった。律令(りつりょう)政府は、蝦夷征討軍をしばしば派遣したが、721年（養老5）に多治比県守(たじひのあがたもり)を責任者に任命し「征夷将軍」と称した。しかし、その後、奈良時代には蝦夷征討軍の主将を征夷将軍の名でよぶことはなかった。ところが、794年（延暦13）に大伴弟麻呂(おおとものおとまろ)を征夷大将軍に任じたのを最初とし、以後、9世紀初頭までに数回の征夷大将軍の任命がなされた。そのなかでも坂上田村麻呂(さかのうえのたむらまろ)が有名で武名をはせたが、813年（弘仁4）に文屋綿麻呂(ふんやのわたまろ)が任命されたのを最後に廃絶した。その理由は、このころには蝦夷鎮圧がいちおう完了したためとみられている。

　ところが、12世紀末に武家政権が成立するとともに、この征夷大将軍の職名が復活し、新しい政治的意義を帯びるに至った。まず1184年（元暦1）に平家を破って入京した源（木曽(きそ)）義仲(よしなか)が征夷大将軍に任命された。しかし、この征夷大将軍はもはや蝦夷征討とは無関係で、義仲が自らの覇権を権威づけるために武門の棟梁(とうりょう)にふさわしい官名としてこれを望んだためであった。ついで源頼朝もこの地位に任ぜられることを熱望したが、後白河(ごしらかわ)法皇の反対にあい、法皇の死後1192年（建久3）に至ってようやく実現した。頼朝のあと鎌倉幕府の歴代の首長がこの地位についたので、征夷大将軍の名号は天下の武力をつかさどる武家政治の首長の地位を意味するようになった。足利尊氏(あしかがたかうじ)も室町幕府の成立にあたってこの職につき、室町幕府の歴代の首長もこの地位に任ぜられた。それは江戸幕府にも継承され、1603年（慶長8）に徳川家康が任命されてのち代々世襲して、1867年（慶応3）に王政復古で廃止されるまで続いた。なお、武家政権を幕府と称するのは、将軍の邸宅を中国風に幕府とよんだことに由来する。

［田中文英］

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