Elder - Tairo

This was the highest-ranking position in the Edo Shogunate. It was not a permanent position. It is unclear when it was established. It is said to have started with Sakai Tadayo (Uta no Kami), but there is no definite proof. Rather, it would be better to say that the position was established with the promotion of the two senior councilors Doi Toshikatsu (Oino Kami) and Sakai Tadakatsu (Sanuki no Kami, a branch of the Gagaku no Kami) in 1638 (Kan'ei 15). After him, the following were appointed in the following order: Sakai Tadayoshi (head of Gagaku, 1666-80), Ii Naosumi (head of the Cleaning Section, 1668-76), Hotta Masatoshi (Lord of Chikuzen, 1681-84), Ii Naooki (Naomori, head of the Cleaning Section, 1697-1700, 1711-14), Ii Naohide (head of the Cleaning Section, 1784-87), Ii Naoaki (same, 1835-41), Ii Naosuke (same, 1858-60), and Sakai Tadashige (head of Gagaku, February 1865-November 1865). By the way, Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu (Matsudaira, Mino no Kami, 1706-09), who was a senior councilor, is thought to have always been a chamberlain in terms of his position. There was usually only one member, and the official rank was Shoshii Chujo (Senior Fourth Rank) only for the Ii clan, and Jyuushii Shosho (Junior Fourth Rank) for the other clans. He went to the castle every day and was in charge of the affairs of the government as a senior councilor, but was exempt from monthly duties, attendance at the Hyojosho (council of councilors), and seals on documents, and occasionally took charge of writing internal documents. Together with the senior councilors and young councilors, he was stationed in the official rooms in the palace, and worked in an area separated by a folding screen-like taikobari paper screen on the upper side of the entrance to the upper room.

By the way, during the time of the fourth shogun, Ietsuna, both Sakai Tadakiyo and Ii Naosumi were appointed as chief advisors at the same time, and Abe Tadaaki (Bungo no Kami, 1666-1671, died in 1675) was also treated as a chief advisor. However, it is assumed that this was different for each of the three. Tadakiyo was the head of the Tokugawa cabinet in both name and reality as the representative of the Fudai clan, while Naosumi was the head of the Fudai clan and held the position of a Tokugawa elder statesman, and Tadaaki was treated preferentially as an elder of the cabinet. In particular, the Ii clan, along with the successive Matsudaira clans of Aizu and Takamatsu, held positions in the Tamari-no-ma, which served as political advisors to the shogunate, throughout the Edo period, and were appointed as Tairo in a semi-hereditary manner to govern the country, but with the sole exception of Naosuke at the end of the Edo period, there does not appear to have been anyone who wielded immense political power as the head of the shogunate cabinet = regent, like Sakai Tadakiyo and Hotta Masatoshi, and from this it can be said that even though they were all Tairo, the status and nature of the Ii clan were different from other clans. Furthermore, among the positions that were temporarily established and involved in governing the country, there were positions such as kenin, hosa, seiji sosai, and hoyoku, and of these, seiji sosai was thought to have been similar in nature to tairo. During the time of the third Shogun, Iemitsu, Naotaka Ii, Tadaaki Matsudaira (Okudaira), Masayuki Hoshina (later to become Ietsuna's guardian), and during Ietsuna's time, Naotaka (continued) and Tadatsugu Sakakibara (Matsudaira) were among the Genro who participated in the government as senior councilors and served as senior councilors. This was probably the prototype of the Tamemazume. The Toyotomi clan also had five senior councilors.

[Kitahara Akio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸幕府の役職中、最高位の職名。常置の職ではない。創置は不詳。酒井忠世(ただよ)（雅楽頭(うたのかみ)）に始まると伝えるが確証はなく、むしろ1638年（寛永15）の老中土井利勝(としかつ)（大炊頭(おおいのかみ)）・同酒井忠勝（雅楽頭分家讃岐守(さぬきのかみ)）両人の格上げをもって大老職の設置としたほうがよかろう。こののち、酒井忠清(ただきよ)（雅楽頭、1666～80）、井伊直澄(なおすみ)（掃部頭(かもんのかみ)、1668～76）、堀田正俊(まさとし)（筑前(ちくぜん)守、1681～84）、井伊直興(なおおき)（直該(なおもり)、掃部頭、1697～1700、1711～14）、同直幸(なおひで)（掃部頭、1784～87）、同直亮(なおあき)（同、1835～41）、同直弼(なおすけ)（同、1858～60）、酒井忠績(ただしげ)（雅楽頭、1865.2～65.11）の順序で補任(ぶにん)された。ちなみに、大老格の柳沢吉保(やなぎさわよしやす)（松平、美濃(みの)守、1706～09）は役職上は終始側用人(そばようにん)であったと思われる。定員は通常1人、官位は井伊氏のみ家格によって正四位(しょうしい)中将、他氏は従(じゅ)四位少将となり、日々登城し、老中の上班にあって大政を総理したが、月番御用、評定所(ひょうじょうしょ)出座、奉書加判は免じられ、ときに御内書のことをつかさどった。老中・若年寄ともども殿中御用部屋に詰め、そのうち上之間の入側上座に屏風(びょうぶ)様太鼓張(たいこばり)の障子をもって一画したところで執務した。

　ところで、4代将軍家綱(いえつな)の時期、酒井忠清と井伊直澄の両人が並行して大老に補任され、加えて阿部忠秋(ただあき)（豊後(ぶんご)守、1666～71致仕、1675没）が大老並(なみ)の処遇を受けた。しかし、これは三者三様であったと推測される。忠清は門閥譜代(ふだい)の代表として名実ともに幕閣の首班、直澄は譜代の棟梁(とうりょう)として徳川家の元老の地位にあり、忠秋は幕閣の長老として優待されたものと解せようか。とりわけ井伊氏は、江戸時代を通じて歴代会津・高松両松平氏とともに、将軍家の政治顧問の役目を負う溜間(たまりのま)に座班をもち、またなかば世襲のように大老に補任されて大政に臨んだが、ただ1人幕末期の直弼を例外として、酒井忠清、堀田正俊のように幕閣首班＝執政として政治上絶大な権力を振るった者はなかったかにみえ、このことから、同じ大老といっても井伊氏と他氏とでは本来格式も性質も異なるものと考えられよう。なお、臨時に設置され大政に関与した役職に後見、輔佐(ほさ)、政事総裁、政事輔翼(ほよく)などがあったが、このうちの政事総裁は大老に近い性質のものであったと思われる。また3代将軍家光(いえみつ)の時期に井伊直孝、松平（奥平）忠明(ただあきら)、保科正之(ほしなまさゆき)（のち家綱の後見となる）、家綱の時期に直孝（継続）、榊原(さかきばら)（松平）忠次などが元老として大老・老中の上班にあって大政に参画した。これはおそらく溜間詰の原型をなすものであろう。豊臣(とよとみ)氏にも五大老があった。

［北原章男］

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