Suggestion box - Meyasubako

The box was set up by the 8th Shogun of the Edo Shogunate, Tokugawa Yoshimune, to receive direct appeals to the Shogun as part of the Kyoho Reforms. From August 1721 (6th year of the Kyoho era), it was placed in front of the Hyojosho (council of judges) three times a month, and from 1727, it was set up in Kyoto and Osaka, and from 1736 (1st year of the Genbun era), it was set up in Sunpu (Shizuoka city) and Kofu. The box was unlocked in the presence of the Shogun, and the Shogun himself opened the appeal, and the Shogun had sole discretion as to whether it would be accepted or not. The purpose of setting up this box was to open an avenue for the common people to resolve their dissatisfaction, to widely solicit suggestions that would be beneficial to the administration, and also to have the Shogun directly obtain information from below, thereby strengthening supervision of various officials and increasing tension in the administrative system. As a result, already in the autumn of that year, the ronin Yamashita Konai submitted a petition that boldly criticized Yoshimune's austerity policies, which drew much attention. His opinions on a wide range of areas, including poverty relief, fire prevention, and new land development, were adopted in government administration, and many examples of these effective measures are known to have been seen even after the Kyoho era.

[Tatsuya Tsuji]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸幕府8代将軍徳川吉宗(よしむね)が享保(きょうほう)の改革の一環として、将軍への直訴(じきそ)状を受理するため設けた箱。1721年（享保6）8月以降毎月三度評定所(ひょうじょうしょ)の前に置き、27年からは京都・大坂に、36年（元文1）からは駿府(すんぷ)（静岡市）・甲府にも設けた。箱は将軍の面前で錠があけられ、訴状は将軍が自ら開封し、その採否は将軍の一存によった。この箱設置の目的は、言路を開いて庶民の不満の解消を図るとともに、広く施政上有益な建言を求めること、さらに将軍が直接下からの情報を握ることによって諸役人の監督を強化し、行政機構の緊張を高めようという意図もあった。その結果は、すでにその年の秋、浪人山下幸内(こうない)が吉宗の緊縮政策を大胆に批判した上書を投じて評判になったのをはじめ、救貧、防火、新田開発など諸方面にわたる意見が施政に採用され、享保以降においても幾多の効果を示す事例が知られている。

［辻　達也］

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