Deputy - Mokudai

In late ancient and medieval Japan, a deputy for the kokushu, a local official, would visit his assigned province and supervise the zaichokan (local government officials) to carry out state affairs. Originally, it was a general term for government assistants appointed by the kokushu, and until the first half of the 11th century, the number of such people was not limited to one, and they were called buhai mekudai (distribution mekudai) or kumon mekudai (official document mekudai) to divide up state affairs. However, in the second half of the 11th century, rusudokoro (residence offices) were established in each province, and the zaichokan (local government officials) who were the resident feudal lords of the provinces essentially handled state affairs, and the kokushu no longer visited their assigned provinces, calling it yonin (dispatch of duties), and only the cho mekudai (local government officials who supervised the rusudokoro) came to be called mekudai. Mokudai were appointed based on their administrative ability, and according to the Konjaku Monogatari (Tales of Past and Present), some of the mekudai were originally puppets. Later, the term "mokudai" came to refer not only to the provincial governor's deputy but also to anyone who worked locally in place of a regular official.

[Naomasa Oishi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本の古代末・中世において、地方官たる国守の代官として任国に下向(げこう)し、在庁官人を指揮して国務を行う人。本来は国守が私的に設けた政務補助者の総称であり、11世紀前半までは人数も1人とは限らず、分配(ぶはい)目代、公文(くもん)目代などと称して国務を分掌していた。それが、11世紀後半に各国に留守所(るすどころ)ができ、その国の在地の領主である在庁官人が実質的に国務を切り回し、国守が遙任(ようにん)と称して任国に下向しなくなると、留守所の統轄者たる庁目代だけが目代といわれるようになる。目代はその事務能力によって登用されたので、『今昔(こんじゃく)物語』によると傀儡子(くぐつ)出身の目代もいた。のち国守の目代だけでなく、一般に正員のかわりに現地で執務する人を目代というようになった。

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