Housekeeping - Rusudokoro

In late ancient and medieval Japan, a government office was established in each province to govern local administration. From the mid-Heian period, real power in local administration was held by the local lords of the provinces, and the kokushu (provincial governors) stayed in Kyoto under the name of yonin (distant governors), and dispatched their personal deputies, mokudai (deputies), to their assigned provinces. The rususho was the center of the kokuga (provincial office) where the local lords worked under the command of the mokudai. It appeared in the mid-11th century, and can be found in historical documents up until the 15th century. It had sub-offices such as the saisho (tax office), kondeisho (health office), kebiisho (police office), tadokoro (field office), and zusho (police office), and national affairs were carried out by the kudashibumi (office of the rususho) that received orders from the kokushu (provincial governors) in Kyoto. There are countries where the government is made up of several to a dozen local government officials called judges and the like, as well as deputies, and there are also countries where real power is held by one or two powerful feudal lords.

[Naomasa Oishi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本の古代末・中世において、地方行政の統轄のため各国に設けられた政庁。平安中期から、地方行政の実権はその国の在地の領主である在庁官人に握られ、国守は遙任(ようにん)と称して在京し、任国へはその私的な代官である目代(もくだい)を派遣するようになるが、その目代の指揮のもとに在庁官人が執務する国衙(こくが)（国府）の中心が留守所である。11世紀中ごろに現れ、15世紀まで史料にみえる。下部に税所(さいしょ)、健児所(こんでいしよ)、検非違所(けびいしよ)、田所(たどころ)、調所(ずしょ)などの分課的な所を置き、国務は在京の国守の命を受けた留守所の下文(くだしぶみ)によって執行される。判官代などと称する数人から十数人の在庁官人と目代によって構成されている国と、1～2人の豪族的領主が実権を握っている国とがある。

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