Mandokoro
Encyclopedia
was the chief governing body of an important family or monastic complex in ancient Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. This name was borrowed for the administrative department of the Shogunate in feudal times.

The earliest usage of the term was found in the Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

, referring to a governing body consisting of royalty and high-ranked kuge
Kuge
The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto until the rise of the Shogunate in the 12th century at which point it was eclipsed by the daimyo...

 (higher than ju-sammi). Subsequently, during the Kamakura
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....

 and Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...

s, the primary executive branch of the Bakufu (office of the Shogunate) was called by this name.

During the Kamakura Shogunate, the Mandokoro governed administration and finance. It was formerly called Kumonjo, and the date when it was renamed is argued. There are two major proposed dates, 1191 or 1185.

The first chief of the Mandokoro was Ōe no Hiromoto
Oe no Hiromoto
Ōe no Hiromoto was a kuge and vassal of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and contributed to establishing the shogunate's governmental structure....

. Later, shikken
Shikken
The was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...

 or rensho
Rensho
The , literally “co-signatory”, was the assistant to the shikken of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan.The rensho placed his signature next to that of the shikken on official orders. In 1224 the third shikken Hōjō Yasutoki appointed Hōjō Tokifusa as the first rensho...

 occupied this position. The position of executive director, serving also as the treasurer, was held by the Nikaidō clan
Nikaido clan
The were Japanese daimyo who ruled over the Iwase District of Mutsu Province during the Sengoku period. Sukagawa Castle was their main residence...

.

During the Muromachi Shogunate, the Mandokoro was the office of finance and process on fiefs. Except in its earliest days, the position of chief of the Mandokoro was held by members of the Ise clan, starting in 1379.

As (lit. North Mandokoro), Mandokoro was also used as an honorific title referring to the wife of the Sesshō (regent) or the Kampaku. For example, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

, who held the rank of Kampaku in 1586, was styled Kita no Mandokoro (lit. North Mandokoro), and his mother was styled Ō-Mandokoro (lit. Mandokoro the Great).

During the Heian period, the wives of the kuge
Kuge
The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto until the rise of the Shogunate in the 12th century at which point it was eclipsed by the daimyo...

were often called Kita-no-kata, (Lady in the North), since their residence was normally placed in the northern complex of the palace.
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