明治 初期 天皇의 國家元首化와 ‘印璽’의 성립

The emergence of Meiji emperor as the head of state and the development of the privy seal system

The present study focuses on the emerging role of the emperor as the head of state by tracing the development of the system of imperial seal and privy seal during the early Meiji period. The imperial seal(gyoji) used by the Meiji emperor had its origin in the seal used by the emperor of the Tokugawa period. The former, however, functioned quite differently from the latter. Latter the Meiji government created the privy seal(kokuji) modelled on that of western countries. The Meiji Restoration can be characterized by the emergence of the emperor as the head of state. First, the emperor came to exercise firm control over the imperial court by ending the long dominance of the regents over the court. Second, the abolition of the domain allowed the newly organized central government to put the local areas under its firm control, and the emperor as the head of the new government emerged as the ruler of the whole Japan. The development of the system of imperial seal and privy seal represented Meiji emperor’s new role as the head of state. The seals stamped on government documents meant that the emperor not as a private individual but as the head of state authenticated state affairs. High ranking government officials came to be appointed by the emperor, and the imperial seal symbolized that they were Royal appointment. The imperial seal was used both internally and externally during the early years of the Meiji period. After the new privy seal was created in 1871, it was stamped on the diplomatic documents sent to the foreign countries. It is confirmed that the privy seal was stamped on the government letter delivered to China by Date Munenari. The letters delivered to western countries by the Iwakura Mission were also stamped by the privy seal. The privy seal stamped on government letters meant that the emperor represented the new Japanese state. It can be said that the development of the system of imperial seal and privy seal went hand in hand with the development of the centralized modern state in Japan.