近世日本 公家社會와 攝家

Kuge(公家) society and the sekke(攝家) in the early modern Japan - Foundations, contents and limits of the status of the sekke

........(踐祚) is the first ceremony that a new emperor goes through. Although it might be construed as the ceremony that transforms the crown prince to the new emperor, it consists of the new emperor’s reappointment of his retainers and their payment of thanks to the emperor. The status of the new emperor is predetermined and does not need the recognition by the retainers. Although the regent is in charge of the procedure of the ceremony, it is by the reappointment of the regent by the new emperor that the ceremony begins. In other words, how ever absolute the regent’s authority looks, it cannot exist without the recognition by the emperor. Emperor Komei was able to get rid of Masamichi by withdrawing ‘nairan(內覽).’ When Emperor Komei was in conflict with Kujo Naotada over the issue of the permission of treaty in the september of the same year, he made Kujo powerless by pulling out his right of nairan. When a new regent was appointed, he was awarded to the right of nairan, which served as the key element in maintaining his authority. Furthermore, the appointment of the regent was in the hand of the bakufu, the permission of nairan was decided solely by the emperor. In other words, the regency could not maintained without the permission of the emperor. Consequently, the emperor had the right for the final decision.