Daikan

{{Short description|Japanese historical magistrate}} {{Distinguish |Dahan (solar term)}} [[File:Suibara Daikansho 003 May2020.jpg|thumb|A former ''daikan''<nowiki/>'s office, the Suibara Daikansho in Agano, Niigata Prefecture]] '''''Daikan''''' (代官) was an official in ancient Japan who was in charge of administrative duties on behalf of a lord or a ruler. Since the Middle Ages, ''daikan'' oversaw a territory and territorial tax collection. In the Edo period, ''daikan'' were local governors in charge of the government and security of domain and shogunate territories.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Nihon dai hyakka zensho|publisher=Shōgakkan|year=1989|isbn=4-09-526001-7|at=代官|oclc=14970117}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Middle Ages === In the Middle Ages, ''azukaridokoro'' and ''ukesho'' referred to ''daikan'' of a feudal and ''shōen'' lord, and ''shugo-dai'' and ''jitō-dai'' referred to ''daikan'' of ''shugo'' and ''jitō'' governors, respectively. In the Azuchi-Momoyama period, territorial rulers in charge of local tax collection were called ''daikan''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Gibney|first=Frank|title=Britannica international encyclopaedia|publisher=TBS-BRITANNICA|year=1995|location=Japan|at=代官|oclc=55231838}}</ref>

=== Edo period === In the Edo period, high-ranking ''hatamoto'' retainers of the shogun were appointed ''daikan'' to govern the shogunal demesne (天領) across Japan and were given a 50,000-100,000 ''koku'' territory as their own fief. The ''daikan'' worked from their administrative headquarters (''jin'ya'') at their territory or their mansion in Edo, under the Commissioner of Finance (''kanjō bugyō''), and had a dozen of ''tetsuki'' and ''tedai'' officials under their service. Hereditary succession of the position was common.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Nihon shi jiten|date=2000|publisher=Ōbunsha|isbn=4-01-035313-9|at=代官|oclc=48424621}}</ref> In 1867, at the end of the Edo period, there were 37 ''daikan''.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Maipedia shōhyakka jiten|publisher=Heibonsha|year=1995|at=代官|oclc=38516410}}</ref>

''Daikan'' who had a bad reputation for self-interest were dismissed by the shogunate, as the harsh collection of annual taxation led to the escape of farmers, which in turn reduced the amount of collectable taxation. Some of them were dismissed and punished for causing starvation during famines.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} On the other hand, other ''daikan'' gained a great reputation, such as Suzuki Shigenari, who continued to appeal to the shogunate for a reduction or exemption of annual taxation at the cost of his own life in order to save the people of the domain from heavy taxes, and Ido Masaaki, who also saved the people from famine by introducing ''ganzo'' to the territories under his control.

In the latter half of the Edo period, the feudal domains or vassals of the Tokugawa Shogunate followed the shogunal example and appointed their own ''daikan'', district magistrates, who were called ''gun-dai'' or ''kōri bugyō''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

== References == {{Reflist}}

Category:Government of feudal Japan Category:Officials of the Tokugawa shogunate