Official Rank Research Articles

Bureancrats of Ancient Japan

The promotion of official rank was a matter of great concern to the ancient bureaucrats under the Taiho Codes (701), since all prerogatives, social and economic, were conferred upon the bureacrats according to their official ranks. Therefore, the system of evaluation of their duties, on which the promotion of rank was based, is worth studying.There existed four ranks in the evaluation in accordance with the kind and class of official duty or position in the administrative mechanism. The annual standard and method of evaluation were adopted on the assumption of a definite number of days of duty. The consolidated results in the course of a certain period of years in respective classes decided the suitability of official rank and degree of promotion.The characteristics are shown as follows:1. The method of evaluation of duty, though complicated, has a system based upon consistent principles.2. The annual evaluation, consolidated in a certain period of years, is directly linked with promotion.3. This method of evaluation of ancient bureaucracy, especially by the aristocracy, which had different standards according to the official rank and position is worth noticing, since it became a factor in producing cliques among the aristocracy.

The Formation of "Gun-ji" System under the Law of Taiho Era-mainly on the fact that it was modelled upon the Law of T'ang Era of China

The organization of the officialdom under the Taiho-Ryo (_??__??__??_) (Taiho Code), which laid down on the model of the Law of -Tang Era of China, accomplished on the foundation of the ancient social customs and institutions gradually formed before the Taika Era.The present treatise is mainly to enquire into the way how the heads of powerful families in the country used to be appointed and placed in the organization of the officialdom-the circumstances of appointment-and, above all, the institution of (_??__??_) or the chief of an ancient Japanese administrative district.According to the Taiho-Ryo, the appointment of the government officials made, as a general rule, in consideration of the candidates' abilities and moral characters. However, it has been often pointed out that the Taiho Government from time to time appointed as the heads of powerful families id the country or old hereditary landowners.Thus, the present treatise consists of the folhwing items :(1) A general view of the local administrative institution before the Taika Era.(2) A table, in which practical examples of the appointments of during the periods ranging from the Taika Rescript in the year 646 to the Proclamation of the Taiho-Ryo in the year 702, are shown, together with the observation of the origin and social standing of Gun-ji were appointed from among the heads of powerful families in the country, their positions being low 'in the official ranks.(3) An inquiry on the character and the function of (_??__??_) (outer court ranks in the Law. of Taiho). Ge-i were the court ranks given. to the heads of powerful families in the country whose representatives were Gun-ji. (4) A comparative study on and (_??__??__??_) in the Law of T'ang Dynasty of China. The regulations concerning as government official were modelled upon those of which was the lowest official rank in the Law of T'ang Dynasty of China.The above-mentioned inquiries, as a conclusion, show that the regulations concerning were never a mere imitation of those of Liu-wai-kuan in the Law of T'ang Dynasty, but were laid down due to the settled and consistent policy of the central government authorities to suppress and control the class of the powerful families in the country.

Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire

A committee has been set up under the auspices of the British Academy with the object of compiling a prosopography of the later Roman Empire (A.D. 284-641). Its object is to do for the later Empire what the Prosopographia Imperii Romani has done for the Principate, to provide the materials for the study of the governing class of the Empire. The majority of the entries will be persons holding official posts or rank together with their families, and the work will not include clerics except in so far as they come into the above categories.