Ritsuryō facts for kids

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Part of a series on the politics and government of Japan during the Nara and Heian periods
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Ritsuryō (律令) was an important system of laws and government in ancient Japan. It helped organize the country during a time when Japan was developing its own unique culture and way of life. This system was inspired by ideas from China, especially Confucianism and Chinese Legalism, which focused on how society should be structured and governed.

The Ritsuryō system included two main parts:

Ritsu (律): These were the rules about wrongdoing and justice.
Ryō (令): These were the rules for how the government should work and how the country should be managed.

The political system that followed these laws was called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). Sometimes, these laws were updated with "Kyaku" (格), which were like amendments, and "Shiki" (式), which were new rules or ways to put the laws into practice.

Japan's leaders, especially during the late Asuka period (from the late 500s to 710 AD) and the Nara period (710–794 AD), wanted to create a strong and organized government. They looked to China's powerful Tang dynasty for inspiration. The Imperial Court in Kyoto worked to create and enforce these Ritsuryō laws.

The first steps towards this system began with the Taika reforms in 645 AD. Over many years, the Ritsuryō system helped Japan grow and develop. However, as time passed into the Heian period, some parts of the system changed and became less effective.

Several important versions of the Ritsuryō laws were created:

Ōmi-ryō (669 AD): This was an early set of administrative rules. Some historians debate if it fully existed as a complete code.
Asuka-kiyomihara-ryō (689 AD): This code also focused on administrative rules.
Taihō-ritsuryō (701 AD): This was a very important code. It had 11 volumes of administrative rules and 6 volumes of rules about wrongdoing.
Yōrō-ritsuryō (720 AD, put into effect in 757 AD): This was an updated version of the Taihō-ritsuryō, with 10 volumes for administration and 10 volumes for rules about wrongdoing.

How Japan Was Organized
How the Ritsuryō System Changed Over Time
See also

How Japan Was Organized

Dividing the Land

The Ritsuryō system helped organize Japan into different areas for easier management.

In the late 600s, the Kokugunri system (国郡里制) divided Japan into:
- Provinces (国 (kuni)): Large regions made up of many districts.
- Districts (郡 (gun, kōri)): Smaller areas with 2 to 20 neighborhoods.
- Neighbourhoods (里 (ri, sato)): Groups of about 50 homes.

Later, in 715 AD, the Gōri system (郷里制) updated this. It had:
- Provinces (国 (kuni))
- Districts (郡 (gun, kōri))
- Townships (郷 (gō)): Each had about 50 homes and was divided into smaller neighborhoods.
- Neighbourhoods (里 (ri, sato)): Usually 10 to 25 homes.

This Gōri system was used until 740 AD.

Central Government

The Ritsuryō system also created a strong central government with the Emperor as the highest authority. Two main departments were set up:

The Jingi-kan (神祇官, Department of Worship): This department managed religious ceremonies and priests.
The Daijō-kan (太政官, Department of State): This was the main administrative body, divided into eight different ministries, each with specific tasks.

Ranks in Government Jobs

All public jobs in these departments had four main ranks, called shitō:

Kami (長官): The chief or head of a department.
Suke (次官): The first assistant.
Jō (判官): The second assistant.
Sakan (主典): Other assistants.

This ranking system was used for many different roles, even for people whose jobs weren't directly about governing. For example:

Court musicians had a Chief (Uta no Kami), First Assistant (Uta no Suke), Second Assistant (Uta no Jō), and other assistants (Uta no Sakan).
Court pharmacists also had a Chief (Ten'yaku no Kami), assistants, and other staff.

Court Ranks and Social Status

The Ritsuryō system created a detailed ranking system for all public jobs and officials. There were over 30 ranks, from the highest (first rank) to the lowest (eighth rank and an initial rank called so-i). These ranks decided which jobs people could have.

High Ranks: The top six ranks were for the most important people, often called the aristocracy. These ranks were further divided into "senior" and "junior" levels.
Lower Ranks: People in the sixth rank and below were considered less important. It was very hard to move up from these lower ranks.

Benefits of High Rank

People with higher ranks received more income, often in the form of rice. For example, a high-ranking official might receive thousands of koku (石, a measure of rice, about 150 kilograms) each year, while a lower-ranking official received much less.

Hereditary Privileges

While the system aimed for merit-based promotions, children of high-ranking officials were often given a starting rank. This rule, called on'i no sei (蔭位の制), helped ensure that powerful families kept their influence.

Taxes and Citizen Records

The government kept detailed records of all citizens, updated every six years. They also had a yearly tax book (keichō, 計帳). Based on these records, a tax system called So-yō-chō (租庸調) was put in place.

Taxes were collected on rice harvests.
People also paid taxes with local products like cotton, salt, or cloth, which were sent to the capital.
Citizens had to perform labor for the government or serve in the military. Sometimes, labor could be replaced by sending goods.

Land Distribution System

A key part of the Ritsuryō system was the idea that all land and citizens belonged to the public (公地公民). This led to the Handen-Shūju (班田収受制) system, which was similar to a system in China.

Fair Land Shares: Under Handen-Shūju, every citizen over the age of six received a "distributed field" (kubunden, 口分田).
Field Size: Men usually received a field of about 22 ares (a little over half an acre), while women received two-thirds of that amount.
Taxes: Farmers paid about 3% of their crops as tax on these fields.
Returning Land: When a person died, their field was returned to the government.
Regular Redistribution: The government collected and redistributed land every six years to ensure fairness.
Exemptions: Land owned by religious places like shrines and temples did not have to pay taxes.

Social Classes

The population was divided into two main social classes:

Ryōmin (良民): These were the "good people" or free citizens. They had more rights and were further divided into four groups.
Senmin (賤民): These were people with fewer rights and a lower social standing. They were divided into five groups.

People in different classes often wore different colors of clothing.

How the Ritsuryō System Changed Over Time

The Ritsuryō system was not static; it changed and adapted over the centuries.

Land Ownership Changes

To encourage more farming, new laws were introduced:

In 723 AD, the Sanze-isshin Law (三世一身の法) allowed people to own newly farmed land for three generations.
In 743 AD, the Konden Einen Shizai Law (墾田永年私財法) allowed people to own newly farmed land forever.

These laws led to the creation of large private estates called shōens, which changed the original idea of public land.

Decline of Land Redistribution

The strict Handen-Shūju system became harder to enforce in the 700s and 800s.

Emperor Kanmu tried to keep the system going by extending the time between land collections and distributions to 12 years.
By the early Heian period, the system was barely enforced. The last official land distribution happened between 902 and 903 AD.

Social Class Changes

The strict rules about social classes also became less rigid.

Sometimes, people from the Ryōmin class would marry into the Senmin class to avoid paying taxes.
Children born from these marriages often became Ryōmin.
By the late 800s and early 900s, the social class system had lost much of its original strictness.

Rise of Powerful Families

Because high-ranking government jobs often became hereditary, a few powerful families started to control the most important positions. These families, like the Fujiwara clan, Minamoto clan, Taira clan, and Tachibana clan, became very influential and formed a new nobility.