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江戸幕府のハローワーク

The Edo Shogunate
Job Board

If the Tokugawa Shogunate were hiring —

Illustration of Edo Castle and a procession of shogunate officials

If the Tokugawa Shogunate posted job listings, what would they say? From the Great Elder through the city and provincial magistrates and the guard corps, down to the local intendants — the offices that sustained 265 years of peace, presented as job postings: the role, the openings, the pay (yakudaka), the eligibility and the chain of command. Read together, they reveal the shape of one of history's great bureaucracies.

About the numbers: stipends (yakudaka — the pay) and head-counts varied greatly over time. The figures here are representative values based around the ashidaka system of 1723, introduced by the 8th shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, which topped up lower-income retainers to the office's stipend for the duration of their tenure — letting talent reach high office. Where sources differ we say so, and each entry cites its sources. Familiar figures from period dramas are partly fictional, so we keep historical fact and popular legend distinct.
Organisation

Organisation of the Shogunate

The main chain of command beneath the shogun. Click any office to jump to its job listing. Stipends and lines of command varied over time, so this shows the broad relationships.

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We create places to study the spirit that lived within these offices — through research, experience and practice. Please feel free to reach out.

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