Sessho and Kampaku

In Japan, the Sessho (摂政) is a title given to a regent who is named to assist an emperor when the emperor is still a child, before the coming of age, or female.

The Kampaku (関白) is the title of a regent who assists an adult emperor.

The Sessho and Kampaku held the practical powers of the ruling Emperor, conducting cloistered rule. Most of empresses had Sessho with some exceptions in the ancient.

In earlier only members of the imperial family could be appointed to Sessho. Kojiki reported the Emperor Ojin was assisted by his mother the empress Jingo, but it is doubtful if it is a historical fact. The first historical Sessho was Prince Shotoku who assisted the empress Suiko.

The Fujiwara clan was the primary holders of the Kampaku and Sessho titles. More precisely those title was held by the Fujiwara Hokke (Fujiwara north family) and its decendants, to which Fujiwara no Yoshifusa belonged. In 844 Fujiwara no Yoshifusa became Sessho. He was the first Sessho who didn't belong to the imperial house. In 876 Fujiwara no Mototsune, the nephew and adopted son of Yoshifusa, was appointed to the newly created office Kampaku. After Fujiwara no Michinaga and Fujiwara no Yorimichi, their decendants held those two office exclusively In 12th century there were five families among the descendants of Yorimichi called Sekke. Until 1868 those five families held those title exclusively with two exceptions of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his nephew Toyotomi Hidetsugu.

Sekke consisted in five families: Konoe family, Kujo family, Ichijo family, Takatsukasa family and Nijo family. Both Konoe clan and Kujo clan were derived from Fujiwra no Tadamichi, a descendant of Yorimichi. Other three families were derived from one of thsoe two families.

A retired kampaku is called Taiko(太閤), which became commonly to referred to as Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

ja:関白