The shikken (Japanese: 執権) was a titular post held by a member of the Hōjō clan, officially a regent of the shogunate, from 1199 to 1333, during the Kamakura period, and so he was head of the bakufu (shogun's government). It was part of the era referred to as Regent Rule (執権政治, Shikken Seiji).[1]
During roughly the first half of that period, the shikken was the de factomilitary dictator of Japan (not including the independent Northern Fujiwara).[1] The title of shikken was modified, as second in command to the Tokusō in 1256, but by the Muromachi period (1333–1573) the position, though not abolished, did not even figure in the top ranks. The position ceased to exist after the Muromachi period.
The word shikken is the on'yomi reading of the combination of the two kanji characters 執 and 権, each meaning "to hold (something in the hand, or a service or ceremony); to administer", "power, authority" respectively. Therefore, the word literally means "to hold power/authority".[citation needed]
Though officially a regent for the shōgun in the Kamakura shogunateinJapan, on paper a shikken derived power from the shōgun, in reality the shōgun had been reduced to a figurehead in a similar marginalizing manner to how the emperor and imperial court had been reduced to figureheads by the first shōgun Minamoto no Yoritomo.[1][2] Both the posts of shikken and tokusō were monopolized by the Hōjō clan.[2]
Hōjō Tokimasa, was the father-in-law of the Yoritomo through his wife Hōjō Masako, and became the first shikken in 1203, after Yoritomo's death. The shikken was the chief of the mandokoro at that time. Tokimasa became the de facto ruler of the shōgunate by monopolizing decisions for the young shōguns Yoriie and Sanetomo who were the sons of Yoritomo and thus Tokimasa's grandchildren, executing whoever got in his way, family or not.[citation needed]Tokimasa's grandson Yoriie and great-grandson were murdered on Tokimasa's orders, a year after he replaced the more independent Yoriie with his younger brother Sanetomo as shōgun.[1]
Tokimasa's son Yoshitoki strengthened the position of shikken by integrating it with the post of Samurai-dokoro[when?], after annihilating the powerful Wada clan[citation needed], who had dominated the latter position. The shikken became the highest post, controlling puppet shōguns in practice. In 1224, Yoshitoki's son Hōjō Yasutoki set up the position of rensho (cosigner), or assistant regent.[citation needed]
Hōjō Tokiyori separated the two posts of tokusō (initially head of the Hōjō clan) and shikken in 1256.
He installed Hōjō Nagatokiasshikken while designating his son Tokimune to succeed as tokusō. Effective power was moved from shikkentotokusō. Tokimune, contemporaneous with Mongol invasions of Japan, at one point personally occupied all 3 most powerful posts of the shogunate, and thus Japan: tokusō, shikken, and rensho.[citation needed]
^ abcdefKozo Yamamura, ed. (1988–1999). The Cambridge history of Japan. Vol. 3. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 66–68. ISBN0-521-22352-0. OCLC17483588.
