Udaijin
Udaijin ( Japanese 右 大臣 ; historical Kun readings Migi no Ohoimauchigimi , Migi no Otodo ; German "Chancellor on the right") was a Japanese government office from the Nara and Heian periods . It was written into the Taihō Code at the beginning of the 8th century as part of the secular administrative structure of the Daijō-kan .
The Udaijin stood as Minister of State behind the Sadaijin ("Chancellor on the left"). He was thus in third place in the Daijō-kan and was de facto the second highest administrative position, since the formally at the top Daijō Daijin ("Grand Chancellor") was usually occupied as an honorary title. By the end of the 12th century, the Udaijin , like the entire Daijō-kan, largely lost its influence and became a ceremonial title at court.
After the Meiji Restoration , the Daijō-kan was revived as a system of government for a short time in 1869, before it was replaced and finally abolished in 1885 by the cabinet based on Western models . The last Udaijin was Iwakura Tomomi .