Imperial proclamation (宣下)

Imperial proclamation is to issue an official document conveying the Emperor's order.

A series of procedure

The emperor or the emperor Daijo/Cloistered emperor Daijo (the so called Chiten no kimi)'s intentions, or the results matters of the Court noble's meeting 'Jin no sadame' that had been governed and decided were issued in Jin no sadame by Shokei (the leading minister) receiving the notification of the instructions from Kurodo (imperial archives keeper) issued the command in the oral format, and were documented by benkan (Oversight Department:division of the daijokan responsible for controlling central and provincial governmental offices) and gaiki (Secretary of the Grand Council of State) and notified to the targeted people. This is called Imperial decree and these series of procedure is called Imperial proclamation.

After the Kamakura Period, the Imperial proclamation in Jin no sadame came to be limited the use only for an appointment of a high officer.

[Original Japanese]