Kurōdo-dokoro

TheKurōdo-dokoro(Tàng nhân sở),also read as Kurando-dokoro and often translated as theChamberlain's office,was an organ of the imperial Japanese government established in 810 byEmperor Saga.It was set up outside of the statutory government structure described in theritsuryōcode and was placed directly under theemperor's authority. Its original responsibility was to take care of the emperor's archives and imperial documents as well as to attend to various personal needs of the sovereign. However, over the course of the 9th century, the office's role and responsibilities expanded considerably, and by the end of the 9th century it had become a clear control point within the government. Through it the emperor was, for a while, able to exercise his direct influence over the bureaucracy. At the same time the emperor's conduct of official business through the Chamberlain's usurped much of the power and functions of the statutoryCouncil of State(Thái chính quan,daijō-kan).