The palace time keeping system in Heian Japan : The role of court couriers and night-watchmen

Abstract

The Higashimaya Bunko copy of Nicchu Gyoji (Daily Events) was, according to a recent study by Nishimoto Masahiro, written during the early 11^<th> century and contains important information about the Heian period not found in any other extant source. This article examines the information provided by Nicchu Gyoji in conjunction with newly discovered sources materials pertaining to court couriers reporting the time to the emperor ("Naijusoji-no-koto"内豎奏時事) and the palace guard's night-watch ("Konoe no-jin Yako-no-koto 近衛陣夜行事), in order to clarify how time was kept at the emperor's quarters(Dairi 内裏).According to Nicchu Gyoji, there were two methods for reporting the time to the emperor: one verbally in the evening through the Mumeimon 無名門 Gate; the other by ramming a stake into a board at which time is written in the court yard inside the Gate. According to related sources for the time, the inscribed placard was not only the means of informing the emperor's attendants of the time, but was itself considered as an instrument for reporting directly to the emperor, and, as such, was carefully handled and guarded by the time courier, whose role was in turn considered very important in palace operations. Regarding the palace guard's night shift, during the time between about 9p.m. and 5a.m. the watch would patrol the palace, performing such duties as eradicating evil omens and preventing fires. At the beginning of the night-watch, the guard would enter through the Mumeimon Gate and announce the time, which the author suggests was performed in accordance with procedures for the time courier.