Kuraryo (内蔵寮)
The Kuraryo is an institution affiliated with the Ministry of Central Affairs of the Ritsuryo system during the Ritsuryo system period of Japan. It is read 'Uchinokura no tsukasa' in Japanese.
The Tang name is 'Kura-be.'
Summary
The origins of the Kuraryo can be traced to Uchikura, which is one of the Mitsunokura (Okura, Uchikura, and Imikura) that existed before the Ritsuryo system,
The Uchikura is thought to have existed around the period of Emperor Richu as a storage place to manage the Emperor's family's treasures and continued to exist as an institution within the Ministry of Central Affairs even after the Ritsuryo system started.
The official duties of the Kuraryo are accounting duties related to the Emperor's family such as managing the Emperor's family fortune which included gold, silver and silk sent by the Ministry of Finance for running the court, the keeping of treasures, grants to courtiers, and procurement. It also manufactured decorative items as a government-run craft center. Therefore, it was extremely important and continued under the Kurodo dokoro (the institution where the Imperial archives were kept) with a certain degree of importance even after the Ritsuryo system stooped functioning. Kuraryo had a large overlap with the Finance Ministry of the Ritsuryo system, which did the accounting and the Naishoryo (the institution where the furnishings and formality goods of the Imperial Family were made), which was the core of the government-run craft centers, and government-regulated organizations changed frequently.
As the Ritsuryo system declined and the court itself started to function as the institution to manage the Emperor's family's household, it became tradition for the position of Kuranokami (the chief of Kuraryo) to be filled by court officials of the fourth rank that had previously been Kurodonoto (the chief of Kurodo Dokoro) or worked in the Benkan (clerical section) or Konoefu (Imperial palace guards), and then in the period of governments by cloistered emperors became a position for prominent Zuryo (head of provincial government) with strong financial power, and in the early Muromachi period, the Yamashina family held the position together with the position, Mizushidokoro Betto (superintendent of the cooking section for the emperor), and it has been essentially their hereditary post ever since.
Although this position was abolished with the government system reforms that took place during the Meiji Restoration, in conforming with the plan by Hirofumi ITO to 'separate the court and government,' it was reinstated as an institution within the Imperial Household Ministry in 1884 and continued until the ministry was abolished in 1947. Currently, the Grand Steward's Secretariat (Treasurer of the Imperial Household, Accounting Division and Supply Division) is in charge of duties.
Kuranosuke (Deputy chief of Kuraryo) Yoshio OISHI means that Yoshio was a deputy in the Kuraryo. It goes without saying that he did not do have any duties as deputy, but as mentioned previously, the Kuraryo and Naishoryo, where Naganori ASANO was head, have a close relationship regarding duties.
Staff
Kami (Chief) (Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) to Jugoinojo (Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade))
Suke (Deputy Chief) (Jurokuinojo (Junior Sixth Grade, Upper Grade) to Shorokuinoge (Senior Sixth Grade, Lower Grade))
Jo (Jushichiinojo (Junior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade)), later Daijo (Shoshichiinoge (Senior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade)), Shojo (Jushichiinojo (Junior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade))
Daisakan (Juhachiinoge (Junior Eighth Rank, Lower Grade) Shosakan (Daishoinojo (Greater Initial Rank, Upper Grade)
Shisho (a person doing miscellaneous duties about documents) newly established
Ryosho (assistant officer) newly established
Shibu (factotum)
Jikicho (factotum)
Dai/Sho Shuyaku: Management of the keys, the same position existed in the Finance Ministry and this was not a functional position
Kurabe: clerks who did the accounting for the storage place
Kacho: clerks who did research on the appropriate pricing
Tenkaku (Shohachiinojo (Senior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade): Supervised the tannery. This position was transferred from the Finance Ministry to Kuraryo in 806 together with the Komabe and Komahe, but later abolished.
Komabe: clerks who worked in the tannery
Komahe: craftsmen who worked in the tannery
Tenri (Shohachiinojo (Senior Eighth Rank, Upper Grade)) Supervised the production of leather products
Kudarabe: clerks who worked in the leather craft workshop
Kudarahe: craftsmen who worked in the leather craft workshop
Zoshiki-sakute (various craftspeople)