he Daimios as well as from the retainers.
This council finally came to have great influence, and ultimately
transformed itself into the present cabinet.

The government was divided into eight departments:

1. The Sosai Department. This soon changed into Dai-jo-Kuan.

2. Jingi-Jimu-Kioku, or Department of the Shinto Religion. This
department had charge of the Shinto temples, priests, and festivals.

3. Naikoku-Jimu-Kioku, or Department of Home Affairs. This department
had charge of the capital and the five home provinces, of land and
water transport in all the provinces, of post-towns and post-roads,
of barriers and fairs, and of the governors of castles, towns, ports,
etc.

4. Guaikoku-Jimu-Kioku, or Department of Foreign Affairs. This
department had charge of foreign relations, treaties, trade, recovery
of lands, and sustenance of the people.

5. Gumbu-Jimu-Kioku, or War Department. This department had charge of
the naval and military forces, drilling, protection of the Emperor,
and military defences in general.

6. Kuaikei-Jimu-Kioku, or Department of Finance. This department had
charge of the registers of houses and population, of tariff and taxes,
money, corn, accounts, tribute, building and repairs, salaries, public
storehouses, and internal trade.

7. Keiho-Jimu-Kioku, or Judicial Department. This department had
charge of the censorate, of inquisitions, arrests, trials, and the
penal laws in general.

8. Seido-Jimu-Kioku, or Legislative Department. This department
had charge of the superintendence of offices, enactments, sumptuary
regulations, appointments, and all other laws and regulations,

"It is easy to destroy, but difficult to construct," is an old adage
of statesmen. The truth of this utterance was soon realized by the
leaders of the new government.

The first thing which the new government had to settle was its
attitude toward foreign nations. The leaders of the government who had
once opposed with such vehemence, as we have seen, the foreign policy
of the Tokugawa Shogun, now that he had been overthrown, urged the
necessity of amicable relations with foreign powers in the following
memorable memorial[5] to the Dai-jo-Kuan (Government):

"The undersigned, servants of the Crown, respectfully believe that
from ancient times decisions upon important questions concerning
the welfare of the empire were arrived at after consideration of the
actual political condition and its necessities, and that