The Seventeen-Article Admonitions

The Nihon Shoki places a seventeen-article political text in 604 and attributes its preparation to Prince Umayado, later known as Prince Shōtoku. It presents rules of conduct for those serving the sovereign: respect commands, carry out public duties, judge disputes fairly and deliberate together on important matters.

The opening article praises harmony in a court divided by affiliations and disagreements. The second calls for reverence toward the Buddhist Three Treasures—the Buddha, his teaching and the community of practitioners. Other articles address specific abuses: accepting bribes in lawsuits, awarding office to unsuitable people, obstructing colleagues and imposing labor during the farming season. The text connects ethical conduct to the practical work of government.

These are instructions and ideals, rather than a surviving report of their enforcement. The Nihon Shoki was compiled in 720; its attribution and date do not establish that every clause survives exactly as first composed. The text nevertheless became an enduring part of Shōtoku’s reputation, joining Buddhist patronage to an image of officials placing public duties before private interests.