noun
top-ranking judge (ritsuryō system)
Historical term for the highest judicial official under the ritsuryō legal codes of ancient Japan.
律令制では、大判事は太政官の下で裁判を統括した。
Under the ritsuryō system, the top-ranking judge oversaw trials under the Grand Council of State.
noun
chief justice (1869-1875)
Historical title for the head of the judiciary during the early Meiji period, before the modern court system was established.
明治初期、大判事は司法省の長官として裁判制度の整備にあたった。
In the early Meiji period, the chief justice worked on establishing the judicial system as the head of the Ministry of Justice.