国こく司し

also: くにのつかさ

こ

く

し

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

provincial governor; provincial official

historical term

Historical term for an official appointed to govern a province under the ritsuryō system; especially refers to the governor (kami).

守かみ
国司 refers broadly to the provincial governor or the office itself, while 守 denotes specifically the head official overseeing those governors under the ritsuryō system.

国こく士し
国司 (identical reading) was a historical provincial governor appointed by the imperial court, while 国士 means a distinguished, patriotic person of great character.

From 国 (kuni, 'province') + 司 (tsukasa, 'official'). The reading こくし is Sino-Japanese, while くにのつかさ is the native Japanese reading.