High-ranking position within the Tokugawa Shogunate
Tairō (Japanese: 大老, "great elder")[1] was a high-ranking official position in the Tokugawa shogunate government of Japan, roughly comparable to the office of prime minister.[2] The tairō presided over the governing rōjū council in the event of an emergency. A tairō was nominated from among the fudai daimyōs, who worked closely with the Tokugawa traditionally.[3] Generally, the office holder was the shogunate's chief policymaker, and provided Japan with a capable temporary leader in the absence of a shōgun, or in the event that the shōgun was incapacitated.