The Ben-gwang officers are always in their handsome official dress, and are at once recognizable on the street.
Shi, eight men. Their business is to act as bookkeepers or registrars of the transactions of the board; they take charge of the books, and are referred to for information of past transactions.
Sa and Oo dai shi, four men.
Si sho, twenty men, attendants of the three high officers.
Kwa jo, four men, attendants of the Ben-gwang. Though low, the office is an important one.
HATCH SHIO, THE EIGHT BOARDS
The eight boards under the Dai jo gwang are:
| 1. Nakatskasa no sho. | 5. Hio bu sho (Ch., Ping po). |
| 2. Siki bu sho (Ch., Li po). | 6. Gio bu sho (Ch., Ying po). |
| 3. Ji bu sho (Ch., Li po). | 7. Okura no sho (Ch., Ta fu sz). |
| 4. Min bu sho (Ch., U po). | 8. Koo nai sho (Ch., Kung po). |
I. Nakatskasa no sho, or Naka no matsuri koto suru tskasa (equivalent office in China, Chang shu shang).—The Board of the Interior Government, superintends the palace and the affairs of the Emperor, and regulates the imperial household.
The head man, Nakatskasa no kio, is always of very high rank—generally a son of the Emperor, or of one of the royal families.