Mandokoro (政所) was the chief governing body of an important family or monastic complex in ancient Japan.
The earliest usage of the term was found in the Heian period, referring to a governing body consisting of royalty and high-ranked kuge (higher than ju-sammi).
Subsequently, during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the primary executive branch of the Bakufu (office of the Shogunate) was called by this name.
For example, Kōdai-in, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who held the rank of Kampaku in 1586, was styled Kita no Mandokoro (lit.
During the Heian period, the wives of the kuge were often called Kita-no-kata (北の方, 'Lady in the North'), since their residence was normally placed in the northern complex of the palace.