Prohibition of Villains - Akutokin Atsurei

... From the late Kamakura period onwards, these people became lower-ranking manor officials or deputies, taking charge of manors, and by weaving their way through the conflicts between manor rulers, they maintained their foothold, accumulated wealth, and became a force that could not be ignored. Behind this was the trend of the times that positively endorsed the accumulation of wealth and money through such villainous behavior. In response to this, the Kamakura Shogunate issued an order to suppress villains in 1258 (Shoka 2), and when the Mongol invasion occurred, it expanded its governing authority to the west to suppress the villains. In particular, in 1324 (Shochu 1), it responded with strict orders to suppress the villains, including the entry of shugoshi into Honjo and the surrounding areas, but this was ineffective, and instead, in the frequent conflicts, the parties involved began to call each other ``villains'' and tried to apply the orders, which resulted in an increase in distrust of the Shogunate. ...

*Some of the terminology used in reference to the "Villain Suppression Order" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…　鎌倉後期以降，こうした人々は下級荘官や代官となって荘園を請け負い，荘園支配者の対立の間をぬって地歩を保ち，富を積んで無視しがたい勢力になってくるが，その背景には，このような悪党的行動による致富，貨幣の集積を積極的に肯定する時代の風潮があったのである。これに対し，鎌倉幕府は1258年(正嘉2)に悪党禁圧令を発したのをはじめ，モンゴル襲来のさいには，その統治権を西国にまで拡大して悪党の制圧につとめた。とくに1324年(正中1)には，本所一円地への守護使の入部を含むきびしい禁圧令をもってこれに臨んだが，効果なく，むしろ頻発する紛争のさい，当事者が互いに相手を〈悪党〉とよび，禁圧令を適用させようとする動きが広がり，幕府に対する不信感を増大させる結果を生んだ。…

※「悪党禁圧令」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報