Igusare Hokounin - Igusare Hokounin

…Since the late Heian period, the feudal relationship between samurai and their retainers was based on the relationship of the master's grant of land to his retainers (Go-on) and the retainers' military service to their masters (Hōkō). However, the term Hōkōnin originally referred to the retainers in this relationship, and was used to refer to vassals to their masters. In the Middle Ages, the term Hōkōnin was generally used to refer to higher-ranking retainers and retainers. Go-on and Hōkō [Kenichi Sato]
[Samurai servant]
Until the early modern period, servants included those of samurai rank, but in the Edo period, the term referred to low-ranking servants such as wakato (young attendants), ashigaru (foot soldiers), chugen (middle men), komono (servants), rokushaku (foot soldiers), zoritori (sandal bearers), and sometimes kachi (foot soldiers) employed by the shogun, daimyo, hatamoto (main retainers), gokenin (vassals of the shogunate), and daimyo's households, and was also called light warrior servants.

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Ifubokonin" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…平安時代後期以来，武士の封建的主従関係は，主人の従者に対する所領給与＝〈御恩〉と，従者の主人に対する軍事的勤務＝〈奉公〉という関係によって成立していたが，本来奉公人とは，武士のこの主従関係における従者をさし，主君に対する家臣の意味である。奉公人という称呼は，中世では上位の従者，家臣をさすものとして用いられるのが一般的であった。御恩･奉公【佐藤 堅一】
【武家奉公人】
　近世初頭までは侍身分の者をも奉公人のうちに加えていたが，江戸時代では将軍や大名，旗本･御家人や大名の家中に雇用された若党（わかとう），足軽，中間（ちゆうげん），小者（こもの），六尺，草履取（ぞうりとり），ときに徒士（かち）などの軽輩をさし，軽き武家奉公人ともいう。…

※「居腐奉公人」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