Oban-yaku (guard role)

The guard duty for the gates of the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Palace during the late Heian and Kamakura periods. It is also called the Kyoto Daibanyaku, the Dairi Daiban, or the Ouchi Daiban. It replaced the previous Ejijoban, and warriors from various provinces served in rotation. It was established after the Heiji Rebellion (1159) and is thought to have originated from the public service of the Kokuga military system at the time, but there are many unknowns, such as its relationship with the Heike kenin system and the form of imposition. At the beginning of the Kamakura Shogunate, following the practice of the Heike government, it was widely made to serve the Geshi and Oryoushi of manors and imperial lands, but gradually it became a duty reserved for the Gokenin only. After the Jōkyū War (1221), the Samurai-dokoro and Rokuhara Tandai came to dominate the area, and a system was established in which the samurai office and Rokuhara Tandai had the shugo take turns to serve the gokenin within the province. Thus, as one of the three daibon articles, which were the shugo's powers, states, "demands for the oban" (guard), this became the shugo's most important means of controlling the gokenin within the province in peacetime. However, some influential gokenin received reminders directly from the shogunate. Demands were generally issued six months to a year in advance, and the period of service was three to six months. It seems that the normal period for the service was around ten years. The burden of the oban duties was often shifted to the peasants in the domain, which often led to conflicts, and the shogunate repeatedly issued laws to limit the shifting of the burden to the peasants as much as possible. Similar to the Obanyaku was the Zaiyaku (Kyoto Ward) which served as a guard for the capital city of Kyoto. This was a position held by selected vassals from the Kinai and western provinces of Japan, known as Zaiyaku Gokenin (Kyoto Ward vassals), and was also called Kagariyabanyaku after the Kagariya (fireplace) where they stayed.

[Yasunori Koyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

平安時代後期および鎌倉時代の内裏(だいり)や院御所の諸門の警固役。京都大番役、内裏大番、大内(おおうち)大番などともいう。前代の衛士上番(えじじょうばん)にかわるもので、諸国の武士が交替で勤仕した。平治(へいじ)の乱（1159）後からみられ、当時の国衙(こくが)軍制の公役(くやく)に由来するものと考えられるが、平氏の家人(けにん)制との関係や賦課形態など不明な点が多い。鎌倉幕府成立当初は、平氏政権期の慣行に従って、広く荘園(しょうえん)・公領の下司(げし)や押領使(おうりょうし)などに勤仕させているが、しだいに御家人のみの所役となった。承久(じょうきゅう)の乱（1221）後、侍所(さむらいどころ)と六波羅探題(ろくはらたんだい)が統轄し、守護を通じて国内の御家人に交替で勤仕させる方式が確立した。かくて、守護の権限である大犯(だいぼん)三か条の一つに「大番催促」とあるように、平時において守護が国内の御家人を統率するもっとも重要な手段となった。ただし、有力な御家人のなかには幕府から直接催促を受けた者もある。催促状は、おおむね半年ないし1年前に出され、勤仕期間は3か月ないし6か月であった。また勤仕の周期は10年前後が普通であったらしい。大番役の負担は所領内の百姓に転嫁されることが多かったので、しばしば紛争が起こっており、幕府は百姓への転嫁をできるだけ制限する法令をたびたび発している。なお、大番役に類似したものに洛中(らくちゅう)の警衛にあたる在京役がある。これは、在京御家人とよばれた畿内(きない)・西国の特定の御家人を選んで勤仕させたもので、その宿衛所である篝屋(かがりや)にちなんで篝屋番役ともいった。

［小山靖憲］

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