Elderly farmer - Adult farmer

Japanese: 長百姓 - おとなびゃくしょう

Also called "Osabyakusho." In the Edo period, they generally referred to the powerful farmers of the upper class of villages. They did not simply refer to o-takamochi farmers, but often to farmers who had a particularly strong relationship with the village, such as kusabun hyakusho who contributed to the development of new villages. They had various privileges within the village and influenced village politics. Other local names for village officials include the Akita domain, where village officials who combined the qualities of "group leader" and "hyakushodai" were called "cho-hyakusho" or "ro-na hyakusho" from among the o-takamochi and kusabun hyakusho, and there are many examples in the Maebashi domain, Takada domain, Fukui domain, Matsushiro domain, and Matsumoto domain where village officials equivalent to the "group leader" and "hyakushodai" of the three local officials of the shogunate were called "cho-hyakusho" or "toshiyori."

Chief farmer

Please see the "Chohyosho" page.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

「おさびゃくしょう」ともいう。一般には江戸時代，村落上層の有力な農民。単なる大高持の農民をさすのではなく，新村落の開発に功のあった草分百姓のような，村と特に関係の深い農民をさすことが多い。彼らは村内で種々の特権をもち，村政を左右した。そのほか村役人の地方的な呼称として，秋田藩の例では「組頭」「百姓代」の両性質を併有する村役人を，大高持，草分百姓から選んで「長百姓」または「老名百姓」と呼び，また前橋藩，高田藩，福井藩，松代藩，松本藩などで幕領の地方三役 (じかたさんやく) 中の「組頭」「百姓代」に相当する村役人を「長百姓」あるいは年寄などと称したような例が少くない。