Public figure - Kunin

In the Middle Ages, this was a general term for officials who belonged to the lowest levels of the power structures that held public authority and engaged in public activities such as investigation and judgment. It began to appear in historical documents from the Kamakura period. Various officials were called kuninin depending on the organization they belonged to and the era. (1) A low-ranking official of the dynasty. For example, the Shudenryo Nenyo and Uneme were called kuninin. In the Muromachi period, they were called by the name of the government office they belonged to, such as "Gekikata kuninin," "Kurodokata kuninin," "Kankata kuninin," "Meryo kuninin," and "Kyokuchu kuninin." Lower-ranking officials of the Incho and Kokuga were also called kuninin. (2) A magistrate of the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates. They were called "Mandokoro Konin" and "Monchujo Konin." The "Konin Bugyo" in the Muromachi Shogunate meant the magistrate who supervised all of these magistrates. In addition, lower-ranking officials in the Samurai-dokoro and Mandokoro of the Muromachi Shogunate were also called kuninin. (3) Lower-ranking officials belonging to large temples. In other words, Chugo, Shogo, Sento, Dodoji, and Shicho were called kuninin. Looking at the examples of kuninin above, while there are job titles based on the original duties, they are often called kuninin when their duties expand to include public activities such as inspection, messenger, and tax collection. They generally formed groups with a seated structure, and their economic base was the paid and exempt fields provided by the organizations to which they belonged.

[Nobumichi Inaba]

"A Study on Public Figures in the Middle Ages by Nobumichi Inaba" (The Historical Studies Journal, 89-10)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中世において、公権を所持する権力機構の末端に所属し、検断(けんだん)などの公的活動に従事した職員の一般的名称。鎌倉時代から史料上に登場するようになる。所属する組織や時代によってさまざまな職員が公人と呼ばれた。(1)王朝の下級官人。例えば主殿寮(しゅでんりょう)年預(ねんよ)や采女(うねめ)を公人と呼んだ例がある。室町時代には「外記方(げきかた)公人」「蔵人方(くろうどかた)公人」「官方(かんかた)公人」「馬寮(めりょう)公人」「局中(きょくちゅう)公人」など所属する官司(かんし)の名を冠して呼ばれた。なお、院庁や国衙(こくが)の下級職員も公人と呼ばれている。(2)鎌倉幕府や室町幕府の奉行人。「政所(まんどころ)公人」「問注所(もんちゅうじょ)公人」などと呼ばれた。室町幕府に置かれた「公人奉行」はこうした奉行人全体を統括する奉行人の意味である。このほか、室町幕府侍所(さむらいどころ)や政所の下級職員も公人と呼ばれた。(3)大寺院に所属する下級職員。すなわち、中綱(ちゅうごう)、小綱(しょうごう)、専当(せんとう)、堂童子(どうどうじ)、仕丁(しちょう)などが公人と呼ばれた。以上の公人の用例をみると、本来の職掌に基づく職名がありながら、その職務が検断、使者、年貢徴収など公的活動に拡大することによって公人と呼ばれる場合が多い。彼らはおおむね、座的構成をとる集団を形成し、その経済的基盤は所属機関から支給される給免田(きゅうめんでん)であった。

［稲葉伸道］

『稲葉伸道著「中世の公人に関する一考察」（『史学雑誌』89-10）』

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