Small construction - Kobushin

One of the direct retainers of the Edo Shogunate. It also indicates the status of the direct retainers without official duties, and can be considered a type of position since they served as small construction officers. In the Shogunate, non-official direct retainers with a stipend of 3000 koku or more, as well as those with a lower stipend but from a certain family background, and those who held a position of Hoi or higher were incorporated into the Yoriai, and sometimes those with a stipend of 3000 koku or less and those who were originally qualified to be Yoriai were punished and incorporated into the small construction officers (however, the five ranks of chugen, kobito, kurokuwa no mono, kago no mono, and sweeper were not incorporated into the small construction officers even after they were no longer employed, and were treated separately as metsuke-controlled non-official retainers).

It is said that the origin of this system is that the elderly or young people who had no official duties would donate their samurai and servants to the small construction works in the camp as laborers to make up for their lack of work (the burden of labor service). This was changed to a gold payment in 1675 (Enpo 3) or 1689 (Genroku 2), and was called Kobushinkin (small construction fee) (tax payment). In the case of a gathering, it was also called Yorikin. These were called Kobushinkin. In the system of 1689, those with a family stipend of 20 koku or less were exempt from tax payment, and those with a family stipend of 20 to 50 koku were required to pay 2 bu of gold, those with a family stipend of 50 to 100 koku were required to pay 1 ryo of gold, those with a family stipend of 100 to 500 koku were required to pay 1 ryo 2 bu of gold for every 100 koku, and those with a family stipend of 500 or more were required to pay 2 ryo of gold for every 100 koku. The ratio of the meetings was 2 ryo of gold for every 100 koku (both koku and rice bags were treated equally). Initially, they were under the control of the Rusui, and by 1716 (Kyoho 1), there were 5 groups and 3,184 people. In 1719, samurai with 200 koku or more were transferred to the control of the Kobushin-gumi (ruling elders' control, 3,000 koku in official salary, Hōgi, Nakano-ma-tsume) (10 groups). In 1753 (Hōreki 3), the control of the Rusui was abolished, and samurai with 200 koku or less came under the control of the Kobushin-gumi (12 groups). From this point on, samurai with an audience with the Emperor or higher (Hatamoto) were called the Kobushin-gumi, and samurai with an audience with the Emperor or lower (Gokenin) were called the Kobushin-gumi. Each group had one manager (head), two group leaders, and then one more (head manager, salary of 200 koku, salary of 200 koku to 300 koku, Imperial presence or higher, staffed in the fire room), as well as a caretaker, caretaker, and small construction money payer, and a small construction doctor. In 1866 (Keio 2), the small construction group was abolished (it had been reduced to 5 groups in 1863), and the small construction group manager became a Kinjinami Yoriai, and the subordinate samurai of both the small construction manager and the small construction group were incorporated into the Navy and Army Bugyo's (Bugyo) rank manager and the Magistrate's rank group, and the small construction group samurai with less than 50 koku became Omochi Kozutsuguminami and Dokinkata.

[Kitahara Akio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸幕府直参(じきさん)組織の一つ。無役直参の士の格式をも示し、小普請役を勤めたところから役職の一種とも考えられる。幕府では無役の直参中、家禄(かろく)3000石以上の士、およびそれ以下でも特定の家柄の士、また布衣(ほい)以上の役職にあった士が寄合(よりあい)に編入され、家禄3000石以下の士および本来は寄合の座班・資格をもつ士がときに処罰され小普請に編入された（ただし、中間(ちゅうげん)、小人(こびと)、黒鍬者(くろくわのもの)、駕籠(かご)者、掃除者の五役は、無役になっても小普請には編入されず、目付支配無役として別扱いにされた）。

　起源は、老人あるいは幼少で無役の者が、その埋め合わせに営中の小普請に家士・奉公人を人夫として差し出したところにあるという（夫役(ぶやく)の負担）。これは1675年（延宝3）もしくは1689年（元禄2）に金納にかわり、それを小普請金(こぶしんきん)といった（役金の上納）。寄合の場合は寄合金ともいう。これらを小普請役と称した。89年の制では、家禄20俵以下は役金の上納は免除され、20俵より50俵の内までは金2分、50俵より100俵の内までは金1両、100俵より500俵の内までは100俵につき金1両2分、500俵より以上は100俵につき金2両を上納する定めであった。寄合は100石につき金2両の割合であった（石も俵も同断）。初め留守居(るすい)の支配に所属し、1716年（享保1）には5組、3184人を数えた。1719年、200石以上の士は小普請組支配（老中支配、役高3000石、布衣、中之間詰）の管掌下に移された（10組）。1753年（宝暦3）、留守居の支配は廃止され、200石以下の士は小普請組支配の所属となった（12組）。これ以後、御目見(おめみえ)以上の士（旗本）を小普請支配、御目見以下の士（御家人(ごけにん)）を小普請組と唱えた。各組に支配（頭）1人、組頭2人のち1人（頭支配、役高200俵、役料200俵のち300俵、御目見以上、焼火間(たきびのま)詰）があり、このほかに世話役、世話取扱、小普請金上納役などが所属し、小普請医師も配下にあった。1866年（慶応2）、小普請は廃止され（1863年＝文久3年には5組に減じていた）小普請組支配は勤仕並(きんじなみ)寄合となり、配下の士は小普請支配、小普請組ともに海軍陸軍両奉行(ぶぎょう)並支配、同両奉行並組に編入され、小普請組のうち50俵以下の士は御持小筒組並(おもちこづつぐみなみ)、同勤方となった。

［北原章男］

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