Manor official - Shokan

A general term for those who manage and operate manors. It may include envoys sent from the central manor lord, but generally refers to those who manage and operate manors locally. The types and names vary depending on the era and manor. During the early days of manors, names such as denshi, denshi, shoji, shocho, shoazukari, shoushi, betto, sento, kengyo, and anzu were seen. From the late Heian period onwards, all manors were limited to geshi, kumon, tadokoro, sotsuibushi, etc. As time went on, banto became more common.

The Geji was, so to speak, a local head, and controlled the lower-ranking Shokan officials below him, and was responsible for collecting taxes and other matters. Most were appointed by local influential people (such as the donors of the manors), but they could also be dispatched from the central government. The Jito (land steward) inherited the duties of the Geji, but the power to appoint and dismiss them was held by the Kamakuradono (Shogun), unlike the Geji, whose power was held by the Honjo (main family or lord). The Komon, as the name suggests, recorded and stored documents, and played an important role, and like the Geji, were always found in every manor. The Tadokoro was responsible for managing the fields, and the Sotsuiboshi was responsible for maintaining peace, but these roles were not uniform depending on the manor, and some points are unclear. The Banto began to appear around the Kamakura period, and were responsible for dividing up the taxes and duties from the lord and sharing them among several groups, and were selected from influential people among the Myoshu (head of the village). Manor officials were given certain shares as remuneration for their duties. The main ones were the Kyuden (fields) (exempt from paying taxes and public duties) and Zomenden (fields) (exempt from public duties). Apart from those dispatched from the central government, manor officials were generally also powerful headmen of the manors, so it seems that in many cases these shares were allocated to them from part of their own fields.

[Hideo Nakano]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

荘園の管理・運営者の総称。中央の荘園領主からときとして派遣される使を含む場合もあるが、一般的には、現地にあって荘園を管理・運営する者をいう。時代や荘園によってその種類・名称は多様である。荘園成立期には、田使(でんし)、佃使(でんし)、荘司(しょうじ)、荘長(しょうちょう)、荘預(しょうあずかり)、荘子(しょうし)、別当、専当(せんとう)、検校(けんぎょう)、案主(あんず)などの名称がみられる。平安時代後期以降は、どの荘園でも下司(げし)、公文(くもん)、田所(たどころ)、惣追捕使(そうついぶし)などに限定される。さらに時代がくだると番頭(ばんとう)が多くみられるようになる。

　下司はいわば現地の総括者で、それ以下の下級荘官を統轄して、年貢収納などにあたる。多くは現地の有力者（荘園の寄進者など）が補任(ぶにん)されるが、中央から派遣される場合もある。地頭(じとう)はこの下司の職掌を受け継ぐものであるが、その任免権は鎌倉殿（将軍）がもっており、本所（本家・領家）が任免権をもつ下司と異なる。公文は字のごとく文書を記録・保管するもので、その役割は重要であり、下司と同じくどの荘園にもかならずみられる。田所は田地管理、惣追捕使は治安維持にあたったようであるが、これらは荘園によって一様でなく、不明な点もある。番頭は鎌倉時代ごろからみえ始めるもので、領主からの課役・夫役(ぶやく)を何番かに分けて負担する際の責任者で、名主(みょうしゅ)のなかの有力者が選ばれた。荘官はその職務に対する俸給として、一定の得分を与えられていた。その主要なものとしては、給田（畠）（年貢・公事(くじ)の負担を免除されている）、雑免(ぞうめん)田（畠）（公事の負担を免除されている）がある。荘官は中央から派遣されるものは別として、だいたい荘園の有力名主でもあったので、それらの得分も、自己の名田の一部が割り当てられた場合が多かったようである。

［中野栄夫］

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