Regular envoy - Jyozukai

Japanese: 定使 - じょうづかい

In medieval manors and provincial government territories, a person who was dispatched to inspect or collect taxes and official affairs. Also called a "jo-zukai." The first appearance of a jō-zukai in historical documents is thought to be in a December 19, 1080 (Shoryaku 4) document from the Todaiji Mandokoro, in which the "jo-zukai" was dispatched to collect land tax from Kuroda Manor in Iga Province. In October 1135 (Hōen 1), it was "jo-zukai Sadamoto" who reported the horse-riding register for the inspection of fields at Kan-mikuriya in Yamato Province. Generally, jō-zukai were not temporary messengers, but were permanently involved with specific manors, as seen in the fact that Mitsukuni continued to appear as a jō-zukai for Kuroda Manor.

Jyozukai [Regular envoy]

In the early modern period, a village chief or village headman served as a liaison between the villagers and village officials of other villages. Their main role was to call the villagers together and to carry notices and circulars from the lord to neighboring villages, and they were paid from the village's needs. In the 1723 (8th year of the Kyoho era) Village Account of Ogawa Village, Tama County, Musashi Province (present-day Kodaira City, Tokyo), it is written, "1. Two ryo of gold. The above is the salary and support for one regular messenger, with lodgings and a front entrance of one ken and a hook of three mon." Ogawa Village was a farming village in Musashino with an income of over 670 koku, and it is clear that the village had one regular messenger who received a salary of two ryo of gold per year.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中世の荘園や国衙領で，検注や年貢･公事の督促等のために派遣される者。〈じょうづかい〉とも呼ぶ。史料上の初見と思われるのは，1080年(承暦4)12月19日の東大寺政所下文で，伊賀国黒田荘の加地子督促に当たる〈定使光国〉である。また1135年(保延1)10月，大和国寛御厨の検田馬上帳の注進をしているのは〈定使貞元〉である。一般に定使は一時的な使者ではなく，さきの光国がその後もひきつづき黒田荘の定使として現れるように，永続的に特定荘園等にかかわるものであった。

じょうづかい【定使】

近世において名主･庄屋のもとにあって村民や他村の村役人との連絡に当たるもの。村民を呼び集めたり，領主からの触書･廻状類を隣村に持ち運ぶのが主要な役目で，村入用の中から給料を受ける。1723年(享保8)の武蔵国多摩郡小川村(現，東京都小平市)の〈村入用帳〉に〈一，金弐両　右ハ定使壱人給金扶持方，宿並表間口壱間ニ鐚（びた）三文ツヽ〉と見える。小川村は武蔵野にある670石余の畑作村で，この村には定使が1人おり，それが1年に金2両の給金を受けていたことがわかる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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