Lord of the manor

Japanese: 荘主 - しょうす

In the Middle Ages, this term was used by Zen scholars to refer to the deputy governor (manor official) of temple land. It appears in Zenrin Shokisen, a glossary of Zen terms created in the early modern period. Japanese Zen Buddhism, especially Rinzai Zen, was imported directly from the Southern Song Dynasty of China, and the structure for governing temple land was completely different from that of the old Buddhist temples that practiced exoteric and esoteric Buddhism, and a Chinese system was introduced. In other words, the Zen temple was divided into the Western Group for teaching and the Eastern Group for economic matters, and the accounting of the temple and management of the manor were left to the Zen monks of the Eastern Group. The highest rank in the Eastern Group was called Tsubun or Tokan, and below them were six governors: Tsusu, Kansu, Fusu, Ina, Tenzo, and Shitsusui, and these Zen monks were collectively called the Tobanshu.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中世，禅家で寺領の代官(荘官)を指した用語。近世に成立した禅家の用語解説書である《禅林象器箋》に出ている。日本の禅宗，とくに臨済禅は中国南宋から直輸入された関係で，寺領支配機構も顕密の旧仏教系寺院とはまったく異なり，中国式の体制が移入された。すなわち禅院内を教学方面の西班と経済関係の東班に分かち，寺院の経理や荘園経営は東班の禅僧に行わせた。東班の最高位を都聞（つうぶん）または都官と呼び，その下に都寺（つうす），監寺（かんす），副寺（ふうす），維那（いのう），典座（てんぞ），直歳（しつすい）の六知事を置いて，これらの禅僧を東班衆と総称した。

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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