Constable - Doushin

In the Kamakura period, it meant a reinforcement force. In the Muromachi period, it referred to warriors attached to various feudal lords along with Yoriki, but in the Sengoku period, it became more common and referred to low-ranking warriors attached to the various units led by samurai generals and foot soldiers generals. In the Edo Shogunate, they were under the control of various positions such as the chief clerk, shoin clerk, 100-man group leader, sakite-no-kami, funate-no-kami, Kyoto shoshidai, rusui, machibugyo, sakuji-no-kami, and ongoku-no-kami, and were under the command of the horse-mounted Yoriki. They were of the rank of foot soldier, and the standard amount was 30 koku for two people, and they were either kakaeseki or fudai seats.

The most famous of these were the town police officers under the magistrates of Edo, Osaka, etc. In 1745 (Enkyo 2), there were a total of 240 people in the northern and southern magistrate's offices of Edo. Their duties were diverse, and those who worked under the command of the Yoriki were the Year Guard, the Prison Patrol, the Investigative Officer, the Town Firefighter Labor Inspector, the Town Hall Patrol, the Copper Factory Patrol, the City Inspection and Color Inspection Officer, the Emergency Inspection Officer, the Laborers' Hall Regular Officer, and the Duty Officer. Those who worked under the direct command of the Bugyo and had unique roles for the Doshin were the Secret Police Officers who carried out investigations, the Regular Officers who patrolled the towns to investigate unusual occurrences and apprehended those who had violated the law or were behaving suspiciously, and the Temporary Officers who went out to various areas on special occasions. The three roles of the Secret Police Officers, Regular Officers, and Temporary Officers were collectively called the Patrol Officers and the San Mawari Officers. They were low-ranking officials who received 30 koku of rice sacks for two people, but they earned income by renting out the front grounds of their 330m2 estates to townspeople, and also received rewards for visiting various houses and providing convenience. Those who held important positions, such as tonenbankata, kenmikata, and maiwaikata, received large amounts of money from daimyo, hatamoto, and wealthy merchants, and it is said that they lived very comfortably. They lived in a group residence in Hatchobori, Kyobashi (Chuo Ward, Tokyo), tied their hair in a style commonly known as Hatchobori ginkgo, and usually wore black crested haori coats without hakama, and were called Hatchobori's dannashu. Although their status was only for one generation, in reality it was the same as a fudai-seki, as fathers and sons were successively employed. However, they were not transferred to other posts, and opportunities to be promoted to yoriki were extremely rare.

[Kitahara Akio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉時代には加勢を意味した。室町時代には与力(よりき)とともに諸大名家に付属した武士をいったが、戦国時代になると一般化し、侍大将・足軽大将らの率いる諸隊に付属した軽格の武士をさすようになった。江戸幕府では、大番頭(おおばんがしら)、書院番頭、百人組頭、先手(さきて)頭、船手頭、京都所司代(しょしだい)、留守居(るすい)、町奉行(まちぶぎょう)、作事(さくじ)奉行、また遠国(おんごく)奉行などをはじめとする番方(ばんがた)・役方の諸職の支配に属し、馬上格の与力の指揮を受けた。徒歩(かち)の格で、30俵二人扶持(ぶち)高を基準とし、抱席(かかえせき)あるいは譜代(ふだい)席であった。

　なかでも有名なのは、江戸・大坂などの町奉行配下の町同心である。1745年（延享2）江戸の南北両町奉行所には合計240人がいた。その分掌は多岐にわたり、与力の指揮下に勤務するものに、年番方(ねんばんがた)、牢屋見廻(ろうやみまわ)り、吟味方(ぎんみかた)、町火消人足改(あらため)、町会所掛(がかり)、古銅吹所(こどうふきしょ)見廻り、市中取締諸色調(しょしきしらべ)掛、非常取締掛、人足寄場定(にんそくよせばじょう)掛、当番方、また奉行の直接の指揮下に勤務し、同心独自の役目とするものに、探索を務める隠密(おんみつ)廻り、町々を見廻り異変を取り調べ、法令に違反した者、挙動不審の者を取り押さえる定(じょう)廻り、臨時に各方面に出掛ける臨時廻りがあった。隠密廻り、定廻り、臨時廻りの三役は、総称して廻り方・三(さん)廻りなどといった。御目見(おめみえ)以下、羽織袴(はおりはかま)役、30俵二人扶持高の軽輩であったが、100坪余の屋敷地のうち表地面を町人に貸与して収入があり、また諸家に出入りし便宜を図って謝礼を得、ことに年番方、吟味方、廻り方など重要な役目についた者には、大名、旗本、富商からの付け届けが多額に上り、生活はきわめて楽なものであったという。京橋八丁堀（東京都中央区）の組屋敷に住み、頭髪を俗に八丁堀銀杏(いちょう)といわれる形に結い、服装は平素黒紋付の羽織で袴(はかま)をつけずに着流しにし、八丁堀の旦那(だんな)衆とよばれた。身分は一代限りの抱席であったが、現実には父子相継いで採用されたため、譜代席と同様であった。しかし、他の役職に転出することもなく、与力に昇格する機会もきわめてまれなことであった。

［北原章男］

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