Road Magistrate - Dochu Bugyo

During the Edo period, this was a shogunate position that oversaw everything related to the roads, including the supervision of the Five Highways and their associated roads, as well as roads and bridges. The first mention of the road magistrate was in the "Rishobetsuroku" (Record of Official Records of Official Records), which read, "Four people were appointed as Ometsuke (Oometsuke) in December of the 9th year of the Kan'ei era (1632) and also served as road magistrates," but it is generally believed to have begun in 1659 (Manji 2), when Takagi Ise no Kami Morihisa, the Ometsuke, took on the role of road magistrate. After that, in 1698 (Genroku 11), when Kanjo magistrate Matsudaira Mino no Kami Shigenaga became a Kanjo magistrate's assistant, the position became a dual role, with the position of Ometsuke and Kanjo magistrate. Below the Oometsuke was the Roadside Officer, who was also the head of the Accounting Group, the Ukagakata, one of the heads of the Bookkeeping Group, and four Chief Accountants. Their duties were wide-ranging, including the allocation of rice and other funds for horse-riding inns, accommodation loans, assistance to villages, tree-lined management, and road and bridge construction.

[Yoshinari Maruyama]

"Basic Research on Post Stations in the Early Modern Period, Vol. 1" by Maruyama Yoshinari (1975, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代、五街道とその付属街道の取締りや道路・橋梁(きょうりょう)など、道中関係のすべてを管掌した幕府の役職。道中奉行の初見は『吏徴別録』の「大目付(おおめつけ)　寛永(かんえい)九年壬申(みずのえさる)（1632）十二月始置四人、道中奉行兼帯」という記事であるが、一般的には1659年（万治2）大目付の高木伊勢守守久(いせのかみもりひさ)が初めて道中奉行を兼任したのを始まりとする。その後、1698年（元禄11）勘定(かんじょう)奉行の松平美濃守(みのかみ)重良(しげなが)が道中奉行加役(かやく)となって以降、大目付・勘定奉行兼任の二人職となった。大目付の下には道中方があり、勘定組頭のうち伺方(うかがいかた)、帳面方組頭の一方が兼ね、支配勘定4人がこれに付属した。その職掌は、御伝馬宿入用(ごてんまじゅくにゅうよう)などの下付米金、宿貸付、助郷割替(すけごうわりかえ)、並木管理、道橋普請(ふしん)など多岐にわたる。

［丸山雍成］

『丸山雍成著『近世宿駅の基礎的研究　第一』（1975・吉川弘文館）』

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