Hostage - Hitojichi

A person given to the other side as a guarantee for the fulfillment of a promise. There are two types of this: (1) A relative or vassal was sent to the other side as a security to ensure the fulfillment of a promise such as an alliance, surrender, or amity. They were killed in case of breach of contract or for the other side's convenience. The ancient "Nihon Shoki" states that during the reign of Empress Jingu, the King of Silla sent Mishikochihatorikamuki to Japan as a pawn. As a product of distrust of people, there were the most frequent examples during the Sengoku period of civil war, and it was widely practiced among warlords at the time. It is well known that when Tokugawa Ieyasu was a child, he was sent to the Imagawa as a hostage, with the following account: "Imagawa requested that Hirotada (Matsudaira) be offered a hostage, and as a result, Hirotada's eldest son, Takechiyo (Ieyasu), was seven years old and sent to Suruga as a witness" (Matsudaira-ki).

Later, during the Toyotomi period, the practice of gathering the wives and children of feudal lords to live in the capital began. Although the wars had finally subsided and the country was unified, the situation in each province had not yet been fully consolidated. Toyotomi Hideyoshi believed that if he did not allow the feudal lords to live in their territories, he would be able to nip the seeds of war in the buddhist domain, and so he had them set up residences in Osaka. At the same time, if they were allowed to live in the castle grounds, they would also be considered hostages. This type of hostage was also used by the Tokugawa Shogunate, who had witnesses live in witness houses in Edo Castle to ensure the loyalty of their lords. This system was abolished in 1665 (Kanbun 5), but as the system of alternate attendance was established, the wives and children of lords were made to live in residences in Edo and were prohibited from returning to their home provinces, which is a hostage in the broad sense of the word. There is also a surviving hostage tower at Oita Castle, and the remains of a hostage tower can be seen in Tsuwano (Shimane Prefecture). (2) There is a hostage where a person is pawned to secure a debt. In ancient times, slaves were pawned, and in the Middle Ages, children or servants were pawned, and sometimes the property was forfeited. In the Edo period, human trafficking was prohibited, but people could use documents such as indentures as collateral for debts, repay the interest by serving as food servants, and return the principal at the end of the contract.

[Fumio Inagaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

約束履行の保証として、相手側に渡された人。これには次の2種がある。（1）肉親や家臣を相手方へ送り、同盟、降伏、和親などの約束の履行を確保するために人身を担保とするものである。違約や相手の都合しだいで殺された。古くは『日本書紀』に神功(じんぐう)皇后のとき、新羅(しらぎ)王が微叱己知波珍干岐(みしこちはとりかむき)を質（むかわり）として日本に送ったとある。人間不信の所産なので戦国乱世にもっとも事例が多く、当時の武将相互の間では広く行われた。徳川家康の幼時、「今川殿より広忠(ひろただ)（松平）へ御人質を可給との儀也、これによりて広忠の総領竹千代殿（家康）七才に成り給うを駿河(するが)へ証人に御越被成候」（松平記）と、人質として今川へ送られたのは有名である。

　その後、諸大名の妻子を都下に集めて居住させることは豊臣(とよとみ)時代に始まった。それまでの戦乱がようやく収まり、全国統一がなったとはいえ、まだ諸国の情勢が十分固まったともいえないころ、豊臣秀吉は、諸大名をその領地に居住させずにおけば、戦乱の種を未然に摘むことになると考えて、諸侯の邸(やしき)を大坂に設けさせた。同時にその妻子を郭内に住まわせれば人質ともなる。徳川幕府が大名の忠誠を確保するため、証人を江戸城内の証人屋敷に居住させたのも、この種の人質である。この制度は1665年（寛文5）に廃止されたが、参勤交代の制度が確立するに伴い、大名の妻子は江戸の屋敷に居住させて国元に帰ることを禁じていたのは、広義の人質である。また人質櫓(やぐら)として、現存するものは大分城にあり、津和野(つわの)（島根県）には人質櫓跡として石垣が残る。（2）人身を質入れして、債権の担保のためになされる人質がある。古代においては奴婢(ぬひ)を、中世には子とか従者の質入れがこれで、流質になる場合もある。江戸時代には人身売買は禁じられていたが、借金の担保として年季請状のごとき証文を入れ、飯盛奉公などによる利子の返済を行い、約束の年季あけに元金の返却をして自由になれた。

［稲垣史生］

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