Hokou method

This was one of the new laws of Wang Anshi (1021-86), a politician of the Northern Song Dynasty in China. For the purpose of maintaining order in villages, 10 households were designated as 1 bao, 5 bao, 1 ta bao, and 1 metropolitan bao. Each was assigned a baocho, ta bacho, and metropolitan bao chief and deputy bacho, and 10 to 30 households were designated as 1 baocho. They were given military training during the farming off-season, and were intended to serve as a militia to supplement the Imperial Guard, which was significantly weakened at the time, but resistance from the peasants was so great that the aim of making them militias was abandoned. When the law on compensatory duties was reinstated at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, duties such as the head of the local government and head of household, who were responsible for maintaining order in villages and collecting taxes, were assigned using the baojia organization, and during the Southern Song Dynasty, the baojia system was combined with the service law and used as a neighborhood organization solely for the purposes of collecting taxes and maintaining order.

[Shima Kazuyasu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、北宋(ほくそう)の政治家、王安石（1021―86）の新法の一つ。郷村の治安維持を目的として、民戸10家を一保、五保を一大保、五大保を一都保とし、それぞれに保長、大保長、都保には都保正と副保正を置き、10～30家を一甲として一保丁を任命した。農閑期には軍事訓練を施し、当時弱体化が著しかった禁軍を補う民兵組織としての役割を担わせようとしたが、農民の抵抗が大きく、民兵化の目的は断念させられた。北宋末に差役(さえき)法が復活すると、郷村の治安維持や催税にあたる耆長(きちょう)、戸長などの役(えき)は保甲の組織を利用して割り当てられるようになり、南宋時代には、保甲制度は役法と合体して、もっぱら催税と治安維持を目的とする隣保組織として運用された。

［島居一康］

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