Horseman - Grandson

A person whose occupation involves pulling packhorses or tenma (horses) to transport luggage or people. Under the post system established under the Ritsuryo system, horsemen for post stations were citizens conscripted into labor, but gradually horsemen called bashaku appeared and became a fully-fledged profession on major roads during the Muromachi period, when distribution of goods developed. In the Edo period, horsemen were also called horse drivers, umakata (horsemen's drivers), and umahiki (horse pullers), and their numbers and the amount of work they did increased, but so did the number of incidents where they blackmailed travelers and extorted money and valuables. There are some good horseman's songs (magouta) that horsemen sang on the road that remain to this day.

[Mitsusada Fukasaku]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

駄馬や伝馬(てんま)を引いて荷物や人を運ぶ職業の者。律令(りつりょう)制によりできた駅制の駅馬の馬子は、賦役に徴用された公民であったが、しだいに馬借(ばしゃく)とよばれる馬子が現れ、商品流通の発達した室町時代の主要街道で完全に職業化した。江戸時代になると、馬子は馬追い、馬方(うまかた)、馬曳(うまひ)きなどともよばれ、数も仕事も増えたが、旅人を恐喝し金品を巻き上げるなどの事件も増えた。なお、馬子が道中に歌った馬子唄(まごうた)には、いまも残るよい唄がある。

［深作光貞］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例