Family name and sword - Myoji Taito

It is also written as "family name and sword". In the Edo period, along with the "kirisute gomen" (law of separation from the dead), it was one of the privileges granted to samurai. However, it was sometimes granted to commoners such as farmers, artisans, and merchants. Most of them were local samurai, village headmen (village headmen) with special pedigrees, town elders, and government merchants, as well as those who were filial and had made special contributions. However, it was rare for people to be granted both a family name and a sword. There were various types, such as those who only had a family name, or those who only had a sword, and even then, those who only had a sword, some for one generation only, and some for life. Moreover, such cases were rare in the Shogunate's territories, but were more common in the feudal lord's territories. The Shogunate allowed it regardless of whether it was on the Imperial or private territory, and in that case, the privilege was valid throughout the country. However, in the case of daimyo and hatamoto, the privilege could only be granted to those within their domain, and the scope of its validity was limited to their domain. Since a surname was a social honor and carrying a sword was a political privilege for samurai, it was easier to be allowed to have a surname than to carry a sword.

[Kitahara Akio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

名字帯刀とも書く。江戸時代、切捨御免(きりすてごめん)などとともに武士に許された特権の一つ。しかし、ときとして農工商の庶民にも許された。その多くは郷士をはじめ特別の由緒をもつ庄屋(しょうや)（名主(なぬし)）、町年寄、御用商人などであり、ほかに孝行者や特別に功労のあったものなどがあった。だが、苗字と帯刀をともに許されるのはまれであり、苗字だけのもの、帯刀だけのもの、それも一代限りのもの、永代にわたるものなどさまざまであった。またそれらの例は幕府御領に少なく、大名領に多くみられたという。幕府は御領・私領のいかんを問わずにそれを許したが、その場合、特権は全国に通用した。しかし、大名・旗本の場合、特権は領内のものにしか許すことができず、その有効範囲も領内に限られた。苗字は社会的栄誉であり、帯刀は武士の政治的特権であったから、苗字のほうが帯刀よりも容易に許されたという。

［北原章男］

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