Detective - Meakashi

Japanese: 目明し - めあかし

In the Edo period, they were people who worked under various government officials (yoriki and doshin) such as the town magistrate's office and the Hitsuke Tozoku Aratame (Arson and Theft Control Office) to investigate crimes and arrest criminals. In many cases, criminals were released and used as meakashi, and as they were at the bottom of the police system, the common people suffered greatly from their illegal activities. In the 18th century, the shogunate repeatedly banned the use of meakashi, but in the mid-18th century they reappeared under the name okappiki, and in the 19th century they came to be called tesaki. At the end of the Edo period, there were just under 400 meakashi bosses under the town magistrate's office, and the number of shitappiki who lived with the bosses reached about 1,000. →Detective Stories→Related ArticlesOmaeda Eigoro | Kanto | Hanshichi Detective Stories

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

江戸時代，町奉行所(まちぶぎょうしょ)や火付盗賊改(ひつけとうぞくあらため)などの諸役人（与力・同心）の配下で犯罪捜査と犯人逮捕のために働いた者。犯罪人を釈放して目明しとした場合が多く，警察機構の末端に位置した彼らの不法行為に庶民は大いに苦しめられた。18世紀に入ると幕府は目明しの利用を繰り返し禁止したが，18世紀半ばには岡引(おかっぴき)の名称で再び登場し，19世紀には手先(てさき)とよばれるようになった。幕末には町奉行所配下で400人弱の目明しの親分がおり，親分方に同居する下引(したっぴき)も１千人ほどにのぼった。→捕物帳
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