Young Party - Wakato

A type of samurai servant. In the Middle Ages, it referred to a young samurai who served his master as a personal servant, as opposed to an older samurai known as a roto. In the early modern period, it referred to a low-ranking samurai who served a large samurai family, and their status was somewhere between a foot soldier and an ashigaru, and they were always around their master, performing general tasks and guarding. They were servants of peasant or townsman origins who worked on a seasonal or semi-seasonal basis, and the standard salary was 3 to 4 ryo per year.

[Kitahara Akio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

武家奉公人の一つ。中世では年輩の侍(さむらい)である老党に対し、主人の身辺に仕えた若輩(じゃくはい)の侍をいった。近世では大身の武家に仕えた軽輩をいい、その身分は徒士(かち)と足軽(あしがる)との中間に置かれ、始終主人の身辺にあって雑務、警固(けいご)に任じた。彼らは百姓・町人出身の一季・半季の出替(でがわり)奉公人であり、給金は一か年3～4両を相場とした。

［北原章男］

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