Ojoya - Ojoya

The highest ranking village official in the Edo period. Usually, the village official governed a dozen or so villages, and the area of ​​their rule was said to be between 7,000-8,000 koku and 14,000-15,000 koku. Although they were farmers, many of them were originally from samurai families, and were considered to be of high status in the region. In some cases, the ruler allowed them to adopt formal status such as a family name and carry a sword, and they were treated as samurai. In addition, they collected rice rations from the villages under their group, and sometimes received rice allowances and fuchi from the lord. Their names varied depending on the region, and they were called soshoya, sodai-nashu, warimoto, yomoto, kendan, ookimoiri, tomura, tenaga, etc. The duties of the chief priest vary from region to region, but under the command of local officials such as the daimyo, county magistrate, and county magistrate, they supervised the village headmen and village headmen under their group, conveyed laws and regulations, assigned taxes and labor, and mediated lawsuits between villages. In the early days, they were established in both Tenryo and Daimyo territories, but in Tenryo, they were abolished during the Shotoku era (1711-16) due to the high level of corruption.

[Uesugi Masahiko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代の最上位の村役人。通常は、村役人の支配する村を十数か村から数十か村統轄する者をいい、その支配の範囲は、村高にして7000～8000石から1万4000～1万5000石であったという。身分は農民であるが、旧来は武士の由緒をもつ者が多く、その地方では格式の高い家とみられた。また支配者により、苗字(みょうじ)帯刀などの格式を許され、士分として扱われた場合もある。また収入として組下の村から給米を徴収したり、領主から切米(きりまい)や扶持(ふち)を支給される場合もあった。その名称は地域によって異なり、惣(そう)庄屋、惣代名主、割元(わりもと)、用元、検断、大肝煎(おおきもいり)、十村(とむら)、手永(てなが)などと称された。その職務の内容も地域によって差異があるが、代官、郡代、郡奉行(こおりぶぎょう)らの地方(じかた)役人の指揮下で、組下の庄屋、名主を統轄し、法令の伝達、年貢、夫役(ぶやく)の割付け、村々の訴訟の調整にあたった。初期には、天領、大名領にともに置かれたが、天領では正徳(しょうとく)年間（1711～16）に、不正が多いと廃止された。

［上杉允彦］

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