Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Adventures in the Far East => Topic started by: Franz_Josef on October 11, 2013, 03:25:39 PM
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Looking through my old Stephen Turnbull books, and a chapter in "Samurai Warlords" gave me the idea for a buntai in the Tokugawa Shogunate period in Edo to confront gamblers and ronin (i.e. 17th - 18th century, little-to-no armor/missile weapons). These are the forces of the machi-bugayo, the magistrate (a rank equivalent to many daiymo; there were 2, who alternated duty each month). Under each were 25 yoriki (assistant magistrates), with an income of 200 koku (hereditary position in Edo. Other towns also had yoriki). The yoriki usually wore the traditional "off-duty" samurai costume of the hakama trousers and haori jacket, and carried the two swords of samurai (although they were somewhat ostrasized by other samurai families due to Shinto beliefs re the taint of those associated with executions). Yoriki commanded doshin (constables); in Edo each of the two machi-bugayo had 120 doshin. Although technically of samurai status, doshin carried one sword and the jitte, and were generally charged with arresting criminals alive to stand trial. (Note, by this time, ashigaru were hereditary and technically the lowest rung of the samurai class).
If warranted, the yoriki himself would supervise the party of doshin making the arrest. The yoriki would then wear the equivalent of medium armor, might be mounted, and would carry a spear (as last resort "backup"). Many doshin would carry hooked/barbed spears, to entangle the felon's sleeves. In Ronin terms, I see the yoriki as samurai, hatamoto or bushou (depending on experience). The doshin would be ashigaru, ashigaru-gashira, or samurai.
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Sounds interesting.
There was an interesting magazine article in a wargame glossy,sorry can't recall which ,about such matters some time ago.
Used to be available to down load somewhere...
I've found a link to it-
http://www.wargamesillustrated.net/Default.aspx?tabid=310&art_id=2271
Enjoy!
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Forgot to say i always fancied gaming this article- perhaps ronin has given me a chance...
Let me know your thoughts on the article and how your buntai develops...
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I probably won't create this as a buntai - I personally prefer the Warring States period and like Bushi. (and most of my own figures are armor-clad samurai or ashiguru). I just thought someone gaming in the period might find the information useful. In the same chapter, Turnbull also makes note of the gangs, some of which were formed by Edo townsmen to protect their neighborhoods from rowdy off-duty samurai. One of the most famous of these was headed by a ronin.
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Thanks for posting this. The second part of the article is far more detailed and in-depth than the chapter in the Turnbull book (in fact, some of the wording - some sentences are almost identical - makes me wonder if one had read the other or if both were translating from the same text). And von Essen adds the role of the chugen (drawn from townsmen), who accompanied the doshin on patrol, and seem also to have been armed with the jitte.
Re the first part, Turnbull adds that Mizuno tried to scald Chobei to death in the bathhouse (by blocking the doors), and the many woodblock illustrations of this event would indicate that resulted in a terrific fight between Chobei and Mizuno's henchmen, with Chobei eventually sucumbing to his wounds after killing several of them (a subject of many woodblock illustrations). Chobei is portrayed in Japanese literature as a sort of Robin Hood figure.
One thing I neglected to mention in my post re the doshin is something about costume - because their duties often entailed clambering about on rooftops after fleeing felons, they did not wear the hakama overtrousers.