Koshō
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Koshō (小姓) is one of the occupation names of samurai. Koshō is written as 小性 in some sources.
Overview[edit]
The name koshō is derived from 扈従 (koshō, lit. "following a noble"), and, since the Middle Ages, they had served the general samurai, and were doing several jobs.
For Sengoku era, they also had done secretary's role. They were required first-class manners and military arts. Their main role was to defend their master sacrificing their own lives. Some koshō played an active part as his master's aide after he had grown up. Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu had taken daimyo's sons hostage virtually, under the pretext of koshō.
During Edo period, koshō was doing chores for the shogun as instructed by the wakadoshiyori. Under the Tokugawa shogunate's and his daimyōs' hans' occupational systems, the secretary's role was done by sobayōnin (側用人), sobashū (側衆), kinjū-shuttōyaku (近習出頭役) and goyō-toritsugiyaku (御用取次役), and the main duty of koshō became mediation for his master's everyday life and work nearby him. But his most important job under the pretext was the guard of shogun or han lords.
Konandoyaku (小納戸役) was the occupation who is doing remote jobs as koshō's subordinates because koshō had to be always on his master's side.
Some Han lords had appointed young samurai immediately after genpuku to koshō, and educated him as own faithful subordinate in the future.
For instance, in many cases, the first son of eidai-garō (永代家老) had been adopted firstly as koshō, through yōnin (用人)( or an apprentice of karō), and become next karō finally.
- karō: A principal retainer
- eidai-garō: A hereditary principal retainer
And, high vassal's sons had been appointed to koshō, in heyazumi-mibun (部屋住み身分) as servants or companions for a prince of han lord.
- heyazumi-mibun: A samurai who cannot succeed his family estate. For example, a second or third son, or an illegitimate son.
Some clans of han lords were prohibiting koshō to contact with other clans include the koshō's own it, because koshō had served most near of his lord then he knew of a lot of secrets of his han.
In many cases of taishin-hatamto (a hatamoto who has a lot of vassals) the second or third sons who can't be adopted to another clan became chū-goshō (中小姓) (chūoku-goshō (中奥小姓)) as new vassal of his clan. In the same cases of daimyo, however, they could become not koshō but kyujin.
The second or third sons of poor samurai were sold to the temple for mouth reduction or study, and they took care of priests as tera-koshō (寺小姓).
一般的には大抵十八・十九と成人する頃には、纏まった金をもらって御家人株・諸藩の足軽株を買う者、あるいは町家に囲われるなどして（援助を受けて）寺を出された（寺小姓から解放された）者、及び妻子を持って所帯を持っても、いわば公認・法律婚によるものでなく、その子供は、武家と認められずに町民・百姓となる者などがあった。
- ashigaru: the lowest samurai class
Homosexuality[edit]
Some but not most koshō were sexual partners (shudō) of their masters. Generally, the koshō who had such relationships were called ko-gosho (児小姓). During Sengoku era, some samurai lords chose beautiful koshōs.
During Sengoku era, lords and his koshō who had the relation of shudō include:
- evidenced by original sources
- Takeda Shingen and Kōsaka Masanobu
- Date Masamune and Tadano Sakujūrō
- evidenced by second or other sources
- Uesugi Kenshin and Naoe Kanetsugu
- Uesugi Kagekatsu and Kiyono Naganori
- Oda Nobunaga and Maeda Toshiie etc.
Notable koshō[edit]
This article "Koshō" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Koshō. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
