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Hatamoto, lit. "bannermen," were a class of roughly six thousand middle-ranking samurai of the [[Edo period]] who, instead of serving a ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' or being ''daimyô'' themselves, were direct retainers of the [[Tokugawa shogunate|Tokugawa shogun]].

Hatamoto, lit. "bannermen," were a class of roughly six thousand middle-ranking samurai of the [[Edo period]] who, instead of serving a ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' or being ''daimyô'' themselves, were direct retainers of the [[Tokugawa shogunate|Tokugawa shogun]].

They held small territories in fief, enjoyed stipends of anywhere from 100 to nearly 10,000 ''[[koku]]'', and many held various middle- or upper-middle-level government posts. Some had their own retainers in turn. As many as 1/4 of the ''hatamoto'', however, were unable to secure government posts, while many others were severely underemployed for extended periods, working only half-days, or only on a month-to-month basis.

They held small territories in fief, enjoyed stipends of anywhere from 100 to nearly 10,000 ''[[koku]]'', and many held various middle- or upper-middle-level government posts. Some had their own retainers in turn, set and collected taxes within their territories, issued their own laws, and enforced them by dealing out punishments. While distinguished from ''daimyô'' by the lesser size of their holdings, the only other significant distinction separating the largest ''hatamoto'' from the smallest ''daimyô'' was that ''daimyô'', unlike ''hatamoto'', had the right to sentence their subjects to death.<ref>[[Mark Ravina]], ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan'', Stanford University Press (1999), 18-19.</ref>

 

However, in contrast to the wealthier ''hatamoto'', as many as 1/4 of the members of this class were unable to secure government posts, while many others were severely underemployed for extended periods, working only half-days, or only on a month-to-month basis.

 

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==References==

==References==

*Craig, Teruko (trans.). ''Musui's Story: The Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai''. University of Arizona Press, 1988. p.xii.

*Teruko Craig (trans.). ''Musui's Story: The Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai''. University of Arizona Press, 1988. p.xii.

[[Category:Ranks and Titles]]

[[Category:Ranks and Titles]]

[[Category:Edo Period]]

[[Category:Edo Period]]