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A ''[[metsuke]]'' (government inspector) surveyed the skills, finances, personality, and qualifications otherwise of applicants, and played a role in confirming the eligibility of a samurai applicant for government employment. Those whose applications were successful were summoned to the shogun's palace ([[Edo castle]]), though this appearance at the castle required the applicant to possess a formal outfit and to bring a certain number of gifts to present to officials; not every applicant could afford this.
A ''[[metsuke]]'' (government inspector) surveyed the skills, finances, personality, and qualifications otherwise of applicants, and played a role in confirming the eligibility of a samurai applicant for government employment. Those whose applications were successful were summoned to the shogun's palace ([[Edo castle]]), though this appearance at the castle required the applicant to possess a formal outfit and to bring a certain number of gifts to present to officials; not every applicant could afford this.
Those who were unable to secure appointment often lived rather impoverished lives, sometimes for generations. They settled mainly in certain neighborhoods of [[Edo]], including Honjô, Fukagawa, and Koishikawa, and supplemented their meager samurai stipends by engaging in craft activities, producing and selling toys, umbrellas, or the like.
==References==
==References==
