It is believed there were roughly 20,000 ''gokenin'' in Edo period Japan. They held low-level government posts within the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], enjoyed smaller stipends than ''hatamoto'', and were not entitled to audiences with the shogun. | It is believed there were roughly 20,000 ''gokenin'' in Edo period Japan. They held low-level government posts within the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], enjoyed smaller stipends than ''hatamoto'', and were not entitled to audiences with the shogun. |